Does your gaming mouse track its own position 8,000 times per second? If you’re the kind of person who cares, I suspect you might also want that mouse to track that fast out of the box — instead of having to buy an extra dongle for that feature.
Pakistan
In continued servitude to IMF
As for those who used to claim they will never beg IMF? Well, they are busy ensuring our servitude to the financial institution.
Imran Yaqub Khan
“The country’s economy is directionless…..captain of this ship will have to be stronger or else the economy will not progress…..government has been unable to put its house in order….at the very beginning, the negotiations with IMF were botched up…..raising the tariff alone is responsible for rise in corruption…..NAB law will have to be balanced out…”
So read the charge sheet against the federal government as read out by Shaukat Tarin, possibly the next Finance Minister or Advisor. As per reports, an Economic Advisory Council is about to be formulated with the Prime Minister as its Chairman and Shaukat Tarin as its chief convener.
This development comes about amidst the blitzkrieg of “all is well with the economy” and “good times are right around the corner” that the government harps about almost daily. Tarin’s comments, then, come as a major surprise, exposing the economic performance for what it truly is. Now it will be all the more difficult for the PTI to blame the media for showing a “negative picture” of our financial situation. Tarin’s observations make it clear that national benefit was not given importance when the financial team negotiated with IMF. There were plenty of people who wanted to safeguard IMF’s benefit.
Shaukat Tarin also opined that if line losses were reduced by 5% and recoveries were increased by 5%, then circular debt, which now stands at a staggering Rs. 2500 billion, would have been reduced. However much the government would like to twist the debate, the buck always lands at poor performance. Did Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif stop the government from reducing line losses? Or did they somehow become an obstacle in increasing recoveries?
In this scenario, Tarin asked the right question, wondering “how the ship will sail further if the captain does not remain strong”. A more pertinent inquiry, however, would be “How will Shaukat Tarin remain strong in the face of a tsunami of incompetence”.
When Tarin was discussing the economy on a private news channel, Special Advisor Shahbaz Gill sent out a tweet denying that he was being considered for the job. Today, the matter is almost decided.
The former finance minister is not without detractors. His critics point out that inflation during the period he ruled as Finance Minister in PPP government’s tenure. GDP fell, Pakistan Steel Mills went into loss while the losses at PIA and Railways increased substantially. Like Hafeez Sheikh, he too has been accused of being an “IMF man”. He has been accused of charging the highest tax on petroleum tariffs while Tax revenue itself fell considerably.
Amidst all the accusations and allegations, the fact remains that Tarin is being considered for the job precisely because IMf and other monetary agencies are concerned about us. Over the past 70 years their shadows have loomed so large on our economy that no other influence matters. Through their people they have tried to control Pakistan’s economy directly, be it Shaukat Aziz or Shaukat Tarin or Hafeez Sheikh at the helm. Political opposition alone has prevented them from succeeding completely.
PML-N and PPP are, after all, political parties with deep roots among their voters. They do not want to cross certain limits. PTI had no such qualms and willingly handed over the reins of the economy entirely to a former IMF employee. Whatever the system in place to select the head of the finance team, it is seemingly anti-politicians.
Hammad Azhar’s appointment was a welcome step. Tarin’s appointment, if it comes through, has forced us to roll back the welcome mat. Hammad Azhar belongs to a political family, and will most likely not express his disappointment publicly. As for those who used to claim they will never beg IMF? Well, they are busy ensuring our servitude to the financial institution.
Pakistan
PM orders inquiry into unnecessary wheat import: Rana Tanveer
Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanvir Hussain says it was the caretaker government which imported wheat by ignoring the carry-forward stock of 4.1 million tons in the country.
Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday ordered an inquiry into the import of wheat, despite having sufficient reserves.
This was stated by Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanvir Hussain, while responding to point of orders raised by the lawmakers in the National Assembly on Wednesday.
