The Local Maximum with Max Sklar

Today's Episode is an interview Max gave on Learn Bayesian Statistics by Alex Andorra in 2019, covers the trajectory of his career and interests, and all the different uses of Bayesian Inference. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max talks about Alphabet's DeepMind launch of Gato AI - a large scale transformer model. Some of the researchers believe that they are on the path to human level intelligence while others disagree. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

One of the founders of podcasting itself, Adam Curry, joins The Local Maximum today to talk about podcasting 2.0, podcastindex.org, and how to keep podcasting decentralized. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max talks about the financial tsunami predicted last year starting to come to fruition, and then dives into a 2001 article by Joel Spolsky and takes a more positive view of architecture astronauts. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Joel Valenzuela visits the Local Maximum studio to talk about how he lives off of cryptocurrencies, the value in coins like Dash over Bitcoin for this purpose, liberty in New Hampshire, and general analysis of recent developments. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

We learn about corporate governance and corporate politics in order to understand Elon Musk's bid to takeover Twitter. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max talks about Professor Johnathan Haidt's article in the Atlantic "Why the Past 10 Years of American Life have been Uniquely Stupid". We compare the techno-optimism of 2011 to the techno-pessimism of today, and contrast the different prescriptions on what to do about it. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Today’s guest is Dr. Alan Cowen, CEO of hume.ai, to discuss fascinating new research on human emotional states, and how machine learning and AI techniques can be used to distinguish between them. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max responds to the news that Elon Musk has bought a considerable stake in Twitter. A recent blog post by Andrew Gelmans shows that while language models from OpenAI and Google are exciting, they still don't know what they are talking about!localmaxradio.com/220 Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max talks to René Morkos, CEO of ALICE Technologies about how AI is being used to make construction projects more efficient.localmaxradio.com/219 Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max talks to Aaron about his newly published academic paper, "Sampling Bias Correction for Supervised Machine Learning".Paper: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2203.06239.pdflocalmaxradio.com/218 Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max talks to and accepts submissions from Ukrainians who are living in that country and around the world to tell their stories about the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war. These uncensored stories give a different side to what's happening on the ground.localmaxradio.com/217supportukrainenow.org Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Today's guest is Alu Axelman, author of Corona-Fascism that excoriates policies and attitudes imposed to fight the coronavirus.Max talks about his strategy on covid. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Today's conversation is with Polina Shevchenko, who is a data analyst at Bolt in Tallinn. She grew up in Donetsk, which is one of the breakaway regions related to the Russia invasion. Max talks to Polina about growing up in Donetsk, and what the last week has been like for Ukrainians abroad and in their home country.localmaxradio.com/215 Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

In a late night discussion, Max and Aaron think about recent developments in Ukraine and Max's trip there a few years ago.Max finds headlines in the New York Times that are using the crisis to disparage cryptocurrencies and Duck Duck Go, while also getting some interesting information from those same articles. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max discusses the recent tweet by OpenAI scientist leaving open the possibility of their AI being a little bit conscious, and the ensuing ridicule and strong disagreement from the AI community. He goes in-depth on the philosophy and thinking that drives AI research, and how to frame the debate around consciousness and intelligence. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max talks to Bitcoin Audible host Guy Swann about the developing lightning network, including (recent) historical background and how to use it. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

The drop in Meta stock shows the effects of increased competition over users, ad dollars, and privacy controls. Max talks about this along with other industry updates. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max and Aaron discuss the hype around the metaverse with Microsoft's recently monster-sized acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Then, they move on the philosophical discussion of the axiom of infinite sets, and the meaning of numbers. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max talks about the ultimately futile attempts by tech companies to silence their critics and political enemies.- includes a tweet storm that was recently banned even from the internet archive.localmaxradio.com/209 Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

This interview with Brandon Quittem covers generational theory, the fourth turning, and Bitcoin. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max returns for an in-person recording. Discussion of political comedy and the return of Jon Stewart. Then we ask: how do you form uninformed Bayesian priors? Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max brings up a bunch of new news topics and expands on some old ones that are likely to be important in the new year.- Is the New York Times being sneaky in the Tech Section?- Would you like an alexa that moves around in your house?- Recognizing that there is a war for truth. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max exchanges views with author Erik Deitrich on the drawbacks of software engineering organizations and what to do about it.localmaxradio.com/205 Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max talking to Johnny Nelson (@generativist) about how platforms that use a top-down approach to content moderation can lead to the worst of all worlds, and how we might build a bottom-up system. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max and Aaron discussion the rule change that the Iraqi government has made in their elections and what this means from a social choice theory stand point. They compare world political systems, and discuss the problem of apportionment and the mathematical paradoxes it creates.localmaxradio.com/203 Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

