First Look: The Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ is Kensington’s most advanced trackball yet, built for speed, comfort, and serious productivity

windowscentral.com Jul 21, 2026

First Look: The Expert Mouse Pro TB900 EQ is Kensington’s most advanced trackball yet, built for speed, comfort, and serious productivity

Curated by Shubham · TechCapsules · Jul 21, 2026

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Daniel Rubino, Editor‑in‑Chief of Windows Central, has overseen the site since 2007, guiding its evolution from WMExperts to Windows Phone Central. He assumed the editor role in 2010, became executive editor in 2020, and returned to editor‑in‑Chief in 2022. Rubino manages staff, directs content, and hosts podcasts and YouTube reviews. Prior to tech journalism, he worked as a polysomnographer, movie‑theater projectionist, EMT, and pursued a Ph.D. in linguistics studied at Sienna College, the University of Connecticut, Boston University, Graduate Center.

💡 Why It Matters

· Rubino’s diverse background bridges tech and science, offering readers nuanced insights into emerging computing trends.

Capsules Entrepreneurs

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Elon Musk sends first warning to SpaceX short sellers

Elon Musk issued a stark warning to firms holding significant short positions in SpaceX, stating their long-term survival probability is “very low.” The message appeared on X five weeks after SpaceX’s historic initial public offering, during which the stock traded under ticker $SPCX. Despite the shares falling roughly 30% from their peak above $2.6 trillion, allowing short sellers to gain approximately $8.7 billion, Musk remains confident in the company’s trajectory. His statement aligns with bullish analysis suggesting Starship’s cost reductions could fuel a multi-trillion-dollar space economy. Projects like orbital solar power and asteroid mining are projected to generate over $100 trillion in market capitalization. Musk views SpaceX as essential infrastructure, similar to AWS. This marks his first direct challenge to SpaceX bears, echoing previous warnings against Tesla short sellers. He has consistently framed betting against his companies as misjudging exponential technological progress, implying that current volatility is temporary compared to the long-term value of multi-planetary ambitions.

💡 Musk’s public confrontation shifts the narrative from short-term price action to a high-stakes ideological battle over the valuation of space infrastructure. By framing short sellers as existential risks rather than market participants, he attempts to deter bearish sentiment through psychological pressure rather than financial metrics alone.

arcamax.com · Jul 21

The $400,000 chief of staff is the CEO’s secret weapon in the…

Corporate demand for chief of staff roles has surged as executives navigate the complexities of the artificial intelligence era. Job postings for this position more than doubled last year, with salaries reaching up to $400,000. The number of professionals holding this title in North America has tripled since 2021, particularly within technology and financial services sectors. Originally rooted in military and political structures, the role now serves as a critical strategic partner for CEOs. Experts describe the chief of staff as a confidante who provides breathing space, amplifies vision, and challenges boardroom groupthink. Success requires deep personal chemistry and 24/7 availability, often resulting in short tenures averaging just 2.3 years. While median compensation typically ranges between $250,000 and $300,000, the position demands significant personal sacrifice. The role expands beyond administrative duties to include high-level strategic projects, helping leaders manage increased operational pressure and uncertainty in a rapidly evolving business landscape.

💡 The shift toward hiring high-priced chiefs of staff reveals that human judgment and trusted counsel are becoming premium assets in an era dominated by algorithmic decision-making. Companies are effectively outsourcing executive bandwidth to preserve strategic clarity amidst technological disruption.

windowscentral.com · Jul 21

Cliff Bleszinski, the lead designer of Xbox 360’s original Gears of War…

Cliff Bleszinski, the former lead designer of the original Gears of War trilogy, announced his intention to return to full-time video game development after an eight-year hiatus. Bleszinski left the industry in 2018 following the closure of his studio, Boss Key Productions, which failed due to commercial underperformance. In a recent interview with 80.LV, he detailed his recovery from severe alcoholism, which included a hospitalization in March. Now sober for four months, he has rediscovered his passion for creating immersive worlds and characters. Currently working part-time as a consultant on the asymmetric horror game Soul Walker, Bleszinski aims to transition to full-time work. He explicitly ruled out returning to player-versus-player multiplayer, citing a preference for player-versus-environment experiences like Horde mode. He emphasized his desire to create lasting cultural impact through memorable characters and worlds, though he declined to share specific details about his next project beyond confirming it will not be a competitive PvP title.

💡 Bleszinski’s pivot to PvE design signals a strategic shift away from the saturated competitive multiplayer market. His return validates the enduring demand for cooperative, narrative-driven experiences that prioritize shared fun over ranked competition.

kathmandupost.com · Jul 21

These seven Nepali startups are building technology that tackles real-world problems

Seven Nepali startups developed digital platforms addressing societal challenges in healthcare, education, tourism, agriculture, accessibility, and finance during the ‘Code for Impact’ hackathon. Organized by the US Embassy in Nepal and Adhyanta Advisory, the event attracted 190 companies pitching technological interventions for systemic hurdles. The initiative aimed to connect digital infrastructure with everyday human challenges. Following rigorous evaluations, Aashirbad Care, NepAI, Data Hiti, and Synaptic emerged as national winners, receiving cash prizes to scale their operations. This success highlights the resilience of local talent amidst policy ambiguities, venture capital shortages, and brain drain in Nepal’s IT sector. US Embassy public affairs chief Mike Harker praised the participants’ ingenuity, emphasizing that strategic partnerships between Nepali youth and American technological concepts could drive economic development. He compared entrepreneurship to climbing Mount Everest, noting that success requires preparation and collaboration rather than solitary efforts.

💡 The hackathon demonstrates that local innovation can thrive despite systemic barriers like capital scarcity and talent migration. By focusing on practical, community-specific solutions, these startups prove that technology can directly address Nepal's unique socio-economic realities rather than relying on imported models.

forbes.com · Jul 20

The Enterprise AI Reckoning: The Next Phase Of The AI Economy

Palantir chief executive Alex Karp used a recent CNBC interview to launch a pointed attack on the prevailing enterprise‑AI business model. He argued that corporations are paying for “tokens that create no value” while handing over proprietary data to AI platform providers. Karp warned that the “platform conflict” – where firms such as OpenAI, Microsoft and Google both supply foundational models via APIs and develop competing applications – forces enterprises into a strategic dilemma. He likened the situation to earlier cycles in which tech giants turned from infrastructure providers into direct competitors. The critique underscores growing unease that a single vendor could simultaneously serve as data pipeline, intelligence engine and market rival, raising questions about control, innovation pathways and long‑term vendor dependence.

💡 Enterprises may soon face a forced choice between leveraging powerful AI services and protecting their own competitive edge from the very platforms that enable those services.

forbes.com · Jul 20

AI Startups Are Pivoting From Flashy Demos To Tech That Pays The…

AI startups are shifting focus from viral demonstrations to revenue-generating technologies as early growth metrics fail to sustain business models. Keith Peiris, CEO of Tome, exemplifies this trend. Despite reaching 25 million users and raising $80 million, Tome’s revenue plateaued at $3 million because users, primarily students, refused to pay for its presentation tools. Recognizing the product’s lack of professional context, Peiris pivoted the company. He sought advice from Stewart Butterfield, who founded Slack and Flickr after previous failures. Butterfield advised starting fresh with a small, agile team focused on immediate customer traction. This strategic retreat aims to secure survival in a competitive market where user acquisition no longer guarantees financial viability. Founders are now prioritizing sustainable revenue streams over rapid user growth, acknowledging that immature technology theses require complete restructuring. The shift reflects a broader industry correction, moving away from hype-driven development toward practical, bill-paying solutions that address specific professional needs and ensure long-term operational stability for emerging AI ventures.

💡 The pivot from user acquisition to revenue generation signals a critical maturation phase for the AI sector, forcing founders to validate business models over viral metrics. This shift challenges the prevailing venture capital assumption that scale alone ensures survival, demanding immediate proof of commercial viability.