An introduction to computer science, a compiler class and a systems class, all three built on selfie and all three telling one story: proof against truth, along one axis from the small to the vast to the countable to the uncountable, with Cantor, Gödel, Turing and Rice met in each. The purpose is a deep understanding of basic computer science principles, deep enough to position generative AI, and whatever comes next, properly. The book is What is Intelligence? Discovering Unproven Truth; each class opens with one of the three talks.
The book at talk resolution: size, notation, meaning, the machine, self-reference, cost, formal methods, machines, and the definition. No formal assignments; recommended exercises every week.
A compiler is a proof system for syntax and a constructor of semantics, and every semantic question it seems to answer is a chosen approximation. Build starc, extension by extension, and turn a model checker on the result.
Isolation is the semantic problem; virtualization buys performance with self-reference; what a kernel cannot decide, it bounds. Build hypster into an operating system with processes, threads and locks.
| station | the axis | ics | cc | se |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Size: small, vast, and the two sizes of endless | 2, 3 | 2 | — |
| II | Notation: formal languages and the machine, everything countable | 4, 5, 6 | 2, 3, 5 | 2 |
| III | Meaning: uncountability, self-reference, universality, Rice | 7, 8, 9, 10 | 4, 6, 7, 8, 9 | 3 to 9, 12 |
| IV | Cost: intractability, SAT, models of machines, energy | 11, 12 | 10, 11, 12 | 10, 11 |
| V | Machines: what a generator is, the loops, the gate | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| VI | Intelligence: the definition | 14 | 14 | 14 |
Each deck opens in the browser; press → to begin, n for the speaker notes, t for the clock, d for the theme. The PDF next to each deck is a rendering of it with every build step shown. The figures are shared between the decks and the book and live in docs/figures. Assignments: introductory, compiler, systems; the autograder grades the last two.