About The Syllabi
THE SYLLABI started because I kept explaining the same things to different people.
“What’s an API?” “How does Claude Code actually work?” “Can AI really build a website?” The questions were always the same, and my answers were always the same: an analogy. Terminal is like MS-DOS. MCP is like API. Garbage in, garbage out isn’t a technology insight — it’s a management insight.
So I started writing them down.
This publication exists to translate AI from jargon to human truth. Every article does the same thing: finds the one analogy that makes a complex concept click. Not instruction, not documentation. Translation.
If you’ve ever felt like AI conversations happen in a language you almost speak, this is for you.
The best way to learn AI is to build something real with it — not to read another think piece about whether it will take your job.
About Me
I’m a designer in Singapore. I don’t write code — never have. Everything you see on this site was built through conversation with AI tools, primarily Claude Code.
I built my portfolio site, this publication, and an auto-deploy pipeline without touching an IDE. I say this not to brag, but because it’s the whole point: the tools are ready. The gap isn’t technical — it’s imagination.
Before AI, I was the person in the room who had the idea but needed someone else to build it. Now I’m the person in the room who has the idea and ships it before the meeting ends. That shift is what THE SYLLABI is about.
The Name
A syllabus is a guide to what you need to learn. THE SYLLABI is the plural — because there’s no single path through AI. Your syllabus depends on what you’re building, what you already know, and how much you’re willing to break.
The “Don’t Panic” thing is from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. In the books, the Guide is a digital encyclopedia — irreverent, opinionated, occasionally wrong, but always more useful than the alternatives. That’s what we’re going for.
The Buddies
Every article on THE SYLLABI has a buddy — a pixel art companion that represents its topic. They’re 10×10 SVG grids, hand-crafted one rectangle at a time. They add warmth to technical content and give each article a face.
They’re also the closest thing to a mascot a publication about AI should have: small, geometric, and slightly confused.