Max Forbes
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maxwellforbes.com
Max Forbes
@maxwellforbes.com
language is irreducibly contextual and multimodal.

bizarre hybrid AI researcher / fullstack dev. currently working on https://talktomehuman.com/ & consulting (uname = domain)

previously:
- buncha travel
- phd @ uw (nlp)
- eng @ google (kubernetes)
Your PhD advisor has at least five jobs. They’re probably really good at some and maybe bad at one or two.

It surprised me how close (though abstract) the analogies are to traditional roles from industry. Except teacher, of course.
September 16, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Hello, last chance for 50% off Talk to Me Human! Early access ($4.99) — which includes the complete game — is ending. I’m releasing the full version soon on Steam and web, and the price will bump to $9.99.
August 28, 2025 at 4:04 PM
unabashedly into my new 404 page
June 10, 2025 at 8:48 PM
I’m pleased to announce the release of Weatherspread, a web app for visualizing recent weather and tourism data!

I built this app with friends Tristan and Shelby to aid in planning travel and events. Usually you plan things far enough out (say, 3-6 months) that there’s no reliable forecast.
May 1, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Exciting to zero people but me, I randomly tried putting an image in a sidenote and it JUST WORKED

if it hadn't I would have assumed no quantity of toil would have fixed it
April 7, 2025 at 9:55 PM
don't make things actually work

the next PhD metagame essay focuses on avoiding a bad (non-meta) strategy.

here's what i mean: in fields like computer science, your research is temptingly adjacent to making a working, useful system.
March 6, 2025 at 3:57 PM
PHD METAGAME - next essay out: "how to pick your phd school" (link below sorry)

you gotta balance advisor match w/ school's prestige. what do you do?

i don't know but boy I sure managed to write 1800 words about it
February 14, 2025 at 2:17 PM
props to the artist who made this sick glitch shader
January 22, 2025 at 3:42 PM
should you pick your phd school by advisor or prestige? cooking up a new post, one factor is tiiiiiiiime
January 21, 2025 at 2:20 PM