He said it was the caretaker government which imported wheat by ignoring the carry-forward stock of 4.1 million tons in the country. He said this import of commodity disturbed the procurement targets of wheat in provinces. He, however, made it clear that agriculture is a devolved subject under which provinces procure wheat as per their targets. He said all provincial governments procure 25 percent of the total production of the crop, but in view of the carry-forward stock, provinces are finding it difficult to meet that target.
The Minister further informed the House that he has also written letters to provincial chief ministers to immediately start procurement and enhance their wheat targets. He said the government is making all possible efforts to save farmers from losses.
Rana Tanvir Hussain said the Prime Minister is also focusing on targeted subsidy to facilitate farmers.
He also assured the House to ensure fertilizer supply and fixation of prices for next crop season. On the question of lawmakers, he said a historic relief package will be announced in the budget to facilitate small farmers.
The House has been adjourned to meet again tomorrow at four p.m.
Technology
Razer’s Viper V3 Pro mouse puts its dongle where it belongs
Razer's flagship wireless gaming mouse, the Viper V3 Pro, adds an 8000Hz dongle, ergonomic tweaks, and an upgraded sensor.
That’s the most obvious difference Razer is announcing today with its flagship Viper V3 Pro mouse for esports pros and those who aspire to be one. For $160, the new Viper V3 Pro includes the $30 Razer HyperPolling Wireless Dongle, where the $150 Viper V2 Pro did not.
Mind you, the 58-gram Viper V2 Pro was already an impressive piece of kit, taking the crown for the lightest wireless gaming mouse at its debut, and the V3 Pro now sheds an extra four grams to hit 54 grams and firmly cement itself among the lightest battery-powered mice you can buy.
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It also now has a second-gen 35,000 DPI “Focus Pro” optical sensor, which can be adjusted in increments of 1 DPI, larger mouse feet, a “more tactile” scroll wheel with a “more reliable” scroll click, and a whole lot of small ergonomic adjustments you can see here:
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You also get up to 16 extra hours of battery life at 4000Hz and nearly double the battery life (62 hours) at 2000Hz, though battery life at 8000Hz stays the same.
And Razer’s introducing a “Sensitivity Matcher” in its app that lets you press a button and move your old mouse and your new mouse at the same time, after which it’ll automatically copy the DPI setting you’re accustomed to over to the new rodent. It still features the same third-gen optical switches as the prior model, which claim to last up to 90 million clicks.
Last but not least, Razer’s changing the outer feel of the mouse in a way that raised some alarm bells for me at first — it’s migrating to a smooth-touch finish instead of the eggshell texture of its previous mouse. But when I asked whether we’re returning to the delightful at first but eventually tacky mess of yesteryear’s soft-touch rubber-covered mice, third-party spokesperson Alyssa Benson assured me that there’s no rubber involved here.
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The Viper V3 Pro is available today in both black and white; the white model weighs an extra gram.
Sports
Edwards drops 33, lets Suns know in decisive win
Anthony Edwards scorched the Suns to the tune of 33 points as the Timberwolves trounced the Suns for a Game 1 win on Saturday.
MINNEAPOLIS -- With the Target Center pulsating, Anthony Edwards decided to take the temperature of his shooting streak.
The Minnesota Timberwolves' dynamic young superstar, dripping with confidence, had already buried a string of jumpers, becoming more animated after each one widened the score. Then, with 48 seconds left in the game-defining third quarter, Edwards drifted toward the left wing and took aim.
Kevin Durant's infinite wingspan was a touch too late on the closeout, and Edwards' 3-pointer danced through the net, letting loose a deafening roar from a sellout crowd.
The Timberwolves' lead stretched to 16, and Edwards, 22, celebrated by bobbing his head up and down, pounding one hand on his chest and shouting at Durant, 35, who shook his head and smiled. The moment electrified the crowd, but it also felt like something more, something with historic gravity -- the future announcing its arrival, perhaps.
"I think everybody here knows that's my favorite player of all time, so that was probably one of the best feelings ever in my whole life," Edwards said after scoring a game-high 33 in the Timberwolves' 120-95 Game 1 win against the Phoenix Suns.
