Before going and digging into these, could you also explain what the necessary background is for this stuff to be meaningful?

In spite of having done a decent amount with neural networks, I'm a bit lost at how we suddenly got to what we're seeing now. It would be really helpful to understand the progression of things because I stepped away from this stuff for maybe 2 years and we seem to have crossed an ocean in the intervening time.

I am the guy asked and I endorse this guy's endorsements.