There are a couple free online classes being started Feb 20 that might interest some of the hard-core nerds on here. You are not allowed to view links.
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Login is a startup, somewhat of a followup to the Artificial Intelligence class that was offered for You are not allowed to view links.
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Login from Stanford - over 100k enrolled, and 23k finished the course.
Udacity is offering two free courses in February:
CS101: Building a Search Engine - This class will give you an introduction to computing. In seven weeks, you will build your own search engine complete with a web crawler and way of ranking popular pages. You will understand some of the key concepts in computer science, and learn how to write your own computer programs. No previous background in programming is expected.
CS373: Programming a Robotic Car - This class, taught by one of the foremost experts in AI, will teach you basic methods in Artificial Intelligence, including: probabilistic inference, computer vision, machine learning, and planning, all with a focus on robotics. Extensive programming examples and assignments will apply these methods in the context of building self-driving cars. You will get a chance to visit, via video, the leading research labs in the field, and meet the scientists and engineers who are building self-driving cars at Stanford and Google.
I really think that the next step for our light shows (and Halloween props?) is interactivity with the audience. Plus, the whole Google self-driving car concept is just too freakin cool. I've signed up for the 2nd course. Anyone else interested?