The Local Maximum with Max Sklar

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330

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Sep 2025

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About the show

Join Max Sklar and guests in this podcast about AI, technology, and society. Email localmaxradio@gmail.com for questions and feedback. Show notes page on the website: www.localmaxradio.com localmaximum.substack.com

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60 recent

September 1, 202558 min

Ep. 328 - Restarting the Local Maximum: Book Strategies for 2025

Returning after a Hiatus* Today is just going to be a hangout with me and Aaron if you’re into that.. And later, we’ll return to more specific topics* Give a little personal history & history of the showFull Move to NYCTeaching* Less timeHopscotch Labs* Working on that* Beebot - coming SOON!!* Internship ProgramHope for The Local MaximumReading Habits and Strategies (for the busy)* Is it still worth reading books in the AI era?* What do I do if I get stuck on a book?* How do I know I’m stuck?* Can you read 2 books at once?* How do I deal with these enormous tomes in my bookshelf* What about textbooks?* Local Maximum examples* AJ Jacobs - easy to read! I didn’t think I’d be interested in the topic* Jeffrey Tucker - fun to read!* Sweet spot: 100-200 pages with SHORT CHAPTERS* Books with 50-page chapters - WHY* Topics: Current affairs vs History, philosophy, self-help, fiction?* Examples* Revisiting The Singularity is Nearer (Ep. 323 - The Technological Singularity Part I & Ep. 324 - The Technological Singularity Part II)* Tracking toolshttps://app.thestorygraph.com/* (pause feature and journal feature)* Take notes during or after; don’t wait!Upcoming Topics for The Local Maximum* Pull up the sheet* Will we have a schedule? I plan on doing this differently 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

December 2, 202453 min

Ep. 327 - The Shape of Thought

Author, entrepreneur, and AI professor Graham Morehead joins the Local Maximum to talk about Artificial Thought and human potential working with AI in his book, “The Shape of Thought”https://grahammorehead.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

October 24, 202447 min

Ep. 326 - James Barnes, The Autobiographer

The Local Maximum returns from a hiatus with today’s interview of James Barnes, founder of Autobiographer, and AI-based app developed at Betaworks that helps you tell your own story. 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

August 28, 202444 min

Ep. 325 - Eric Daimler: Perspectives on AI

Today’s guest is Eric Daimler, co-founder and CEO of Conexus (conexus.com). Max talks to Eric about the enormous shift in focus in the industry since his last appearance in 2022, and gets his perspective on the promise and pitfalls of the latest generation of AI. 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

August 19, 202444 min

Ep. 324 - The Technological Singularity Part II

Max and Aaron go deeper into the ideas of the singularity and the law of accelerating returns as articulated in Ray Kurzweil’s Singularity is nearer. They talk about Nanotechnology, Longevity Escape Velocity, and Computronium. 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

August 9, 202444 min

Ep. 323 - The Technological Singularity Part I

Max and Aaron discuss Ray Kurzweil’s new book, The Singularity is Nearer, and talk about the prospect for a technological singularity by 2045 and AGI by the end of this decade. 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

July 16, 202445 min

Ep. 322 - Coding in the Age of AI

On Freund, co-founder and CEO of Wilco, talks to Max to explore the future of software development in a post-AI world. Learn about the evolving roles of developers, the significance of real-world problem-solving, and the continuous journey of upskilling and reskilling. 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

July 1, 202453 min

Ep. 321 - Exploring AI with Itamar Friedman

Max talks to Codium.ai Founder Itamar Friedman about the rise of LLMs, the evolution of AI as practiced, and the philosophical ideas that will help us get the most out of it.https://codium.ai/ 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

June 12, 202440 min

Ep. 320 - Startups, Foursquare, and NYU

Max and Aaron discuss Max's new initiatives in startups and academia, his concerns about the current direction of Foursquare, and the structure and evolution of computer science courses. Max talks about his role next semester as the data structures course instructor at NYU, and all that might entail. They shared their personal experiences in being students at Yale and MIT. 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

May 30, 202435 min

Insightful Conversations with Tiffany Grossman

Max talks to Tiffany Grossman, a blogger, marketing specialist, and co-host of the 'Spill the T' podcast. Tiffany shares her journey into the podcasting world. We delve into the importance of networking, the challenges of starting a podcast, and choosing topics that resonate personally while providing value to listeners. 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