December 12, 2021Max shares a personal update to long time Local Maximum listeners. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max discusses recent developments in Twitter, Facebook, and Google, all tech giants who have reached their saturation points and how they are dealing with it. Jack Dorsey ditches Twitter and hands it off to go off the rails towards a editorial/propaganda network. Facebook's "Meta" change is like Mark Zuckerberg's Mid-Life Crisis according to Marc Cenedella. Chris Dixon's Tweet Storm about Web 3 explains what's happening. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max interviews Professor Andrew Gelman of Columbia on Bayesian Inference, Research, Political Prognostication, Descriptive vs Causal work, and areas of computational research.localmaxradio.com/201 Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max and Aaron pull out some interesting stats from the first 200 episodes of the Local Maximum Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max looks at the recent availability of AI technologies including GANs and ML Techniques in open source software to take old photos and videos and restore them to today's standards. He also discusses what this tech success might mean for the future. How well can we generate a 3d world from a photograph, and how would machines be filling in the blanks? Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max breaks out his 2016 blog posts on passive computing, a possibility for the next wave of computer human interfaces and software platforms. We discussion how much of it has actually played out.localmaxradio.com/198 Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max discusses Facebook's rebranding to Meta, the merger between Rumbles and Locals, and the upcoming mayoral election in NYC. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max and Aaron get together late one night to give you the October New Update, covering - The dating of the Viking Settlement in Newfoundland- The Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong hailing his policy of removing political activism at work 1 year on- The prospects of a Trump Social Network, and our predictions about it- A previous of a future episode where we'll discuss a previous blog post from Max on Passive Computing Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max talks about sampling, the reasons for it, and reviews what he's learned about it. Also following stories on the AI Bill of Rights, and Employee power and activism in the workplace. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

On the 10th anniversary of his death, Max and Aaron review the lessons and warnings from the life of Apple-founder Steve Jobs. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max is interviewed by Aaron about his recent departure from Foursquare (again), the upgrades to the podcast studio, and future plans. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

In the context of artificial intelligence and machine learning, today's episode focused on the nature of intelligence, and how it related to concepts like understanding, consciousness, and programmability. The show also opens with a discussion of the explainability of in AI, and research on toxic language models. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Today's guest is DChained Founder EdMcCormack, and we talk about some of the long term trends on the internet - social media, big data, privacy, blockchain, and business models. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Today's solo episode covers:- Peter Boghossian's Resignation Letter and the Evolution of the Academy away from Truth Seeking to Ideological Rigidity- How to create layers of communities for truth and peace- The latest news in smart toilets, promise of health plus security concerns- The set theory principle of inclusion and exclusion in set theory and how the mathematical jump from "union" to "addition" is a difficult one Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Our discussion on 9/11 continues with memories of that day, the immediate aftermath, and the rebuilding of ground zero as the new world trade center and oculus. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

On the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, Max and Aaron have a 2 part discussion to combine personal recollections with some light historical research. This part covers the key differences between life and the news cycle in 2000-2001 and today along with personal experiences leading up to the morning of September 11th. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Today's news update covers OpenAI's Demo where they showed how a natural language interface could be used to write code. What does this mean, and where will it be useful? We also cover the walkout of tech journalists at the New York Times, and people talking about their failed tech predictions on Twitter. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Today's news update goes international to talk about the intersection between technology and global events. Cubans are using Bitcoin to go around their country's insane currency system. OnlyFans bans porn to placate banks in the UK. In Afghanistan, the last remaining Jewish residence refuses to leave the country as the Taliban come in. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max talks to Benjamin Shaffer about a new product called Goldbacks, which are bills that can fit in your wallet and are made of gold. This innovation allows people to transact in small denominations of gold. They discuss how this fits in with our changing monetary system of fiat and bitcoin. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max talks about a video on anti-Semitism by professor Henry Abramson getting censored on YouTube, the meaning of academic freedom, and the fight over Bitcoin and crypto regulations in the US Senate. Then, he proposes a new personal security device that may one day be ubiquitous. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max and Aaron discuss Facebook's plan to develop a metaverse, and Max shares his thoughts and theories on our number system Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Max talks about a concept in game theory called a Focal Point. Also, looking at US history, talks about ways in which written constitutions can succeed or fail. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Patricia Thaine, CEO of Private AI, talks to Max about using AI for redaction, and preserving privacy. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Today's discussion centers around the space race among privately owner companies. This includes Richard Branson's first voyage to with virgin galactic. Also - the proposed flying car! Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe