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Sony has unveiled its new full-frame mirrorless camera, the Sony a7S Mark III. The Alpha a7S III is the successor of Sony Alpha a7S II released in 2015. Now, the a7S Mark III offers a new image sensor and a new image processing engine. Sony a7S Mark III comes with a 12.1-megapixel image sensor and BIONZ XR image processing engine.

While the new Sony camera seems to be promising for photographers, the a7S Mark III lacks features like 8K video recording. This can be disappointing for many videographers as the a7s Mark II is a video-focused mirrorless camera. Plus, Canon recently launched the EOS R5 mirrorless camera with 8K video shooting. But Sony claims that the a7S Mark III shoots 4K videos in very dark light conditions.

Sony a7S Mark III: Specs and features

- Sony Alpha a7S III uses the E-mount system. The camera features a flip-out 3-inch LCD touch screen display. The camera brings a redesigned menu system with touch screen interface.

- The a7S Mark III comes with a 12.1-megapixel back-illuminated full-frame Exmor R CMOS image sensor and BIONZ XR image processing engine. The successor of Sony a7S Mark II features an ISO scale of 40-to-409,600.

- There is a fast hybrid autofocus system in the a7S Mark III with 759 point Phase detection AF sensors covering 92 per cent of the image sensor. The camera offers real-time eye AF and real-time tracking.

- For the video recording capabilities, Sony Alpha a7S III include 4K at 120p, 10 bit 4:2:2 color depth, All-Intra recording, XAVC HS format with H.265 codec and more.

- There is 5-axis optical in-body image stabilization in the new a7S Mark III for better handheld shots.

-The a7S Mark III comes with dual CF express Type A card slots.

(Agencies)

A guitar model/brand that you dream of owning?

Factory guitars aren’t my thing but I would surely love to own some high-end boutique guitars. I’m a huge fan of Padalka guitars, Skervesen Guitars, Ormsby Guitars, and many more.

If you had to build a guitar for someone for free, who would it be?

Not really sure about that but we know we will definitely NOT build guitars for people who cannot make the most out of our guitars. 

One artist that’s on top of your playlist right now?

I have stopped listening to music, for a while now. But that said, David Maxim is playing in the background as I write this. 

Best gift you’ve ever received?

Can’t really remember because I don’t like surprises... but may be a shirt? 

A message to your younger self?

Don’t panic so much. Everything is going to be fine. 

Who do you admire the most?

I admire people that are honest, simple, and polite, as well as people who make music with love.

What is your favorite song?

I don’t have a favorite song, honestly. Neither do I have favorite riffs. :P 

If you had one superpower, what would it be?

Heal everyone.

What is your least favorite type of music?

Anything that has repetitive arrangement with no interesting sections.

If you had only one day left to live, what would you do?

Drink beer

The recently released budget smart band from Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi is now in the Nepali market. Although there is no word from the authorized distributors yet, various online retailers have listed the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 for sale at an average price of Rs 5,500.

An upgrade from its predecessor—the Mi Band 4—Xiaomi’s smart bands have always dominated the market for the range of features they offer despite the low price tag. The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 has a similar design to the Xiaomi Mi Band 4, with an oblong-shaped tracker set into a colorful strap. The body is 47.2 x 18.5 x 12.4mm and either 11.9g for the standard model or 12.1g for the version with NFC. (NFC version is not available in the Nepali market yet.)

The Xiaomi Mi Band 5 has a 125mAh battery, which Xiaomi claims can last for up to 14 days. That’s notably less than the 20 days of claimed life for the Mi Band 4, but Xiaomi’s previous band really did live up to that claim. A full charge should take around two hours, and Xiaomi has changed the charging method, opting for a magnetic dock rather than a charging cradle. This means you don’t need to take the strap off the tracker to charge.

Apparently, the Mi Band 5 also has a faster chipset compared to its predecessor, along with NFC (in some models), Bluetooth 5.0, 16MB of storage, and 512KB of RAM. There’s also a barometer (to measure atmospheric pressure).

As for the fitness features, the Mi Band 5 is water-resistant up to the depth of 50 meter so you can take it to swimming or wear it even in the showers and heavy rain. It also has 11 sport-tracking modes (such as running, cycling, yoga and pool swimming), and a heart rate monitor that can keep tabs on your heart rate 24 hours a day. The Mi Band 5 also has sleep tracking, and unlike its predecessor, can track how long you spend in REM sleep (as well as your time in light and deep sleep).

Nepal is battling with the double-whammy of unchecked Covid-19 spread and incessant monsoon rains. Early morning rooftop talks have shifted from the inevitability of widespread coronavirus contagion to the number of daily lives and properties lost to floods and landslides. There is a sense of pervasive fatalism. The KP Oli government has gotten its coronavirus response wrong from the start, and there is no sign it is learning. Likewise, people feel the state has learned little from these water-borne disasters that strike every monsoon. In both the cases, there was ample time to prepare. 

Even with well over two months remaining till the end of the South Asian monsoon, the death and destruction in Nepal is already the deadliest in years. As of this writing, around 200 people were dead or missing in different parts of the country. In Sindhupalchowk district, whole settlements have been wiped out; in Dhading, the major road into Kathmandu valley, its lifeline, is damaged. Major towns in he Tarai like Birgunj and Janakpur are under water. Yet more rain is predicted. Now that the nationwide anti-corona lockdown has been near completely—and rather controversially—lifted, the hope is that the state will now train its focus on controlling water disasters. 