The Timberwolves' 25-point victory marked their second largest in postseason history, according to ESPN Stats & Information, behind only a 28-point trouncing of the Los Angeles Lakers on April 22, 2003. And Edwards was the catalyst. The former No. 1 pick added nine rebounds, six assists and another notch to his growing legend.
Dating to last season, Saturday proved to be his fifth straight playoff game with 25 or more points -- the longest such streak in team history. Edwards' sixth playoff game of 30 or more points also placed him one behind Timberwolves great Kevin Garnett for the most such games in franchise history.
But Edwards' biggest impact came in the third quarter, when he scored 18 points -- tied with Sam Cassell for most in a quarter in Timberwolves playoff history -- and notched more field goals (8) than the Suns (6) did as a team.
By the end of that quarter, the Timberwolves led by 20 -- just the second time in franchise history that they have led by that much entering the fourth quarter of a postseason contest. The fourth quarter largely amounted to garbage time.
Game 2 of the series is Tuesday, with the Timberwolves seeking to escape the first round of the postseason for the first time since 2004. Durant, a 14-time All-Star playing his first full season in Phoenix, led the Suns with 31 points. He acknowledged the obvious in terms of his exchange with Edwards: "He got it going, he made some tough ones."
But Edwards, a two-time All-Star, lobbed considerable praise toward Durant.
"Did you see him in the third quarter?" Edwards remarked of Durant. "I felt like we were supposed to be up 15, 18 in the third quarter early. And if I'm not mistaken, he made four or five straight buckets like it was nothing. And I became a fan at one point. I was out there like, 'Goddamn, he nice.' There's nothing we can do. [Karl-Anthony Towns] was playing great defense. Rudy [Gobert] was playing great defense.
"I'm looking at the stat sheet, he's 11-for-17 [from the field]. He missed six shots and had 31. I mean, he's the greatest to ever do it, man. Big tip of my hat to him, he's the best."
Indeed, Durant made four jumpers early in the third quarter, but he ultimately took only five shots in the second half. Devin Booker finished with 18 points on 16 shots, but he managed just 1-of-7 from the field when guarded by Jaden McDaniels, the Timberwolves' defensive specialist on the perimeter. Bradley Beal scored 15 points on 10 shots.
"This was probably their best game that we've seen," Beal said. "Respectfully so, it's one game."
The win marked an about-face for Minnesota, which lost all three regular-season contests to Phoenix by double digits.
The most recent defeat came Sunday, when the Timberwolves fell by a nearly identical score -- 125-106 -- compared to what they posted Saturday.
"These guys came here and whooped us in our home court in the last game of the season and were giggling and laughing," Edwards recalled. "Beal, he told our coach that he doesn't think we play hard enough -- and he was right. [Timberwolves coach Chris] Finch didn't like that. He came in the next day and was like, 'Man, you've got guys on the other team telling me that y'all don't play hard enough for me.' And he was totally right.
"We [were] out there just running around letting them do what they want to do. That's a great team. All three of those guys, they're great players, man. It's going to be hard to beat these guys."
For the Timberwolves, Edwards starred, but the team received well-rounded efforts from Towns (19 points, 7 rebounds), Gobert (14 points, 16 rebounds) and the bench, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker scoring 18 and Naz Reid adding 12 points.
Most impressively, the Timberwolves held decisive edges in rebounds (52 to 28), points in the paint (52 to 34) and second-chance points (20 to 6).
"Our focus and our urgency was obviously at an all-time high," Gobert said. "I love how we respected the game plan all 48 minutes, from the first to the last. We tried to not let them get a hot start like they did the three other games and just do what we do."
The Minnesota Timberwolves' dynamic young superstar, dripping with confidence, had already buried a string of jumpers, becoming more animated after each one widened the score. Then, with 48 seconds left in the game-defining third quarter, Edwards drifted toward the left wing and took aim.
Kevin Durant's infinite wingspan was a touch too late on the closeout, and Edwards' 3-pointer danced through the net, letting loose a deafening roar from a sellout crowd.
