Ask HN: What are the best MOOCs you've taken? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What are the best MOOCs you've taken?

#191

Post by chabes » Tue, Apr 03, 2018, 9:03 PM UTC

dabent wrote: post #162

The "Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies" on Coursera helped me gain an understanding cryptocurrencies. Until I took that course I knew very little about the subject. It's possibly a little dated now, but it's a good primer. https://www.coursera.org/learn/cryptocurrency/ I'd love to hear what other cryptocurrency courses others recommend. As many others mentioned, Andrew Ng's course on Machine Learning on Courser…

You might appreciate the Digital Currency MOOC from University of Nicosia, with Andreas Antonopoulos and Antonis Polemitis.

https://digitalcurrency.unic.ac.cy/free-introductory-mooc/

Latest live stream (with Andreas Antonopoulos) goes into Ethereum and alternative uses of the blockchain:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxyPNS5QmAI

Edit - Actually, the latest live stream is this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2aeToagyaA

Figured I'd leave both, since they cover similar topics

Re: Ask HN: What are the best MOOCs you've taken?

#192

Post by libdjml » Tue, Apr 03, 2018, 9:05 PM UTC

vector_rotcev wrote: post #4

Learning how to learn, Barbara Oakley, Coursera. By far and away the best learning course I've taken in my life as well, I wish it had been available before I had completed my formal education.

Has anyone read her book and can comment on the differences?

I own the book and have half-read it twice, it’s very underwhelming. At no point am I thinking “that’s going to change my way of doing X”

Re: Ask HN: What are the best MOOCs you've taken?

#193

Post by tra3 » Tue, Apr 03, 2018, 9:09 PM UTC

blocked_again wrote: post #151

Buddhism and Modern Psychology by Princeton. This course was just mind-blowing for me. It talks a lot about how our evolutionary survival mechanisms prevent us from seeing the world clearly. If anyone has taken similar courses would love to hear. https://www.coursera.org/learn/science-of-meditation

I will +nth this course. Tying an ancient philosophy with modern science lends both a lot of credibility. Note that religious aspects are not addressed. Practical aspects of buddhism (such as a regular meditation practice, approach to emotions, etc) are discussed. I find it very useful in day to day life.

Re: Ask HN: What are the best MOOCs you've taken?

#194

Post by whalesalad » Tue, Apr 03, 2018, 9:11 PM UTC

Not sure if this counts but recently I started the “elixir for programmers” course and I’m loving it. It skips over the low level stuff and starts from “I know how to build apps in XYZ other tool, how can I get up to speed on idiomatic Elixir” which is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for.

You follow along building the same app as the instructor. Lots of hands on coding and experimentation between clips. I’m not an expert but my confidence level with elixir is very high now.

https://codestool.coding-gnome.com/courses/elixir-for-progra...

Re: Ask HN: What are the best MOOCs you've taken?

#195

Post by Pamar » Tue, Apr 03, 2018, 9:13 PM UTC

I track mines here: http://pa-mar.net/Study/Online/OnlineCourses.html

Best - in no particular order: Introduction to AI (Stanford), the one who started it all, Coursera Data Analysis and Introduction to Operations Management by University of Pennsylvania.

You can find more details about all of these in the page I linked above.

Re: Ask HN: What are the best MOOCs you've taken?

#196

Post by madflame991 » Tue, Apr 03, 2018, 9:32 PM UTC

jamestimmins wrote: post #160

madflame991 wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It changed the way I learn any new programming language. I can say the same and I can offer my reasons: until this course I saw every language like a little island; after this course I understood that programs are just a collection of features: various typing systems, static/dynamic scoping, lazy/eager evaluation, etc. It's a ton easier to learn a new language by identifying these features than by looking at a lang…

Interesting. Did you feel like you needed a strong understanding of compilers or automata to really grok what was going on (I think automata relate to programming languages, but could be mistaken)?

None at all. Automata are used to turn a program from its textual form into some manageable data structure that something else will consume (actual interpreter/optimizer/compiler). At some point in the course (in the racket part) you will be asked to implement an interpreter for MUPL (made-up programming language), but the programs are directly written as a data structure - so no need to parse; in racket both data and code look exactly the same - it'll be a breeze.

I think the only requirements for this course is some plain procedural language (C/Pascal).

Re: Ask HN: What are the best MOOCs you've taken?

#197

Post by kobiguru » Tue, Apr 03, 2018, 9:34 PM UTC

dannygarcia wrote: post #122

carusooneliner wrote: post #64

Financial markets by Robert Shiller: https://www.coursera.org/learn/financial-markets-global I wanted to invest better so I took this course to learn the basics of financial markets (I'm a software guy and have zero training in finance). After taking it, not only do I have the basics nailed down but have gained a massive appreciation of finance as a technology that, at its best, mitigates risk and advances society. S…

It's kind of crazy that, at least in the US, personal finance is not taught so much in grade school. I had to do a lot of reading and research now in my late twenties to figure out the best way to manage the RSUs I get at work and how to plan for a home purchase and retirement. It turns out (surprise) that most financial institutions don't have regular investors' best interest in mind. Instead, they see us as custome…

The video gives a really good explanation but i loved the book he released freely along with that but maybe I have a preference for that. I am awed at by the knowledge this guy has ... If you haven't already read the book "Principles" by Dalio ( same guy)

Re: Ask HN: What are the best MOOCs you've taken?

#198

Post by bhasi » Tue, Apr 03, 2018, 9:35 PM UTC

csdrane wrote: post #113

wainstead wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And if you've never taken any MOOC before this is a great one to start with because: it's only four weeks long and it's free.

Also it looks like the most recent offering of the class started just yesterday, in case anyone else is looking to take it.

Thanks for the heads-up. I'm signing up.

Re: Ask HN: What are the best MOOCs you've taken?

#199

Post by hyperpallium » Tue, Apr 03, 2018, 9:37 PM UTC

rectang wrote: post #2

Khan Academy math, because of the exercises. They are consistent, not very buggy, gamified, and consumable in small or large amounts. Sal Khan is a good communicator and the videos are decent, but it's the exercises that make Khan Academy exceptional.

protip: the hint links usually give a good textbook-style overview (click after answering to not affect gamification).

Re: Ask HN: What are the best MOOCs you've taken?

#200

Post by ajudson » Tue, Apr 03, 2018, 9:41 PM UTC

dmytrish wrote: post #27

ajudson wrote: post #7

Nand2Tetris (part 1)

The second part is awesome too. The first part shows how to design an unoptimized and simplistic, but complete and working 16-bit CPU and RAM from logic gates. The second part builds a whole software stack on top of it using a virtual stack-based VM: - CPU assembler; - a (AOT) compiler from the VM opcodes into the CPU assembly; - a compiler from the high-level language called Jack (an educational mix of Java/C with m…

I'm sure part 2 is great as well, I've only had time to do the first part so only wanted to speak to that. The way it jumps up and down the hardware stack is a very good tool from a pedagogy standpoint - doing assembly language before the CPU really informs why we want the CPU to be set up in the way it is.