The Local Maximum

The episode starts with a game of thrones discussion for 2 minutes (how can it not)! And then Max discusses some related news items coming out of China: The Rise of The Social Credit Score The Re-Education Camps the Uighers and others in Western China are being forced into Causality Myths The Big Debate on Socialism vs Capitalism

I visited Foursquare HQ to check in with Executive Chairman Dennis Crowley. - Personal stories and the Innovative mind - Industry trends in consumer apps/big data - Foursquare's latest labs project: hypertrending at SXSW I also follow up on last weeks episode, with more details on voting affecting the outcome of an election, and the turkey vs email problem.

How can one estimate the probability of an unprecedented event - something that has never happened before - happening? It seems like a hopeless endeavor, but there actually are valid strategies to tackle this problem. We also recap the interviews that occurred in the 5 previous episodes, and the continuing closure and censorship of our social networks as they are increasingly becoming associated with violence in the real world - and how we're going to get out of this.

Marc Cenedella is the CEO of Ladders, Inc, and today he talks to Max about the Ladders Job Search service, and the job matching problem in the 21st century. After diving into The Ladders’ specific audience and product approach, the conversation turns to Max’s resume. The advice provided is invaluable to all job seekers - present and future - out there. localmaxradio.com/64

Today’s interview is with Bethany Crystal at Union Square Ventures. We cover a lot of ground Building Network Effects as a means to Market Power Building Careers, avoiding the career cliff Inspiration from the Idea of Transfer Learning Diversification in investments and in the self Check out Bethany’s blog: http://bethanycrystal.com/blog/ I also talk about the launch of the Luminary Podcast Network: luminarypodcasts.com Also - get my take on Google’s ill-fated AI Ethics panel. localmaxradio.com/63

Today's interview was done at a Tech2025 event where participants were asked to think about wealth and the present state of the US and Global economy. I spoke to Denise Hearn, author of "The Myth of Capitalism" about the trend towards Oligopoly and its causes. Also included are discussions about the definition of capitalism, the definition of wealth, the price of a free good, regulatory capture, and the role of our monetary system in distorting the economy. localmaxradio.com/62 https://www.mythofcapitalism.com/

Michael Bronspigel runs the Facebook capitalism page and tells the story of how Facebook’s algorithm and policies affected his group. We also talk about - the nature of online properties - the story of how he started the group and turned it into a business - retro internet memes - the push to further crack down on content The group: fb.com/capitalists, capitalismisfreedom.org Show notes: localmaxradio.com/61

I caught up with Hilary Mason, GM of Machine Learning at Cloudera and former founder of Fast Forward Labs. We cover how to: - Generate ideas for Machine Learning Research - Hold a good brainstorm - Break into tech as a Data Scientist - Give an engaging and successful tech talk I also asked Hilary about the evolving role of Machine Learning and Data Science, and what she wants to build in the future!

Today we have a look at how information technology is affecting life in authoritarian socialist regimes such as Cuba and Venezuela. Particularly, we discuss the introduction of 3G cellular service in Cuba, and how it has needed to compromise on allowing more connectivity to its citizens over the last decade.In the case of Venezuela, we look at how cryptocurrency (and Bitcoin in particular) is being used to work around currency controls and hyperinflation. It’s still speculative on how much this is really going on, but we talk more generally about how crypto technology can be used in a social-upheaval type situation in the future.We also check in on Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s recent 3.5 hour long interview on Joe Rogan. The main topic, which we have covered here in the past, is on content moderation and bias at social media companies. We round up the different viewpoints expressed and continue to provide our ongoing analysis. localmaxradio.com/59

Today's interview is with Mark Weiss, Data Engineer at Beeswax and host of Using Reflection which is a podcast where engineers talk about what they love and what they've learned in their careers. I asked him about what he personally has learned from his interviews and from his own career started in the news media. Then, we turn to the craft of data engineering - on which the viability of all the internet services you love (or hate) hinge upon. There is so much change going on in the data engineering world, and I asked Mark about that change, and where he hopes and thinks it can go in the future. localmaxradio.com/58 usingreflection.com

There's a lot of confusion over what a "data scientist" is these days, and the job titles can mean multiple things to multiple people. It's also getting tougher for new entrants into the job market. Max breaks it down and gives advice for those looking to break in. On the technical side, Max starts with the argument from analogy, a philosophical argument that works alongside Bayes which we use without knowing every single day. Then, a connection to machine learning is made with a description of the Nearest Neighbor (kNN) algorithm, and the specific use case at Foursquare. localmaxradio.com/57

Google's "VP of Trust and Safety" has put out Google's strategy for weeding out fake news. Do they have the right definition? Will it work? What is a VP of Trust and Safety? We'll discuss whether Google is looking out for their users. In that vein, we wanted to discuss new ways fake news might be generated, and found this site thispersondoesnotexist.com created images of people who are not real but look pretty convincing. They use Generative Adversarial Networks. After listened, you'll know how those work to create plausible images.

Author David Auerbach covers Bitwise: A Life in Code. We discuss: - The consequences of data everywhere from the 1980s to today. - Taxonomies and their bias and imperfection. Applications to Mental Illness, personality (meyers-briggs + PI), marketing age buckets - Dealing with Bias in AI and Humans - David's Role in the fight for compatibility between MSN messenger and AIM Get the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Bitwise-Life-Code-David-Auerbach/dp/1101871296/ Show notes page: localmaxradio.com/55

We discuss 5G and what that means for mobile tech in the 2020s, as well as augmented reality, virtual reality, mesh networks, gaming, and self driving cars. See the show notes: localmaxradio.com/54

Swati Doshi, Founder and Managing Director of Human Results, has Max and Maryam take time-tested behavioral assessments. We learn about our results live and respond to them on-air. Also covering: - Why these assessments can be useful in forming teams. - Considering team chemistry - Examples from Foursquare Labs Take the assessment Swati gave to Max and Maryam here or write to info@humanresults.com. Show notes: localmaxradio.com/53