Darkroom

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  Darkroom, slow down think better

Inspiration

Natural learning is the process of learning a topic without knowing what the answer is or even the process of getting there. It’s an expression of passion, unsure goals, and unbound checkpoints. I learned to love tech through this exact process.

Darkroom is an interactive website that forces us to ask, what do we want from Large Language Models (LLMs). In my classes, I’ve only wanted to get quick answers from Chatgpt, bard, and DeepSeek. However what i’ve noticed is that learning this way doesn’t improve my interest or understanding in the subject.

What it does

Following a node based idea graph, you can start by asking a question. Unlike the normal process with a LLM, it doesn’t give an answer straight away. Starting with small hints that can help you better understand something new about the topic.

You can then spawn questions out of each and every question you ask.By doing this instead of giving answers, it facilitates natural learning in a new more deliberate way.

Let’s try it out!

What if I wanted to learn more about my favorite actor, James Spader?

How we built it

Ironically, this project was largely built using Gemini and python experience. I started with a framework I knew worked, flask, and went from there. I used Gemini to generate many of the javascript elements as well as UI components.

Challenges we ran into

The biggest challenge for this project came up when figuring out how to best implement it. I have never used flask, js, json, or Gemini before this weekend so learning these tools was definitely a learning experience.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I’m glad the page works! Many of the intended features are accounted for, and the site is in a functional state!

What we learned

I learned that, before I start any project, learning the tools is a must. In retrospect, I wish I had played into my strengths more and made a project on hardware rather than software.

Learning to relax and allow the project to run its course was also something new for me as well. As I went through the project, a lot of the components just seemed to click together before becoming a fully cohesive idea and product.

What's next for Darkroom

Beyond Darkroom I hope that I can improve people’s natural learning through many other means. I hope I can give more people the opportunity to grow to love topics the same way I did. With that in mind, I hope Darkroom is only the start in achieving this!

Built With

• flask
• gemini
• javascript
• json
• os
• python
• traceback