The Timberwolves' lead stretched to 16, and Edwards, 22, celebrated by bobbing his head up and down, pounding one hand on his chest and shouting at Durant, 35, who shook his head and smiled. The moment electrified the crowd, but it also felt like something more, something with historic gravity -- the future announcing its arrival, perhaps.
"I think everybody here knows that's my favorite player of all time, so that was probably one of the best feelings ever in my whole life," Edwards said after scoring a game-high 33 in the Timberwolves' 120-95 Game 1 win against the Phoenix Suns.
The Timberwolves' 25-point victory marked their second largest in postseason history, according to ESPN Stats & Information, behind only a 28-point trouncing of the Los Angeles Lakers on April 22, 2003. And Edwards was the catalyst. The former No. 1 pick added nine rebounds, six assists and another notch to his growing legend.
Dating to last season, Saturday proved to be his fifth straight playoff game with 25 or more points -- the longest such streak in team history. Edwards' sixth playoff game of 30 or more points also placed him one behind Timberwolves great Kevin Garnett for the most such games in franchise history.
But Edwards' biggest impact came in the third quarter, when he scored 18 points -- tied with Sam Cassell for most in a quarter in Timberwolves playoff history -- and notched more field goals (8) than the Suns (6) did as a team.
By the end of that quarter, the Timberwolves led by 20 -- just the second time in franchise history that they have led by that much entering the fourth quarter of a postseason contest. The fourth quarter largely amounted to garbage time.
Game 2 of the series is Tuesday, with the Timberwolves seeking to escape the first round of the postseason for the first time since 2004. Durant, a 14-time All-Star playing his first full season in Phoenix, led the Suns with 31 points. He acknowledged the obvious in terms of his exchange with Edwards: "He got it going, he made some tough ones."
But Edwards, a two-time All-Star, lobbed considerable praise toward Durant.
"Did you see him in the third quarter?" Edwards remarked of Durant. "I felt like we were supposed to be up 15, 18 in the third quarter early. And if I'm not mistaken, he made four or five straight buckets like it was nothing. And I became a fan at one point. I was out there like, 'Goddamn, he nice.' There's nothing we can do. [Karl-Anthony Towns] was playing great defense. Rudy [Gobert] was playing great defense.
"I'm looking at the stat sheet, he's 11-for-17 [from the field]. He missed six shots and had 31. I mean, he's the greatest to ever do it, man. Big tip of my hat to him, he's the best."
Indeed, Durant made four jumpers early in the third quarter, but he ultimately took only five shots in the second half. Devin Booker finished with 18 points on 16 shots, but he managed just 1-of-7 from the field when guarded by Jaden McDaniels, the Timberwolves' defensive specialist on the perimeter. Bradley Beal scored 15 points on 10 shots.
"This was probably their best game that we've seen," Beal said. "Respectfully so, it's one game."
The win marked an about-face for Minnesota, which lost all three regular-season contests to Phoenix by double digits.
The most recent defeat came Sunday, when the Timberwolves fell by a nearly identical score -- 125-106 -- compared to what they posted Saturday.
"These guys came here and whooped us in our home court in the last game of the season and were giggling and laughing," Edwards recalled. "Beal, he told our coach that he doesn't think we play hard enough -- and he was right. [Timberwolves coach Chris] Finch didn't like that. He came in the next day and was like, 'Man, you've got guys on the other team telling me that y'all don't play hard enough for me.' And he was totally right.
"We [were] out there just running around letting them do what they want to do. That's a great team. All three of those guys, they're great players, man. It's going to be hard to beat these guys."
For the Timberwolves, Edwards starred, but the team received well-rounded efforts from Towns (19 points, 7 rebounds), Gobert (14 points, 16 rebounds) and the bench, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker scoring 18 and Naz Reid adding 12 points.
Most impressively, the Timberwolves held decisive edges in rebounds (52 to 28), points in the paint (52 to 34) and second-chance points (20 to 6).
"Our focus and our urgency was obviously at an all-time high," Gobert said. "I love how we respected the game plan all 48 minutes, from the first to the last. We tried to not let them get a hot start like they did the three other games and just do what we do."
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