The Local Maximum with Max Sklar

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 39 - Paradox Nov 06, 2018

Show notes

I explore logical paradoxes, especially those ultimately caused by circular logic, or circular definitions. Also includes the Twitter fight about the 2018 midterm elections between Nate Silver, Dinesh D'Souza, and Nassim Taleb.
Paradoxes include:
- Liar's Paradox
- Russell's Paradox
- Curry's Paradox
- Berry's Paradox
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit localmaximum.substack.com

Ep. 38 - Predictions Panel on Virtual Services, Rise of the Outer Suburbs, and Zombie Coins Oct 30, 2018

Show notes

During the Fall 2018 Local Maximum Tech Retreat, we did a panel on the predictions that we make about the future of technology, consumer applications, and society.
Topics and analysis include virtual fitness training, online doctors visits, social media moderation, self driving cars, education, complex voice assistants, and more.
Including panelists Aaron and Crystal Astrachan (Amazon).
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit localmaximum.substack.com

Ep. 37 - Naomi Brockwell on Blockchain Tech and Producing for YouTube and TV Oct 23, 2018

Show notes

I talk to Naomi Brockwell about Bitcoin and Blockchain - the technology of freedom!
In addition to her work in popularizing this emerging technology, and some of it's implications on human liberty and global human development, we also talk about her media career, moderating debates, interest in video, popularizing this emerging technology, and her work with John Stossel and on the Hard Fork TV series.
Includes a promo for Swarm 6.0 and clips of Naomi's YouTube videos!
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit localmaximum.substack.com

Ep. 36 - The Google Graveyard Oct 16, 2018

Show notes

With Google's announcement of the impending demise of Google Plus, we discuss various Google products that have succeeded and failed over the years, and what we can learn from it.
Also: the security breaches from Facebook and Google Plus, Amazon's AI hiring program and the bias it sustains, and Tim Berners Lee's dream of a decentralized web.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit localmaximum.substack.com

Ep. 35 - Camille Fournier and the Manager's Path Oct 09, 2018

Show notes

Camille Fournier joins the Local Maximum today to discuss her book on engineering management, Rent the Runway, company culture, engineering ladders, and more!
Plus, learn about Foursquare for Good and Max responds to listener messages about ads and censorship.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit localmaximum.substack.com

Ep. 34 - Data Engineering with Joe Crobak, Foundations of Smart Software Oct 02, 2018

Show notes

Now with extra mappers and reducers!
I talk to Joe Crobak of the Data Engineering Weekly newsletter about data engineering, and it's importance in modern software projects. We cover:
- The definition of data engineering
- Hadoop, MapReduce, and Spark
- How data engineering has evolved over the last decade.
- Joe's experiences working in government vs. startups. The US Digital service, and the paperwork reduction act.
Remember to check out the new website at localmaxradio.com, and Joe's site at dataengweekly.com.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit localmaximum.substack.com

Ep. 33 - Ads, Bias, Censorship, Democracy Sep 25, 2018

Show notes

The Social Media giants can't handle the fact that they can't control the system they've created. Another "smart" podcaster backs us up on the futility of fixing internet moderation through Machine Learning alone.
Also - how are our elections affected by new communications technology? It's possible that our current situation has been repeated many times in history - but it's also possible that the pendulum is swinging more wildly.
And Facebook's ridiculous ads system finally hits me personally, where they'll block ads for asinine reasons, and push through bad ones.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit localmaximum.substack.com

Ep. 32 - Woohoo no work! Cross examining my sabbatical plans Sep 18, 2018

Show notes

Aaron interviews me about what I plan to work on while I take 6 weeks off from Foursquare. We'll talk about the future of this podcast, several prototype ideas that I want to build, and my reading list.
Can I get all this done? Probably not ALL of it - but I hope a good chunk of it!
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit localmaximum.substack.com

Ep. 31 - The Problem of Causality with Shirin Mojarad Sep 11, 2018

Show notes

We do things every in the hope that it will cause something good to happen as a result. And we're also bombarded with information trying to convince us on what to buy, who to vote for, and how to live.
But most of the time, it's very difficult to tell whether A causes B, or if they are merely correlated. I talk to subject matter expert Shirin Mojarad of McGraw-Hill to break down how scientists can detect causality and what to look for in a causality study.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit localmaximum.substack.com

Ep. 30 - Entropy is a Decision Tree: Game of Thrones Predictions Sep 04, 2018

Show notes

Some data scientists are attempting to use data and machine learning to predict the outcome of the next season of game of thrones. In this solo show I discuss the merits of this approach, give an overview of decision trees, adversarial problems, and the role of information theory.
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit localmaximum.substack.com

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