> unless you'd call cargo-cult chaining magic numpy incantations you've taken from Karpathy's tutorials "exploring"

That's what I would call exploring.

I too started exploring programming as a teen by cargo culting. Fooling around and getting results is what made it fun. Understanding came later.

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BoredomIsFun 27 minutes ago | parent [-]

> That's what I would call exploring.

Then it is not "building llm from scratch" in my book. Just mindlees following instructions. Could be educational yes, but only trivially useful, if you have no bloody idea what you are doing.

> Fooling around and getting results is what made it fun. Understanding came later.

It is not how LLMs are "built from scratch".

	▲	molf 8 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		No it's not useful, no you don't know what you're doing, and no it is not 'proper'. But you're learning. Maybe just accept that not everyone starts from fundamental theory, and there are lots of people who start learning by fooling around.