The Local Maximum with Max Sklar - podcast cover

The Local Maximum with Max Sklar

Expand Your Perspectivelocalmaximum.substack.com
Join Max Sklar and guests in this podcast about AI, technology, and society. Email [email protected] for questions and feedback. Show notes page on the website: www.localmaxradio.com

localmaximum.substack.com
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Ep. 178 - How Design Makes the World with Scott Berkun

Author Scott Berkun joins the Local Maximum to talk about his new book How Design Makes the World. We cover the relationship between design and engineering, design ethics, failure modes, and organizational behavior. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Jun 29, 202138 min

Ep. 176 - Gene Epstein on Economics, Capitalism and Innovation

Today's guest is Gene Epstein, former economics editor at Barron's Magazine and founder of the SoHo forum debate series. We talk about his debates with socialism, the role of innovation in the economic, his experience producing these debates, and the calls for so-called "stakeholder capitalism". Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Jun 15, 202159 min

Ep. 174 - Jeremy Kauffman, CEO of Odysee and LBRY for Decentralized Video

Today’s guest is Jeremy Kauffman, founder and CEO of Odysee and LBRY. LBRY is the underlying technology and blockchain that powers a decentralized video hosting service, but Odysee sits on top of it, and makes it a credible and increasingly popular YouTube alternative. Max talks to Jeremy about how he did it, and how the blockchain strategy can be replicated. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe...

Jun 01, 202150 min

Ep. 173 - The Fourth Turning Part II - Emerging from the Crisis

Max and Aaron finish their discussion of the Fourth Turning, including evaluations of the theory, how it could be tested, what it predicts, and speculation on how the coming crisis could play out. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

May 27, 20211 hr 6 min

Ep. 172 - The Fourth Turning Part I - Cycles of History

Max and Aaron dive into the theory of the Fourth Turning and the cycles of history as put forth in the 1997 book of the same name by Strauss and Howe. CORRECTION: Jerry Seinfeld is a classic boomer, not in Gen X Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

May 25, 202154 min

Ep. 171 - Ransomware, Security First, and Crypto-corporations

Max talks about the recent ransomware attack on the colonial pipeline that let to gas shortages in the southeastern US, how this could encourage security-first principles in design, and the promise and flexibility of crypto-corporations. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

May 18, 202138 min

Ep. 170 - Bayesian Inference Regulations and Network Algorithms

Today’s episode discusses the proposed regulations of AI from the European Union, including regulations on Bayesian Inference. This includes the danger and folly of regulating mathematics, but also good practices for decision making and transparency. Finally, we cover graph algorithms, PageRank, and Split Complex Numbers for online dating recommendations. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe...

May 11, 202134 min

Ep. 169 - Basecamp’s Boundary on Politics

Basecamp asks employees not to discuss too much politics at work, and some of them (plus the media) freak out! The Local Maximum gets a new setup. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

May 04, 202158 min

Ep. 167 - Blockchain Rising: Wordproof and DeFi

Today's guest is Sebastiaan ven der Lans, founder of wordproof with a goal to fight fake news through blockchain technology. Max and Sebastiaan talk about this application of blockchain. Later, Max gives an introduction to Decentralized Finance (defi). Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Apr 20, 202149 min

Ep. 166 - Lockdown Memory Holes and Rates of Return

Today Max discusses the efforts by media and tech giants to censor all alternative viewpoints on the Covid Lockdowns, and efficacy of the lockdowns themselves. Are there any remaining justifications for them? He also discusses 2 ways of looking at investments and gambling: expected value and expected rate of return, and why you might want to prefer the latter. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe...

Apr 13, 202140 min

Ep 165 - Peter McCormack of the What Bitcoin Did Podcast

Today’s guest Peter McCormack is the host of the highly acclaimed What Bitcoin Did podcast. We cover the recent history of getting into Bitcoin with infighting around block sizes and custodial solutions to the near future where Bitcoiners are becoming more confident in achieving their goals of rebooting the world economy on a solid foundation. localmaxradio.com/165 Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe...

