Last week, China’s Ministry of Commerce published a document that went by the name of “announcement No. 62 of 2025”.
But this wasn’t just any bureaucratic missive. It has rocked the fragile tariffs truce with the US.
The announcement detailed sweeping new curbs on its rare earth exports, in a move that tightens Beijing’s grip on the global supply of the critical minerals - and reminded Donald Trump just how much leverage China holds in the trade war.
China has a near-monopoly in the processing of rare earths - crucial for the production of everything from smartphones to fighter jets.
The maxed out laptop I bought this year had 10x as many cores as the maxed out one I had previously from 2016 or 2017. RAM was faster and 4x larger, the clock speed was a bit higher, the storage was maybe 2x.
I definitely feel it perform significantly better. The main difference is the number of cores and the amount of RAM, and particularly how cool the CPU runs.
But my last laptop felt the same way when I bought it. I think this is mostly because developer optimization is inversely correlated to hardware spec improvements. Gross under-optimization is allowed if the hardware permits it.
I also feel that the new high-end desktop I bought last year also runs like a dream (I spent thousands of dollars on it), and I am able to do all the things I wanted to do on all my old games perfectly. But other than making AI furry smut (and it is literally my only use of AI) it isn’t that much different. This is why I want my computer to last at least another 10 years before a replacement… if that is even possible.