The Local Maximum with Max Sklar

Max talks to João Graça, CTO of multilingual translation platform Unbabel to talk about the past, present, and future of translation technology and the role of machine learning. 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

Today's discussion centers on recent speculation about long term population transfers between the city, the suburbs, and the countryside, and the issues facing cities in America right now. We also talk about the rise of Amazon Go stores, and why and how this technology might spread to other types of stores around the world. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other sub...

Max checks in with Kristen Sosulski, NYU Professor and Author of Data Visualization Made Simple. They discuss some of the basic principles of data visualization, and some common approaches and pitfalls. 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

This companion to episode 125 on the Electoral College starts with an interview of Ernie Dronenberg in California who was a member of the Electoral College in 1980! Afterwards, Max talks about different models of voting systems in social choice theory: Rankings, Condorcet Methods, Condorcet Paradoxes, Monotone Boolean Functions, and Shapley values. This ends with a discussion of the ways in which...

Today begins a 2 part series on the Electoral College, and the way in which the President of the United States is elected. Tara Ross is a nationally recognized author and expert on the electoral college, and her recent book, “Why We Need the Electoral College” provides a justification and defense of the electoral college system. Today’s interview covers: - Some of the mechanics of a presidential e...

Today’s discussion centers around the trend of the big social networks (Twitter and Facebook) to fact-check certain accounts. Can fact checking be fair, and is it consistent with open discussion? This episode also covers the activist culture and pressures faces by companies and workplaces today. Also, a new image processing ML algorithm which generates an image from a pixelated version has promise...

Today’s episode features Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, author of the book Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who we Really Are. Discussion topics include research on NBA demographics, horse racing, Google search data and Coronavirus, and validating Google analytics. localmaxradio.com/123 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other sub...

This episode focuses on life in 2020 with pandemics, lockdowns, protests, curfews, looting, and more. Max gives an update on New York city. At the end of the show, hospital administrator Ben Geboe calls in with his pandemic experiences. localmaxradio.com/122 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit localmaximum.substa...

Max and Aaron return for a June news update. In addition to providing a first hand account of the protests and disturbances in Fort Greene, they update us on: - The private space race, SpaceX’s Launch, and Future Moon Landings - The heist of 20 million in Bitcoin by a Westchester teen, and what you can do to protect yourself - The breakdown of social media and the war between Twitter and Donald Tr...

Max makes his case on the ineffectiveness of lockdowns. Concepts of the week include confounders and colliders, which are subjects in causality theory, and Simpon’s Paradox where correlations flip based on how the data is bucketed. localmaxradio.com/120 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit localmaximum.substack.co...

Today’s guest is Brian Blais, a professor of Science at Bryant University. His approach to teaching statistical inference includes taking the Bayesian approach instead of delegating it to an advanced or elective topic. We talk about the Bayesian vs Frequentist debate, how to navigate the disconnect between them, and the role of imagination when discovering truth. This is a public episode. If you w...

The Local Maximum cover a wide range of topics in this Local Maximum May news update with Max Sklar and cohost Aaron. Max said “this is one of the most fun episodes to do, but all the best stuff is at the end so you better listen through”. Concept of the week is the separation of test and training set in machine learning. We discuss why it is important, how it separates learning and memorization,...

Today’s Local Maximum features Chistian Hubbs, host of the Artificially Intelligent podcast. We talk about the most recent examples of AI Hype, more on the Coronavirus models, and the nuanced problems of listening to the experts. 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

Cytometrist and author of the new Machine Learning text (ML with R the tidyverse, and mlr) joins the Local Maximum to tell us about some of the biological applications of machine learning and making it more accessible to all. We cover model evaluation, unsupervised learning, and the curse of dimensionality. Podlocalmax19 is the promo code to get 40% off all books at manning.com localmaxradio.com/1...

Today Max dives into the Coronavirus pandemic models. He talk generally about statistical models of this sort, and how epidemiological models are usually performed. Then, he finds that the models followed by the state and federal governments do nothing of the sort! Also: - What actions should individuals and governments take? - Do lockdowns affect viral spread? - What's the story with asymptomatic...

The Local Maximum takes a break from continuing Coronavirus coverage to talk about larger social trends. Stanford University researchers proposal for a smart toilet goes too far as it scans your from the bottom up for login credentials. Established media throws shade at podcasting as a dangerous medium, even as they are guilty of the same crimes. Max explains the necessity of the long form podcast...

The annualish Local Maximum predictions panel continues virtually even though under quarantine. They make future predictions, but also review past predictions for today’s time. Max gives a Coronavirus update from New York. Here are some questions that we tackle: - Will Urban or Rural spaces grow in the future? - Why did some virtual reality predictions fail, and what can turn that platform around?...

Naomi Brockwell returns to the Local Maximum to share her knowledge of recent events. Naomi was reporting and sounding the alarm of Coronavirus before almost all of the media, but many dismissed her warnings. The discussion also includes: - Government reaction and mismanagement of the pandemic as well as misinformation - Ways to stay calm and protect yourself - The role of Censorship in preventing...

Max does a solo show during hist third week of staying at home during the Coronavirus outbreak. He covers: - The large amounts of stories about the virus coming in from all corners, and how it's difficult to evaluate them - The current situation in New York City, both everyday life, and policy - How we're getting set up to do more video chats and calls, some ideas for rigging up a home studio, and...

As Max is holed up at home, he talks to Aaron about the current coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. localmaxradio.com/110 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

Today’s guest is Adam Kapelner, Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Queens College, to talk about the nature of probability, some of the theoretical and philosophical foundations of statistical inference, and his research into some basic questions of experimental design. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit loca...

Max will tell you his definition of probability - which is his secret to clearly thinking about truth and inference - on the heels of last week’s discussion. Also some updates: - What’s the difference between the Google Photos leak and the iCloud leak? What is end-to-end encryption? - Now stories are coming out about Venezuela that contradict the positive stories being posted a few weeks ago - Ber...

Economist Bob Murphy shares his insight into Ludwig von Mises’s ideas on Probability from the mid 20th century treatise Human Action. They work to square this with Max’s conception of probability in his own experience as a machine learning engineer. Topics include: - The differences between subjective and objective probability (and case vs class probability in Human Action) - Use of probability in...

Today’s news update focuses on the 15 years of Google Maps and Location technology in general. Max relates to his experience on Stickymap and Foursquare. We talk about Satellite Imagery, Mapquest, and recent efforts to create digital models of cities on the ground level using Machine Learning on Photos. Finally, we talk about what the augmented reality City might look like. Other topics include a...

Today’s guest is Sophie Carr, a mathematician who specializes in Bayesian Inference and Aerodynamics. Max asks about her analogies for wrapping one’s head around Bayesian Inference, and applying it in the real world. Max also follows up on Encryption laws. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit localmaximum.substack...