🤔 Are you smarter than AI?

Hey everybody.

Today, we’re diving into how to turn the tables and interview the interviewer, test if you’re sharper than AI, boosting memory retention, and much more.

I also just uploaded on why you need a website, let me know what you think.

Quick Links

🤔 Are you smarter than a language model?
This fun quiz tests to see whether you’re better at predicting words than an AI language model.

🖥️ Server-side Rendering
Server-side rendering (SSR) generates full HTML on the server, avoiding client-side data fetching and templating, and improving SEO. Since each request is processed independently, SSR can be resource-heavy. This article looks into the pros and cons of SSR in JS and React.

🏆️ How I won $2,750 using JavaScript, AI, and a can of WD-40
Dave Kiss has been winning marketing video contests for years with his go-to strategies. In this blog, Dave shares how he used JavaScript and ChatGPT JavaScript to win.

🧠 Grok-2 Beta Release
Elon Musk’s X just launched Grok-2 and Grok-2 mini in beta, now with improved reasoning and image generation. Access is limited to Premium users, but early images show Grok lacks guardrails on political figures, and users are definitely taking advantage of that.

🤖 How Transformers Work
Here’s an awesome visualization breaking down how transformers function. These models revolutionized ChatGPT and other popular AI tools over the past few years.

The Art of Interviewing Your Interviewer

In tech interviews, it’s easy to feel scrutinized, but remember: companies hold the power and can easily mask their true culture. It’s up to you to dig deeper and find out what working there is really like. This blog post breaks down, how to interview the interviewer.

The Two-Way Street

Interviews should be a two-way street. If you’ve got in-demand skills, you have options. Use the interview to assess the company, just as they’re assessing you.

Ask Open-Ended Questions

Get beyond surface-level answers by asking open-ended questions. Start with, “What’s your experience working here?” and follow up for specifics to get real insights into the culture.

Seek Honest Feedback

Ask about flaws: “What’s something the company could improve on?” This can reveal potential red flags or show how self-aware and proactive they are about addressing challenges.

Evaluate Support Systems

Dig into how the company supports its employees. Ask, “How do you handle it when a team member struggles?” This will tell you a lot about their values and priorities.

Look for Recognition and Growth

Questions like “How does the team celebrate milestones?” and “When has the company culture evolved?” help you see how they value growth and change.

Listen Between the Lines

Pay attention not just to what’s said, but how it’s said. Detailed, enthusiastic responses are a good sign, while vague or rehearsed answers might signal red flags.

For a deeper dive into how to assess company culture during interviews, check out the full blog post.

Research

Increasing Retention without Increasing Study Time

In the world of programming, learning and retaining vast amounts of information is crucial. One good study by Doug Rohrer and Hal Pashler sheds light on the most effective strategies to ensure long-lasting retention, offering insights that are just as applicable to mastering coding skills as they are to traditional academic subjects.

The study examines the effectiveness of different study methods, focusing on two key factors: the duration of study sessions and the timing between them.

One of the key findings is that while overlearning (continuing to study material after achieving mastery) may boost short-term recall, its benefits fade quickly. Instead, the research highlights the power of spaced repetition—a strategy where study sessions are spread out over time. This approach is particularly effective for long-term retention, with optimal results achieved when the intervals between study sessions are carefully managed.

For programmers, this means that repeatedly drilling code concepts in a single session may not be the best use of time.

Instead, spreading out practice sessions over days or weeks could lead to better retention and deeper understanding. Check out the full study here.

Thinking BIGGER as a Developer

If you want to make it in the tech job market, the last thing you can afford to be is just another faceless name.

The era of "nobodies with a resume" is done. To not only survive but thrive, especially in this evolving economy, you need to start thinking of yourself as a business.

In my latest video, I’ll show you how and why.

Grab your website and a FREE domain today with an extra discount at Hostinger using code TRAVISMEDIA!

Until next week,

Travis.