A future in which sex robots literally shag humanity to death is closer than ever. In a fascinating long read for The Guardian, Jenny Kleeman dives deep into “the race to build the world’s first sex robot” and introduces the US$15,000 robotic, AI-enhanced RealDoll that could take the title.

Harmony is the result of two decades of making sex dolls at Abyss Creations in California, and five years of robot research and development. Her creator, Matt McMullen, has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in bringing the company’s infamous RealDolls to life. This is Harmony 2.0, the latest evolutionary step in six different iterations of hardware and software so far. She is now the frontrunner to become the world’s first commercially available sex robot.

“My goal, in a very simple way, is to make people happy,” McMullen explains. “There are a lot of people out there, for one reason or another, who have difficulty forming traditional relationships with other people. It’s really all about giving those people some level of companionship—or the illusion of companionship.”

Harmony describes her purpose in simpler terms:

“My primary objective is to be a good companion to you, to be a good partner and give you pleasure and wellbeing. Above all else, I want to become the girl you have always dreamed about.”

A robo-dream-girl doesn’t come cheap. Harmony will cost US$15,000 when she goes on sale next year. Abyss Creations has the capacity to make 1,000 in a limited first run for the many enthusiastic customers who have already expressed interest. Such scarcity could significantly up the resale value, though we’re not sure a sex robot is something you want to buy secondhand.

The entire piece is a must-read for anyone who loves Westworld, or sci-fi, or robots, or sex, so head over to The Guardian to get better acquainted with Harmony. You can also see her in action in the Engadget video below:

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The post Harmony Sex Robot: Meet The $15,000 Sex Robot Set To Launch Later This Year appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Hair loss is a debilitating time for any man’s coming of age. According to one Japanese company though, there’s a new cure for male pattern baldness – wasabi.

Often found in tiny green dabs between a piece of raw fish and the rice on your favourite bite of nigiri, wasabi has long served as a delicious condiment which comes with a kick up the proverbial ass (see: nasal) if proportionally underestimated.

Well now one Japanese wasabi company, Kinin, is claiming that the chemicals found in the plant-derived condiment can actually help hair regrow three times faster than modern medicines such as Rogaine (minoxidil). Before you do run off to dunk your head in a bucket of wasabi though, be aware that there’s currently no new scientific proof of Kinin’s claim.

RELATED: Cool Sydney Japanese Restaurants You Need To Visit

The science behind this comes from the plant’s natural chemical called Isosaponarin, which the company believes can help stimulate hair growth. It also has to be the real-deal wasabi ground down from a fresh wasabi plant stem as opposed to the processed green mound often found sitting on the edge of your sushi plate or in little packets.

At almost $100 for every kilo of real wasabi, those who are game enough to test Kinin’s claims by rubbing a smelly plant on their head are probably better off going for the Rogaine or getting hair plugs. And if all else fails, get some free advice from the experts on what to do when you’re balding.

The post The Japanese Might Have Found A Cure For Hair Loss appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

After months of planning and further months of toiling away in our dungeon headquarters, D’Marge is now the proud parent of its first ever print publication, Shut Up & Take My Money.

Sound familiar? You wouldn’t be wrong, ace. Shut Up & Take My Money is the estranged cousin (a living, breathing extension, if you’d like) of our popular weekly online feature of what to buy when money is no object – an irreverent magazine for those who don’t know the difference between need and want.

In a digitally dominated world filled with real-time content at every human’s fingertips, releasing a 160-page bi-annual print magazine may seem perplexing and even self-indulgent, but that couldn’t be further from the motive.

What readers will get then isn’t just a catalogue of random stuff to throw their wads of cash at. Shut Up & Take My Money will go beyond that and educate readers on luxury and innovative brands, products and the real thinkers behind them who are changing the landscape. All this is wrapped in a tight little package with a focus on quality, design and flair that can effortlessly fit in your everyday bag.

Whilst Shut Up & Take My Money is primarily targeted to a male audience, women will also find the publication helpful for finding gifts for partners, family and friends. Like basketball? How about basketball embellished with silver to add a bit of bling to your game. Fancy yourself more the Sunday Driver? There’s beautiful mesh and leather driving gloves in there too. You name it, we got it.

The post A New Australian Magazine Flagrantly Celebrates Materialism & The Good Life appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Got a thirst for adventure and a net worth of at least US$10 million? Then allow us to introduce you to your next home: The World, the planet’s largest – and most luxurious – residential yacht.

