How I avoided being a slave to my algorithm

I was just starting out to transition into hardware back then when I didn't know anything. I saw how fast AI could eat software and thought to myself that I needed to take action. I'd been using Claude Code and Codex for a while at that time, and I knew I could trust it.

“Hey, I wanna know more about robotics. Can you suggest me some stuff that I could read so that I can get on with it?” And it gave me a whole lot of stuff that would help me get into it faster. I remember reading about world models and Yann LeCun's bet. And it was transformative. Sometimes AI doesn't explain things the human way. That's why I ask it to find me stuff on the internet that's personal essays and blog posts. And it's fun to do!

And when I was having a hard time assembling a modified OpenArm, trying to figure out setting up CAN, I couldn't find a visualization or a video doing the stuff that I needed to do. It was able to find me a non-OpenArm video that showed what I needed to do. Which to me was magical. It was like finding documentation that you thought never existed.

Even now for entertainment and fun, I just ask it to find me personal blog posts and essays, something that doesn't seem normal or usual. Something that isn't usually discussed on the internet. That's my go-to. And just a single article can change my views about life (tho I don't usually remember it). It's just a better readsomethinggreat.com, a site that recommends curated articles.

When learning, it's still shit when explaining things through chat. But ask it to find a better resource and it's most likely to give you an excellent one.

Even with YouTube videos that I want to watch with my little brothers. It's great with it. I don't have to scroll through my social media feed just to find stuff that could kill time. I'm not a slave to the algorithm anymore. Just a slave to my curiosities. And I would like the latter because I know how hard it is to get out of the grasp of these algorithms designed to make you keep watching.

I even saw my 13-year-old lil brother taking a peek at Navier–Stokes when he was creating weather simulations in his game engine. It's wild.

I was painting Nutella on my face when I was 13 and walking down the hallways.

It's fun to do this and not waste your hours when you're actually done.

I wonder what problems will come out of this? Instead of complaining about algorithms, will I complain about this next?

It's so convenient and it feels like these are my own decisions, unlike an algorithm where it's designed to be addictive. This feels addictive but in a nurturing and fun kind of way. But maybe I'm overthinking and I should just go on with life. But what if it's making me do things like an algorithm does? Maybe it's convincing me to make a decision just like how it did here?

I need to eat some ice cream.

Maybe you can suggest a great read! Something you think AI wouldn't be able to recommend :D Send it to me at raph@raph.fyi.