Numbers and Narrative

Joe and podcast regular Jesse Andrews debut a new NFL pick 'em podcast 3/4 of the way through the season. Enjoy it while you can!

Summary: Joe talks with Alex Pudlin, quant, urban planner, and the man behind the data-tastic site http://www.igotcharts.com/ to talk about quantitative urban planning, the deep importance of data silliness, and how LA doesn't get enough credit for its planning and transportation initiatives

Summary: Jon Ferris and his team bring 50 PhD's through their free eight week data science curriculum several times a year. He talks about what data scientists bring to companies, offers tips to gain admittance to the Data Incubator and talks about what students learn in the curriculum.

Summary: Joe sits down for a Thanksgiving football preview with former business reporter-turned-ESPN the Magazine sports columnist Mina Kimes to talk about how morally difficult watching the NFL is, and how much they each love doing it anyway.

Summary: Phaedra Chrousos is on a mission to bring innovative thinking and leading-edge technology and technologists to the US Government. From her position as head of the office of citizen services for the Government Services Administration, she shares examples of the big positive changes happening in government technology.

Summary: Co-host Joe Flood goes on the www.fivethirtyeight.com podcast What's the Point to talk about his book, The Fires, and what happens when the marriage of stats and public policy goes terribly wrong.

Greg Lindsay -- Reporter and Urban Planning Writer

Summary: Joe sits down with Greg to talk about the all-too-common downsides of using statistics to make urban policy and planning decisions.

Alexa Hirschfeld -- Co-founder of Paperless Post

Summary: Alexa Hirschfeld is the co-founder of digital invitation company Paperless Post. She describes how she and her brother, who is her co-founder, combine their talents as they continue to reimagine how people send invitations.

Jeff Lacouture -- Joe's sports stats reporting partner

Summary: Joe talks baseball playoffs, silly metrics for measuring entertainment, and reverse-fantasy football with sports statistics aficionado Jeff Lacouture.

Jesse Andrews -- Novelist, screenwriter, Pittsburgh sports obsessive

Summary: Second-time guest Jesse Andrews comes on to deliver a Rant for the Ages on the existential futility of sports fandom after his Pirates were bounced from the playoffs, and talk about his fantasy sports addiction and falling off the wagon.