docs: upstream document about course codex

Signed-off-by: Akshay Mestry <[email protected]>

Author: xames3

docs/source/assets/hackerman-meme.jpg

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 .. Author: Akshay Mestry <[email protected]>
 .. Created on: Saturday, February 22, 2025
-.. Last updated on: Wednesday, March 05 2025
+.. Last updated on: Thursday, March 07 2025
 
 :orphan:
 :og:title: Studying, Mentorship, And Resourceful Teaching
@@ -142,15 +142,14 @@ sharing ideas, and helping others grow alongside me.
 .. _Subject-matter expert: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subject-matter_expert
 
 .. toctree::
-    :caption: Projects
-    :glob:
+    :caption: Development
     :hidden:
 
-    projects/*
+    projects/xsnumpy
 
 .. toctree::
     :caption: Miscellany
-    :glob:
     :hidden:
 
-    miscellany/*
+    miscellany/guiding-stars
+    miscellany/course-codex

docs/source/index.rst

@@ -0,0 +1,181 @@
+.. Author: Akshay Mestry <[email protected]>
+.. Created on: Friday, March 07 2025
+.. Last updated on: Friday, March 07 2025
+
+:og:title: From Scalars to Tensors
+:og:description: A comprehensive guide to my "ideal" courses to equip students
+    for the ever-evolving tech industry.
+:og:type: article
+
+.. _miscellany-course-codex:
+
+===============================================================================
+Course Codex
+===============================================================================
+
+.. author::
+    :name: Akshay Mestry
+    :email: [email protected]
+    :about: DePaul University
+    :avatar: https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/90549089?v=4
+    :github: https://github.com/xames3
+    :linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/xames3
+    :timestamp: Mar 07, 2025
+
+.. rst-class:: lead
+
+    Study hard what interests you the most, in the most undisciplined,
+    irreverent, and original manner possible -- Richard Feynman
+
+This article is more than just a collection of syllabi, it's a deeply personal
+endeavour. I reflect back on my journey as a student, a tribute to the mentors
+who lit the path ahead of me, and a commitment to those who will one day walk
+a similar road. For those who know me personally know that I've been super
+duper fortunate to have crossed paths with some truly amazing teachers and
+mentors. These individuals taught me to think critically, ask the right
+questions. But not every moment was full of rainbows and sunshines. I've also
+navigated moments of confusion, of wishing the curriculum had been clearer,
+more connected to the real-world skills I needed.
+
+This article is my way of bridging that gap.
+
+You know what, I've realised this pretty early in my career that the tech
+industry moves quite fast and how challenging it can be to step from the world
+of academia into the realities of building softwares and training AI models.
+Therefore, I'm crafting these **"ideal"** interpretation of my courses not
+because I claim to have all the answers, but because I want to offer the kind
+of structure and guidance I once wished for. My goal here is simple: to design
+course outlines that not only strengthen foundational knowledge but also equip
+students with the practical tools and critical mindset needed to thrive in an
+ever-evolving landscape.
+
+So, to all those reading this, I hope these courses inspire you to learn
+fearlessly, just as my mentors inspired me.
+
+.. _course-introduction-to-programming:
+
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+Introduction to Programming
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+.. note::
+
+    The course code may vary from uni to uni. This is an entry-level
+    foundational in most of the schools which students take in their freshman
+    year.
+
+- **Duration.** 10 weeks
+- **Language.** Language-agnostic (`Python`_ as an experimenting language)
+
+Overview
+===============================================================================
+
+Programming is more than writing lines of code. It's about learning how to
+think like a problem-solver, breaking down complex ideas into smaller
+manageable pieces. In this course, we won't just learn and memorise syntaxes or
+chase after clever one-liners or cheeky hacks, we'll focus on building a solid
+foundation, one that will empower you to pick up any programming language in
+the future. While Python will be our guiding tool due to its simplicity and
+rich library support, the real goal here is to make you comfortable with the
+concepts of programming |dash| the logic, structures, and the core paradigms,
+so that languages like C++, Java, or Javascript feel less like mountains to
+climb and more like familiar landspaces.
+
+By the end of this 10 weeks journey, you'll be able to solve small, everyday
+problems with code by automating repetitve tasks, building simple programs, or
+even kickstarting a personal project you've always dreamed about. More
+importantly, you'll have the mindset and confidence to build something from
+scratch, break it, fix it, and make it better!
+
+Course objectives
+===============================================================================
+
+By the end of this course, you will:
+
+- develop a programmer's mindset, cultivate a logical problem-solving way of
+  thinking that extends beyond writing code.
+- think beyond the syntax and learn not just how to write code, but why certain
+  approaches work better than others.
+- master fundamental concepts |dash| variables, loops, conditionals, functions,
+  and objects |dash| core constructs you'll find in nearly every programming
+  language.
+- write clear, structured and maintainable code by learning how to organise
+  your thoughts into clean, efficient, and reusable code, a skill that's super
+  important for both personal projects and team collaborations.
+- understand language-agnostic principles by recognising the patterns that
+  underline all programming languages, so you can easily transition to other
+  languages like C++, Rust, or Javascript down the road.
+- solve problems by applying programming to small, personal tasks like
+  automating a daily chore, parsing a text file, or building a basic to-do app.
+- prepare yourself for future courses and industry workloads by building a
+  strong foundation that will make advanced topics like algorithms, data
+  structures, AI, and cloud computing far less intimidating.
+- learn to google your way through any debugging session!!!
+
+This course isn't just about "getting the right answers." It's about learning
+how to ask or rather google the right questions.
+
+Structure
+===============================================================================
+
+Below is the week-by-week breakdown of how we will proceed through our
+curriculum.
+
+.. dropdown:: Week One
+
+    .. rubric:: Programming Mindset or Thinking in Code
+        :heading-level: 3
+
+    Since its the first week, we won't dive headfirst into coding but rather
+    cheekily rewire ourselves to think like a programmer. Before writing fancy
+    algorithms, we need to learn how to break problems into smaller, logical
+    steps. This week is all about developing a programming mentality.
+
+    .. image:: ../assets/hackerman-meme.jpg
+        :alt: Hackerman meme from Mr. Robot
+
+    **What we'll cover:**
+
+    - What is programming?
+
+      - Understanding programming as a problem-solving tool.
+      - How computers "think"? Basics of how code gets executed (interpreted
+        vs. compiled languages).
+      - Why programming is more about logic than language?
+
+    - Thinking like a machine
+
+      - Decomposing problems: breaking down complex tasks into smaller steps.
+      - What an algorithm (step-by-step solution) means?
+
+    - Your first program
+
+      - Writing a hello world program in multiple languages (primarily Python).
+      - Understanding similarities and differences in semantics and syntaxes
+        across multiple languages.
+      - Interpreting error messages and searching for solutions on the
+        internet.
+
+    - Building blocks of code
+
+      - Introduction to fundamental concepts of programming like variables
+        (identifiers), data types, etc. and their similarities with Maths.
+
+    **Interactive Lab:**
+
+    - Compare and disect various programming blocks for the same code across
+      multiple programming languages.
+
+    **Reflection and Homework:**
+
+    - **Reflect.** Whatever you learned today about programming in any way
+      shape or form.
+    - **Reflect.** What you think about **"step-by-step thinking"** and compare
+      how you would normally solve a problem?
+    - **Homework.** Find a simple program that solved a problem |dash| bring
+      at least one example to share next week (it can be anything from a simple
+      algorithm or someone's personal project you found online).
+
+
+
+.. _Python: https://www.python.org