It will still be a herculean endeavor. Besides moving those at risk to safety, and tending to their necessities, there is little that can be immediately done to make the country more resilient to water risks. There is also an imminent risk of the spread of water-borne diseases like cholera and dysentery from pooled water and damages to normal water-supply systems. And when water levels start receding at the start of winter, the families that have lost their homes will be at the mercy of the elements. 

In these testing times, one thing that will definitely help is greater coordination among the three tiers of government in channeling flood relief, taking care of the diseased, and resettling those displaced. This kind of coordination was missing on Covid-19 control, which made the contagion worse. As local level units have given a reasonably good account of themselves during the corona crisis, the federal government should start trusting them more. There in fact is no other way. It is hence vital to develop a functional coordination mechanism in the next few days, with clear-cut responsibilities of different tiers. Many likely damages form this season of water woes can still be avoided. 

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

I want to change many things. But I would say equal rights for everyone no matter the nationality, race, religion, sexuality, gender, color, etc.

What is the most precious thing you own?

My life and wellness, which is more valuable than anything else.

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

Fly! So that I can fly around the world without a visa.

On a scale of 1-10, how good are you at keeping secrets?

Two.

Favorite junk food?

Momo

If you could be a member of a reality show, which one would it be?

‘Man Vs. Wild’ with Bear Grylls

What is your favorite type of workout?

Meditation and yoga

What are you proud of but never have an excuse to talk about?

My accomplishments and financial independence.

If you had only one day to live, what would you do?

Something adventurous. Maybe skiing in the Alps.

What job would you least want to have?

A regular, 9-5 desk job.

Can the Nepali Congress hold its 14th general convention on the scheduled 19-22 Feb 2021 dates in the middle of a pandemic? Perhaps not. And can the Grand Old Party elect a young leadership? This is even more doubtful. The young leadership referred to here is not just in terms of their age but also in terms of their ideas. As Nepali Congress gears up for the convention, vying for party president will once again be the incumbent, Sher Bahadur Deuba (73), his chief rival Ram Chandra Poudel (75), and/or an aging scion of the Koirala family. Most of the voting public has little appetite for the first two and very limited appetite for the third.

It is a common consensus, both in and outside the Nepali Congress, that the party leadership must go to a third-generation leader like Gagan Thapa or Biswa Prakash Sharma if the party is to be electorally competitive against the Nepal Communist Party. The likes of Deuba and Poudel, we are sorry to say, just don’t inspire hope. They have been repeatedly tested and found wanting. Deuba is standing for president again, despite his party’s 2017 electoral drubbing. Poudel, meanwhile, thinks he “deserves” to lead the party once. 

This, we hear, will be the last time one of the old leaders is elected, and the subsequent general conventions will be contested strictly between third-generation leaders. But can Nepali Congress afford to wait for five more years? What will be the cost to the party of conceding consecutive national elections to the communists? In the current state of constant political flux in the country, five years is a long time. 

The old leaders claim to have repeatedly ‘sacrificed’ their comforts for the cause of democracy and say they still have a lot to contribute to the country. Unfortunately, that is not how the voting public sees things. If they really cared about the democratic system they helped establish, they would know that periodic churning of political leadership is vital for its health. The best they could do right now is leave the scene for the third-generation leaders. These new-generation leaders, meanwhile, could conceivably turf out the old brigade if they could present a more united front. Yet they are as badly divided between different factions as their older colleagues. This again leaves the fate of Nepali Congress as an electoral force contingent on the performance (or lack thereof) of its communist opponents. This is no winning strategy.

PUBG Mobile this week rolled out ‘Royal Pass Season 14: Spark the Flame’. Players can now have access to newly-themed multi-form gear skins, rich level rewards, and more. The new Royale Pass Season 14 brings back the Roaring Dragon sets and Dragon-themed rewards that were launched in Royale Pass Season 5. This in celebration of the Royal Pass’ two-year anniversary.

More features in Royale Pass Season 14 include the Royal Pass Benefits Page where players can instantly view consecutive perks and preview other exclusive benefits. There’s also the Royal Pass Lobby Announcement for such announcements to appear more prominently in the lobby.

Royale Pass Season 14 can be availed through the Royal Pass Prime Subscription service for Android users. Here, players get two levels of membership: Prime and Prime Plus. There are monthly, quarterly, and yearly subscription options as well.

Other perks for the Royale Pass Prime Subscription include 300 or 900 Royal Pass vouchers awarded each month, access to Prime-exclusive Airplane Ranking display perks, and miscellaneous ongoing redemption discounts. PUBG Mobile is planning a similar collaboration with Apple for its iOS users.

Royale Pass Season 14 is part of the PUBG Mobile 0.19.0 update rolled out last week. This update arrived with the new and exclusive Livik map. It’s the smallest map in PUBG Mobile so far spanning 2 km x 2 km, and with matches lasting for 15 minutes. It can accommodate up to 52 players at once in a single match. The Nordic-style map has rich visuals with waterfalls, fields and more.

(Agencies)