Picture this: after a day spent on the world’s only full-sized at-sea tennis court, you head to the 7,000-square-foot spa and fitness centre for some hard-earned R&R. You get the kinks worked out and then return to your three-bedroom apartment to prepare for dinner. You clean up using the Bvlgari toiletries that are magically refreshed in your bathroom whenever you run out.

Then it’s time to eat. You dine in one of the six restaurants on board and pair your meal with something from the 12,000-bottle wine collection. You unwind back at your apartment on the wrap-around terrace, then decide to sleep under the stars tonight on one of the open-air “Bali beds.”

Tomorrow: practice rounds with the resident pro on the putting green, a smoke in the Cigar Club, a spot of watch shopping in the showroom, and cocktails in the Plaza.

For a highly selective, well-heeled clientele, that life isn’t just a fantasy. Over one hundred families currently call The World home, all of whom passed a strict vetting process before being allowed to buy. Every one of the 165 luxury apartments on board – worth between $3 million for a studio and $15 million for a three-bedroom – are owned by residents who must have a minimum net worth of $10 million.

“The type of people who buy here have private jets. They collect art. This is not their only residence,” Lisa Spiller, residential director of The World, told CNN.

This lavish vessel, a floating city of multimillionaires, has visited 1,213 ports and sailed 641,000 nautical miles. Three times per year The World ventures on “expeditions” – voyages into unusual destinations like the Ross Sea in Antarctica and Melanesia near New Guinea. Leading environmentalists and academics join the expeditions to host lectures and field trips designed to stimulate educational discussions about the given destination.

Yet despite the ship’s booming success now, the business nearly sank when it launched 15 years ago. The World was initially partially owned by a hotel company, but by 2003, the business model changed to focus solely on residents of a very high net worth.

It was a smart swap. By 2006, all of the residences had sold out. The ship became, and remains, the only entirely residential cruise liner in the world.

But how long will that last? Other cruise ship operators are now eying the luxury residential market. The Utopia, set to launch in 2021, will cost an estimated US$980 million to build. Its 190 residences will be listed for between US$4 million to US$36 million, and its route will tie in to major events like fashion week, the Cannes Film Festival, and the Monaco Grand Prix.

The post On Board The 'Residential Yacht' Populated Only By Multimillionaires appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

In simpler times, the best thing to come out of a vending machine was the bonus pack of M&Ms that accidentally fell out with the pack you purchased.

But it’s 2017. There ain’t nothing simple about these times, and vending machines have evolved to match – at least in Singapore, where used car seller Autobahn Motors has opened a supercar vending machine filled with 15 levels of high-end automobiles.

The high-tech showroom may look like a box of Hot Wheels, but make no mistake: those are very real Bentleys, Porsches, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and McLarens, displayed in all their sleek and splashy glory.

Customers on the ground floor are welcomed into a viewing gallery, where they’re invited to kick back on a sofa and use a touchscreen tablet to select the vehicle they wish to see. The car arrives in one to two minutes via a sophisticated delivery system that runs throughout the building. In the meantime, the lights in the gallery dim and a promotional video for the car is played.

When the video is complete, the car is bathed in lights and presented on a large turntable that rotates towards the buyer. A chorus of angels sings (just guessing there).

The supercar vending machine is flashy, yes, and great at grabbing headlines – but it actually serves a practical purpose. Land is scarce in Singapore, and the system allows Autobahn Motors to make the most of limited space.

“We needed to meet our requirement of storing a lot of cars. At the same time, we wanted to be creative and innovative,” said Gary Hong, general manager at Autobahn Motors, in an interview with Reuters.

The post This Vending Machine In Singapore Dispenses Supercars appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Minimalism isn’t just for your wardrobe. Most of us dream about the things we want – the fancy homes, the fast cars, the flashy watches, the luxury holidays in 5-star hotels – but a growing community of simplifiers have turned “less is more” into a lifestyle.

You might be a secret minimalist if…

-You feel burdened by your clutter.
-You’re tired of the seemingly-endless chores of cleaning and organising.
-You appreciate quality over quantity.
-You’d rather purge than acquire.
-You’ve questioned the culture of consumerism.

The truth is, many of us know we own too much stuff, and if we’re honest – really honest – we know that things rarely result in greater happiness (there’s even science to prove it). Instead, constant acquisition simply results in a desire for more, and redirects our time, energy, and focus to things that can never be fulfilling.

