Global Contraction and Trump’s Victory
The global right-wing shift has been around so long we almost forgot about it. Recently, Swiss universities added more restrictions on Chinese student admissions, Florida limited Chinese student enrollment, ETH Zurich implemented measures restricting Chinese PhD candidates, and rumors suggest EPFL will also stop considering Chinese applicants. Add to this the US 10043 policy and visa restrictions.
The US and its allies are setting up increasingly more barriers for Chinese students, creating a trend where those who’ve left might not easily return, and those who haven’t left might not get the chance. Chinese students, besides choosing alternative countries, are powerless in this situation. We can expect increased difficulty in securing spots in Hong Kong and Singapore.
Today marks the first day after the US election. Trump won.
Last week, Trump held a rally at our school’s sports venue, coinciding with the Palestinian anti-Israel protest at Tech Green.
I saw many Chinese students eagerly joining the crowd to see Trump, queuing five hours early, collecting Trump merchandise (hats, signs with “47”), and posting photos on social media.
It’s both amusing and concerning. Most Chinese students’ interests and political needs clearly stand opposite to Trump’s positions - more lenient visa restrictions, fewer security clearance checks, more favorable H1B policies. Yet instead of clearly opposing Trump, these people thoughtlessly joined the spectacle out of ignorance.
Factory jobs in ‘79 weren’t the future, civil engineering in ‘08 wasn’t the future. CS seems to be facing a similar fate. When the Fed started raising interest rates in ‘22, the invisible hand squeezed the job market sponge, leading to corporate layoffs and reduced hiring, affecting recruitment both domestically and internationally.
ChatGPT emerged at year-end, seemingly showing the next era, boosting MLE positions and AI startups.
Looking back from late ‘24, large language models haven’t found their killer app, but Nvidia’s stock rose 912%, replacing Apple’s 12-year position as the world’s highest market cap. While AI’s future remains unclear, most job openings are for PhDs.
Movies, Books, Headphones
I’ve been obsessed with rock music lately - Nezha, Liu Sen, Wachi, No Party For Cao Dong, Crispy Berry, Submarine Time Machine, Accusefive, Wu Tiao Ren…
I’d encountered it early on but only recently realized it was rock music.
Lately, I’ve been looping Nezha Band’s “Nao Hai” in my headphones, feeling a peculiar vitality.
Half the reason for going abroad was to escape.
I spent my first 22 years growing up, studying, taking gaokao, and attending university in Chengdu. I remember talking with classmates in high school, repeatedly saying I must test out of Sichuan. Unfortunately, I underperformed in gaokao and stayed in Chengdu for university. I thought university would help me escape home. It didn’t. Every holiday return home brought that subtle suffocating paternal atmosphere, making me want to escape, resisting through silence.
October Coffee and Alcohol
Bought coffee beans twice, from Counter Culture and Onyx.
Counter Culture, one of America’s three specialty coffee pioneers, wasn’t particularly impressive. Their Ethiopian medium-light roast and Guatemalan beans showed fermented notes and dried fruit with sweetness and acidity, but easily turned bitter.
Onyx offered many surprises with four beans: Tropical Weather (a blend of Ethiopian washed and natural process) perfectly balanced with fruit bomb and yellow floral notes; Geometry medium-light roast with smooth balance; ultra-light Colombian; and light roast Guatemalan.
Had many gin and tonics and Pain Killers, and the Monkey Shoulder is almost empty.