[imjonse]

"We're heads‑down building, and will have products to show by early 2027."

By then frontier models may be able to do this by prompting. Even now it is very easy to get one of the chat interfaces to keep quizzing you and adapt to your level, answer your questions, and in general behave how I imagine a tutor behaves. It lacks integrated stats/progress/gamification/long term memory but those can be added by a simple vibecoded app or are usually unnecessary for actual learning.

[baq]

I hope they’re planning to build hardware so the learning experience can be close to pen and paper. Keyboards and screens are a distraction and the brain learns better with a pencil than with a keyboard.

[fluoridation]

I feel the exact opposite. I hand-write very slowly, so having to focus on that instead of the material is literally a distraction, compared to just typing out my thoughts.

The exception to this is if the focus of the learning is the writing in itself. Right now I'm learning kanji, so I need to draw them to focus on and memorize the shapes. That said, it doesn't have to be on paper. Dragging my finger on a tablet or moving a mouse are just as effective as using pen and paper.

[baq]

Slow is half the point though! Memory has a very limited bandwidth.

The other half: https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/15/3/345 and a plethora of others.

[fluoridation]

>Handwriting activates a broader network of brain regions involved in motor, sensory, and cognitive processing. Typing engages fewer neural circuits, resulting in more passive cognitive engagement.

Yes, that's exactly what I mean. If I'm focusing on what my hands are doing I'm focusing less on the material proper than I'm trying to digest.

[baq]

The idea is that focus and actually working all of your hand instead of just fingers helps learning the material more efficiently even if your own perception of it does not agree.

[fluoridation]

Maybe it works for some people, but it certainly doesn't for me. When I'm handwriting, especially in bulk, all I can think about it how much I hate it and how I can get it to end faster. I take fewer notes with more abbreviations that are later harder to decipher.

It's different if it's something like mathematical expressions, because those are never easier to type, but just regular sentences? Absolutely not.