Pikuma: About

About me

Hello everyone,

My name is Gustavo Pezzi, and I am a university lecturer in London, UK.

I teach fundamentals of computer science, retro programming, and mathematics. My academic path includes institutions such as Pittsburg State University, City University of London, and University of Oxford.

I'll keep this short. If you need more information about me or about my experience, just drop me a message.

After all is said and done, I'm just a guy who absolutely loves to teach... and I'm pretty sure it shows.

About Pikuma

I created Pikuma to teach concepts that are usually ignored by other schools. It is a place for those who enjoy understanding the low-level details of how things work!

You can think of each course as a comprehensive book on a particular topic. But more than just a book, here we get to sit together, understand every formula, saviour every line of code, and develop a project to really consolidate your knowledge on that topic.

One of my students wrote that "the course felt like going on a great short vacation with an excellent guide." I want Pikuma to be just that; going on a fun vacation to a quiet cabin in the woods with a nerd friend.

Is Pikuma for you?

Pikuma is not about tech career, finding a job, or the latest software hype. Pikuma is about understanding the fundamentals and opening black boxes.

I noticed that the majority of my students are either hobbyists or professional programmers already (game developers, software developers, etc.), but beginners are always encouraged to join and evolve at their own pace.

I want to make low-level programming and math fun, non-intimidating, and accessible to beginners and veterans. This is a light-hearted and welcoming platform with no place for ego.

How is Pikuma different?

It's all about the fundamentals

Like my students say, "Pikuma is no fast-food course." You'll learn the low-level details of why and how things work. Each course comes with a set of lectures, videos, quizzes, exercises, and structured activities to consolidate your knowledge on the topics.

No false promises

I don't play games! I don't teach hype buzzword tech or make false coding bootcamp promises. I try to focus on concepts that are timeless and that will hold true long after the technology is replaced. Also, there are no sales gimmick here, such as running promotions or offering discount codes.

Actually finish the course

You'll receive a weekly progress reminder to keep you on track and motivate you to finish your course. Let’s face it, how many of us purchase courses and never finish them? Unlike other platforms, I want you to complete the course and get full value from it.

Back to the basics

Linear algebra

From computer graphics to AI, a good understanding of vectors, matrices, and other linear algebra concepts will underpin many of the projects we'll implement together.

Algorithm complexity & data structures

We must understand how algorithms perform while keeping an eye for optimal representation in memory. Well-picked data structures usually mean less headache and faster access.

Discrete mathematics & numerical analysis

Most computer problems live between discrete and continuous mathematics. Often times we need to find numerical algorithms to find approximations to our mathematical solutions.

Trigonometry

Triangles are always hidden in plain sight when we work with game development. Coding is an incredible sandbox to develop some intuition around basic trigonometry concepts.

Calculus

Several ideas from calculus, such as derivaties and integrals will appear when working with computer graphics or coding a physics engine.

Compilers & formal languages

Many times we need to parse and interpret formal languages, or simply expose scripting power to our games or applications.

Operating systems & machine architecture

Some projects require us to take a deeper look into how our application communicates with the operating system and, ultimately, the hardware that is in front of us.

Low-level programming

The goal of the courses is a low-level understanding of how and why things work, focusing on the timeless concepts that support computer science.