Hello! My name is 蔡醒诗 or Xing Shi Cai in English.
(See here if you want to know how to say my name.)
Welcome to my new home on the Internet! (Here is my old home.)
I am a mathematician/computer scientist who is interested in probability, combinatorics,
experimental mathematics and programming.
In recent years I also got interested in applying AI to research and teaching.
Recently, I moved Kunshan, China for a position of
Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Duke Kunshan University.
Random some scribbles. Hope they will be helpful for someone.
Slightly Tofu
Slightly Tofu — The only podcast on veganism in Chinese
I came across a Chinese podcast on veganism called Slightly Tofu/有点豆腐, hosted by two women who are both well-read, intelligent, and remarkably sympathetic. I particularly admire their latest episode which delves into the peculiar frustration and subtle discrimination one faces as a vegan in this meat-obsessed world. There’s something uniquely exhausting about being the lone herbivore at the carnivorous table, isn’t there? I share many of their sentiments personally, finding their conversation both inspiring and their courage rather admirable in the face of endless beef jokes and that tiresome “plants also have feelings” sophistry that seems to be the intellectual equivalent of a participation trophy. Highly recommended for anyone who’s ever sighed deeply while explaining, yet again, that yes, plants actually do not feel pain, and no, your uncle’s cousin’s neighbour did not wither away and die after becoming vegan for three weeks.
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Ringworm Treatment
Recently I asked ChatGPT to do a Deep Research on ringworm treatment for cats. Since the result might be useful for cat owners, I decided to post a simplified version of it here.
Understanding the Diagnosis The fungus seems to be on the hair. Can it still be ringworm?
Yes. Ringworm (dermatophytes) primarily infects keratinized hair shafts and hair follicles. Finding fungal infection in the hair is typical for feline ringworm.
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A Quiet Life
I came across this article, “The Power of a Quiet Life” by Lewis Richmond, recently and I quite like this quote—
There are three principles of bodhisattva life I teach: keep your mind clear, be patient, and when you see an opportunity to act, do so without hesitation. Now I am thinking about adding a fourth principle: live a quiet life. Don’t be distracted by things. When the insanities of the world become too noisy and preposterous, remain inwardly calm. If you don’t see what you can do, don’t do anything. Just wait. Things will change; they always do. Change is the Buddha’s first and best teaching. In some ways, change has never been more in the air than now. The aspiring bodhisattva rides change the way a thrown stone skips over water. Change is our best hope and strongest power.
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A Land Behind (2024)
Poster of A Land Behind
Last night I went to Suzhou to attend a special screening event. The film shown was A Land Behind (内沙), directed and written by Professor Geyi Yang from the School of Media and Communication at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. After the screening, there was a discussion between the director and the audience.
The story revolves around Mr. Tang and his assistant Xiao Yu, who are struggling to run an organic farm on a small island in the Yangtze River, facing many real-world challenges and an uncertain future.
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AI and the Humbling of Human Intellect
I often test new LLM models with the following question —
Given the following conditions, how many ways can Professor Y assign six different books to four different students?
The most expensive book must be assigned to student X. Each student must receive at least one book. The first model that could solve this problem was OpenAI’s o1 model. The second one was Google’s Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking model. Then more thinking models came out, like DeepSeek’s R1, Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 (with extended thinking mode), all of which can solve this problem without any mistakes.
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Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2024)
A robot valet wondering in doomed world
Adrian Tchaikovsky, the science fiction writer, is a master at crafting bleak, hellish future worlds. But in Service Model, a 2024 science-fiction satire telling the story of a robot valet wandering in a doomed world, he has truly outdone himself, conjuring an absurd realm where human societies have crumbled, and humanity teeters on the brink of extinction.
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What is the Meaning of My Work
A friend ask me if I find any meaning in my work. Here’s my reply.
Please forgive me for answering your question in English. I find it easier to express myself clearly in English, especially on more complex topics.
You ask if I find it “meaningful” to write papers that few people might read. The short answer is “Yes.” The long answer, as usual, is more complicated.
Will my research cure cancer, bring world peace, or entertain millions? No. Will it contribute to a technological breakthrough one day? It’s unlikely, though possible.
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What is Here?
A scene in Here (2023)
Here (2023), directed by Bas Devos, is a poetic meditation on the everyday. Eschewing traditional dramatic structures, the film flows with the quiet rhythm of life itself.
The story follows Stefan, a Romanian construction worker in Brussels, who, on the verge of returning home, meets Shuxiu, a Belgian-Chinese bryologist studying moss—those tiny, verdant worlds often overlooked beneath our feet. Their chance encounter sets off a contemplative exploration of the city’s hidden beauty, reminding us that wonder often resides in the unlikeliest of places.
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Live Well Lived by Peter Singer and Kasia de Lazari Radek
My favourite philosopher, Peter Singer, has, like many in today’s world, ventured into the realm of podcasting with Live Well Lived, alongside his collaborator, Kasia de Lazari Radek. Together, they have engaged in conversations with experts from diverse fields. For instance, they spoke with psychiatrist Murali Doraiswamy about tackling global mental health challenges. I found the following exchange both succinct and remarkably pertinent to the podcast’s theme —
Kasia de Lazari Radek: Okay, so now I should ask you, do you believe that we can train our brain to be happier on its own without any drugs, any psychedelics and any psychiatric drugs?
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What is a Perfect Day for You?
A poster for the film Perfect Days
On some dating websites, you might find yourself confronting that deceptively profound question: “What is a perfect day for you?” Like most seemingly simple queries about the human condition, its answers are as numerous and varied as the stars.
For Ayelet Waldman, author of A Really Good Day, a perfect day arrives through carefully measured doses of LSD — a chemical key to unlock the door to contentment. In contrast, the 2023 film Perfect Days, directed by Wim Wenders and starring Kōji Yakusho, perfection whispers in a different language: it speaks through the sacred ordinary of each passing day.
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