AI_FOR_CYNICAL_DEVS

Site Map

A complete overview of all pages on this site. Because sometimes you need to see the whole disaster.

Course Modules

23 pages

01: Welcome to Hell (Why You Can't Ignore This Anymore)

You think AI is hype. You might be right. But your manager doesn't think so. Learn what AI actually is (not magic), what it's genuinely useful for, and how to survive the FOMO.

/modules/01-welcome-to-hell-why-you-cant-ignore-this-anymore

02: The Bare Minimum You Need to Know About LLMs

They predict the next word. That's literally it. Learn about tokens, context windows, and parameters so you don't sound like an idiot in meetings.

/modules/02-the-bare-minimum-you-need-to-know-about-llms

03: Prompt Engineering (or: Talking to the Intern Who Knows Everything)

The AI is confident, articulate, and frequently wrong. Learn the techniques that actually work: chain of thought, few-shot examples, and when to just give up.

/modules/03-prompt-engineering-or-talking-to-the-intern-who-knows-everything

04: Memory and Context (Why It Forgets Everything)

LLMs have amnesia. Learn about context windows, why it can't remember your project structure, and how modern agentic AI can manage its own memory through files.

/modules/04-memory-and-context-why-it-forgets-everything

05: Code Generation Without Shooting Yourself in the Foot

You're using Copilot already. Let's make you good at it. Generating boilerplate without bugs, identifying deprecated suggestions, and avoiding dependency.

/modules/05-code-generation-without-shooting-yourself-in-the-foot

07: Building Your First AI Feature (The Portfolio Project)

You need something real to show in interviews. 'I've played with ChatGPT' doesn't count. Build an actual AI-powered feature you can point to without lying.

/modules/07-building-your-first-ai-feature-the-portfolio-project

08: AI Agents: Tools, Loops and Bankruptcy

Agents use tools, make decisions, and cost more money. Learn what they are, how to build a simple one, and enough to lie about it on LinkedIn.

/modules/08-ai-agents-tools-loops-and-bankruptcy

06: Debugging and Learning: Your New Stack Overflow

Paste the error, get an explanation. Ask about that legacy code nobody understands. AI is genuinely good at this.

/modules/06-debugging-and-learning-your-new-stack-overflow

09: The Ralph Wiggum Technique

When AI agents get lobotomies between sessions and why that's actually a feature. The autonomous loop pattern for multi-session work.

/modules/09-the-ralph-wiggum-technique

10: Building Your Own Agentic Coding Tool

How Claude Code actually works under the hood. Code indexing, the harness, multi-session memory, and why 90% of the work isn't AI.

/modules/10-building-your-own-agentic-coding-tool

11: Cost Control: Don't Blow Your Budget

How to use AI without explaining to Finance why your prototype cost $2,000

/modules/11-cost-control-dont-blow-your-budget

12: Exit Strategies: When AI Makes Things Worse

How to recognize failure, remove AI gracefully, and explain it to stakeholders

/modules/12-exit-strategies-when-ai-makes-things-worse

13: Agentic Workflows with PocketFlow

Build production-ready AI workflows with 100 lines of code instead of 10,000 lines of framework

/modules/13-agentic-workflows-with-pocketflow

14: Testing AI Systems: Without Losing Your Mind

How to build evals, measure AI quality, and prove to stakeholders that your system isn't just expensive autocomplete

/modules/14-testing-ai-systems-without-losing-your-mind

15: Talking About AI in Interviews: Without Sounding Like an Idiot

How to answer AI questions without sounding like a fanboy, a hater, or someone who read a blog post yesterday

/modules/15-talking-about-ai-in-interviews-without-sounding-like-an-idiot

16: Managing AI Expectations: Dealing With Coworkers

How to survive managers who read articles, juniors who think they're 10x, and the general organizational chaos around AI

/modules/16-managing-ai-expectations-dealing-with-coworkers

17: You Made It (Now Get Back to Work)

Congratulations. You now know enough about AI to be dangerous. Time to close this course and actually ship something.

/modules/17-outro

18: The Glossary of AI Nonsense

Terms you'll hear, what they actually mean, and which ones are bullshit

/modules/appendix-a-the-glossary-of-ai-nonsense

19: Prompt Templates That Actually Work

Copy-paste prompts for common scenarios. No shame in stealing.

/modules/appendix-b-prompt-templates-that-actually-work

20: Tool Recommendations (January 2026)

What's worth paying for, what's free and good enough, and what to avoid

/modules/appendix-c-tool-recommendations-january-2026

21: Troubleshooting Common Problems

The AI is being stupid. Here's how to fix it.

/modules/appendix-d-troubleshooting-common-problems

23: Works Cited (Yes, We Did Our Homework)

The papers, posts, and documentation we actually read so you don't have to. Plus some commentary on what's worth your time.

/modules/works_cited

22: Fun Projects to Try

Small, ridiculous projects that are actually great for learning

/modules/appendix-e-fun-projects-to-try

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