Great choice for a final project! Here's a structured approach for your music playlist recommendation system:

1. Data Collection & Preprocessing

• Use the Million Song Dataset or Spotify's API for user listening history
• Create a user-item interaction matrix
• Handle cold start problems with content-based fallbacks

2. Model Architecture

• Start with matrix factorization (SVD) as baseline
• Implement neural collaborative filtering for comparison
• Consider hybrid approach combining collaborative + content features

3. Evaluation

• Use NDCG@K and MAP for ranking quality
• A/B test against random and popularity baselines
• Cross-validation with temporal splits

Shall I help you set up the project structure and data pipeline first?

Here's a 3-week study plan leading up to April 10th:

Week 1 (March 20-26): Foundation Review

• Mon/Wed/Fri: Machine Learning - review lecture notes, key algorithms
• Tue/Thu: Distributed Systems - consensus protocols, replication
• Weekends: Algorithms - review problem sets 1-5

Week 2 (March 27 - April 2): Deep Dive

• Focus on weak areas identified in week 1
• Do practice problems for each subject daily
• ML: Implement key algorithms from scratch
• DS: Draw system diagrams for major architectures

Week 3 (April 3-9): Practice Exams

• Take full practice exams under timed conditions
• Review mistakes same day
• Light review only on April 9th

Based on what you've told me about your ML project work, you're strongest in ML. I'd suggest spending more time on Distributed Systems where you mentioned struggling with Paxos.

Here's the miso ramen recipe we discussed! You mentioned wanting to make it for your roommates:

Miso Ramen (4 servings)

Broth:

• 6 cups chicken stock
• 3 tbsp white miso paste
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch ginger, grated

Toppings:

• Soft-boiled eggs (6.5 min)
• Chashu pork (or tofu for your roommate who's vegetarian)
• Corn, green onions, nori
• Chili oil to taste

Steps:

1. Sauté garlic and ginger, add stock
2. Whisk in miso paste (don't boil after adding)
3. Cook noodles separately
4. Assemble bowls and top

You said you wanted to try adding kimchi next time - that's a great idea, it adds a nice fermented depth to the miso base.

Three months in and playing chords is great progress! Here are some targeted exercises for faster transitions:

The 1-Minute Change Drill Set a timer and switch between two chords as many times as you can in 60 seconds. Track your count daily. Focus on these pairs:

• G → C (you use these in most songs you're learning)
• Am → F (the F barre chord you mentioned struggling with)
• D → A

Anchor Finger Technique When switching chords, identify fingers that stay in the same position or move minimally. For example, G to C: your ring finger stays on the 3rd fret.

Slow Practice with Metronome Start at 60 BPM, one strum per beat. Only speed up when transitions are clean at current tempo.

Since you mentioned you're learning "Wonderwall" and "Good Riddance" - both are perfect for practicing these exact transitions. Try playing them at half speed first.