Simple Machine Learning
A field journal · v.01
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Every essay, since day one.

All 8 issues, newest first.

2026

8 essays
  • April 29, 2026
    Welcome to Simple Machine Learning
    Why this journal exists, and what to expect from each issue.
    1 min
  • April 28, 2026
    Part 1 — What AI actually is (and isn't)
    Forget the sci-fi. AI is pattern-spotting, dressed in a confident voice.
    2 min
  • April 27, 2026
    Part 2 — How a model 'learns' (the kid-with-flashcards version)
    Training is just guessing, getting graded, and adjusting. A million billion times.
    2 min
  • April 26, 2026
    Part 3 — Why training data is everything
    A model is a mirror of what it was shown. Show it junk, get junk. There is no shortcut.
    2 min
  • April 25, 2026
    Part 4 — Hallucinations: why AI lies to you, politely
    The model is not lying. It is doing the only thing it knows how to do — guessing — when it should be saying 'I don't know.'
    2 min
  • April 24, 2026
    Part 5 — How to actually use AI without losing your mind
    A practical playbook. Use AI like a fast intern, not an oracle. Verify the load-bearing bits.
    2 min
  • April 22, 2026
    Gradient Descent, By Hand
    Working a single step of gradient descent on paper, with the dignity it deserves.
    1 min
  • April 15, 2026
    The Bias–Variance Bargain
    Every model trades two kinds of error. The trick is knowing which one you're paying for.
    1 min
Simple Machine Learning

Plainspoken essays on the practice of machine learning. One issue at a time.

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