Apr 06, 202143 min

Ep. 164 - Anne Griffin on Attracting Employers and AI Product

Today’s guest is Anne Griffin, a leader in product management, a startup advisor, and subject matter expert in AI, blockchain, tech ethics and product inclusivity. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Mar 30, 20211 hr

Ep. 163 - Flying Cars, Causality, and Digital Art Storage Concerns

Today's March News Update includes: - NFTs, concerns about how they are being stored, Filecoin - Jetson's Act in New Hampshire to legalize flying cars - Talk about causality and its trickiness in AI Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Mar 23, 202152 min

Ep. 162 - Assaf Lev - Cofounder and CEO of Locals

Today we talk to Assaf Lev who is the cofounder and CEO of Locals.com . Assaf Founded locals in 2019 along with Dave Rubin as an alternative social space for independent creators. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Mar 16, 202138 min

Ep. 161 - Fighting for Free Speech with Sam Jacobs

Max talks to Sam Jacobs of the Resistance Library Podcast and Ammo.com about the war being wages on free speech by large tech corporations and platforms. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Mar 09, 202140 min

Ep160 - Digital Art, Tokens, and Rationalists

Today's Local Maximum dives into a recently popular idea of "non-fungible tokens" to represent art ownership, and also dive into a New York Times article about the rationalist community. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Mar 02, 202142 min

Ep. 159 - Gresham's Law, More Google Drama, Self Driving San Francisco

In today's February News update, we go over Gresham's Law, more firings at the Google AI ethics lab, Waymo expanding driverless cars to San Francisco, and the future and past of audio with the passing of Rush Limbaugh and the rise of Clubhouse. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Feb 23, 202139 min

Ep. 158 - Live Free or Die

Max brings Aaron on the show to make an announcement on moving to the state of New Hampshire. The Local Maximum gets a new home base, and reflections on nearly 15 years in New York City - both from working in software/tech to the city lifestyle. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Feb 16, 202139 min

Ep. 157 - Financial Tsunami on the Horizon

Max and Aaron talk about the vast changes our economy and government would undergo if Bitcoin wins. They also discuss Gamestop and Generational Theory. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Feb 09, 202153 min

Ep. 156 - Machine Vision with Iain Smith

Today's episode covers the explosion of applications of machine vision in industrial automation with guest Iain Smith. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Feb 02, 202138 min

Ep. 155 - Why Oppose Censorship

Max talks about his long-standing skepticism and opposition to censorship, dives into some history of Twitter, a 2007 supreme court dissent from John Paul Stevens, and how locking down the flow of ideas goes against both the science and startup mentality. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Jan 25, 202144 min

Ep. 154 - Googlezon

The Local Maximum takes a look back at a video that circulated the internet in 2004 called "Epic 2014" that predicts a merger between Google and Amazon, an upheaval in the media landscape, and the rise of internet giants. Max and Aaron review the predictions made in this video, and talk about what it means for our present and future. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe...

Jan 19, 202159 min

Ep. 153 - Decentralizing Before our Eyes

The internet is about to go into a massive phase shift over the next few years, and the arms race was kicked off in 2021 with the deplatforming of Parler and Donald Trump. In this solo show, Max talks about the development of the internet, the rise of decentralized services like Mastodon, and the rise of decentralized finance. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe...

Jan 12, 202143 min

Ep. 151 - The Pivotal Year 2020

Max and Aaron look at the episodes, topics, and stories that have been covered on the Local Maximum in the year 2020, some thoughts on the podcast itself, and hopes for 2021. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe

Dec 29, 20201 hr 1 min

Ep. 150 - City Living, Waymo Driving, Protein Folding, and Bitcoin Popping

Max takes on all of the tech stories that we want to cover on The Local Maximum by the end of the year. First an announcement about New York City, and comments on the new leadership philosophy espoused by politicians with a contrasting view on what they need to do. Then, a series of self driving car updates with Waymo, Uber, Aurora, and Tesla. Third, the breakthrough in protein folding in AlphaFold 2 and what it means. And finally, we cover the big moves in the Bitcoin markets along with some le...

Dec 22, 202032 min

Ep. 149 - Chaos at Google, Woke AI, and Ultimatums

Today we talk about the controversial departure of AI Ethics researcher Timnit Gebru from Google, by first going over the facts and why it's a big deal. Then we talk about what the research was about, bias in race and gender in AI, and the activist mindset that pervades these organizations. Finally, we talk about modern workplace dynamics and what this means for Google specifically. Get full access to The Local Maximum at localmaximum.substack.com/subscribe...

Dec 15, 202058 min
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android
Open in Metacast