Lecture 1: Introduction to Information Theory
What it is
The first lecture of David MacKay's Cambridge course on information theory, pattern recognition and neural networks. It introduces the core ideas of his book Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms.
Why Hacker News recommends it
Recommended as an enjoyable, clear introduction to information theory that pairs well with MacKay's free textbook.
- 3 people recommended it
- 3 different months
- 0 strong recommendations
- first 2018, last 2024
What HN commenters said
“I recommend David MacKay's Intro to Info Theory class”
David MacKay's introductory information theory course.
swframe2, 2018-02 · Recommendation · in “Probabilistic Programming and Bayesian Methods for Hackers (2013)”
“It was very enjoyable for me to learn the material from his lectures.”
Enjoyable lectures that supplement MacKay's textbook.
maxov, 2020-06 · Recommendation · in “Ask HN: What, in your opinion, are the greatest and most useful textbooks?”
“I recommend his lecture on information theory which is available on youtube [1].”
MacKay's lectures on information theory.
samch93, 2021-10 · Recommendation · in “Sustainable Energy without the Hot Air (Revised, Community Edition)”
Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.
Topics: david mackay, information theory, inference, machine learning, cambridge
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