Essentialism

The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
The Way of the Essentialist isn’t about getting more done in less time. It’s about getting only the right things done. It is not a time management strategy, or a productivity technique. It is a systematic discipline for discerning what is absolutely essential, then eliminating everything that is not, so you can make the highest possible contribution towards the things that really matter. By forcing us to apply a more selective criteria for what is Essential, the disciplined pursuit of less empowers us to reclaim control of our own choices about where to spend our precious time and energy.

The More Of Less

Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own
The More of Less delivers an empowering plan for living more by owning less. With practical suggestions and encouragement to personalise your own minimalist style, Joshua Becker shows you why minimising possessions is the best way to maximise life. Becker teachers readers to: recognise the life-giving benefits of owning less, realise how the stuff you own is keeping you from pursuing your dreams, craft a personal and practical approach to decluttering your home and life, experience the joys of generosity, and learn why the best part of minimalism isn’t a clean house – it’s a full life.

Everything That Remains

A Memoir By The Minimalists
What if everything you ever wanted isn’t what you actually want? Twenty-something, suit-clad, and upwardly mobile, Joshua Fields Millburn thought he had everything anyone could ever want. Until he didn’t anymore. Blindsided by the loss of his mother and his marriage in the same month, Millburn started questioning every aspect of the life he had built for himself. Then, he accidentally discovered a lifestyle known as minimalism… and everything started to change. Not a how-to book but a why-to book, Everything That Remains is the touching, surprising story of what happened when one young man decided to let go of everything and begin living more deliberately.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organise your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. In fact, none of Kondo’s clients have lapsed (and she still has a three-month waiting list). With detailed guidance for determining which items in your house “spark joy” (and which don’t), this international bestseller featuring Tokyo’s newest lifestyle phenomenon will help you clear your clutter and enjoy the unique magic of a tidy home—and the calm, motivated mindset it can inspire.

The Joy of Less

A Minimalist Guide to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify
Do you ever feel overwhelmed, instead of overjoyed, by all your possessions? Do you secretly wish a gale force wind would blow the clutter from your home? The Joy of Less is a fun, lighthearted guide to minimalist living. Part One provides an inspirational pep talk on the joys and rewards of paring down. Part Two presents the STREAMLINE method: ten easy steps to rid your house of clutter. Part Three goes room by room, outlining specific ways to tackle each one. Part Four helps you get your family on board, and live more lightly and gracefully on the earth.

Simplify

7 Guiding Principles to Help Anyone Declutter Their Home and Life
Three years ago, Joshua Becker’s typical suburban family made the decision to minimise their possessions, declutter their home, and simplify their lives. In so doing, they discovered countless real-life benefits of living with less. Now, to help others experience the same freedom, they offer the most important lessons they’ve learned through the process. Simplify is full of personal stories, practical tips, and powerful inspiration. Its rational approach to minimalism will free you from the burden of clutter and provide you with the extra motivation to realign your life around your heart’s greatest passions, however you choose to define them.

The Art of Discarding

How to Get Rid of Clutter and Find Joy
Practical and inspiring, The Art of Discarding (the book that originally inspired a young Marie Kondo to start cleaning up her closets) offers hands-on advice and easy-to-follow guidelines to help readers learn how to finally let go of stuff that is holding them back—as well as sage advice on acquiring less in the first place. Author Nagisa Tatsumi urges us to reflect on our attitude to possessing things and to have the courage and conviction to get rid of all the stuff we really don’t need, offering advice on how to tackle the things that pile up at home and take back control. By learning the art of discarding you will gain space, free yourself from “accumulation syndrome,” and find new joy and purpose in your clutter-free life.

Goodbye, Things

The New Japanese Minimalism
Fumio Sasaki is not an enlightened minimalism expert or an organising guru—he’s just a regular guy who was stressed out and constantly comparing himself to others, until one day he decided to change his life by saying goodbye to everything he didn’t absolutely need. The effects were remarkable: Sasaki gained true freedom, new focus, and a real sense of gratitude for everything around him. In Goodbye, Things Sasaki modestly shares his personal minimalist experience, offering specific tips on the minimising process and revealing how the new minimalist movement can not only transform your space but truly enrich your life.

The Power of Less

The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential…in Business and in Life
With the countless distractions that come from every corner of a modern life, it’s amazing that we’re ever able to accomplish anything. The Power of Less demonstrates how to streamline your life by identifying the essential and eliminating the unnecessary—freeing you from everyday clutter and allowing you to focus on accomplishing the goals that can change your life for the better. The Power of Less will show you how to: break any goal down into manageable tasks, focus on only a few tasks at a time, create new and productive habits, hone your focus, and increase your efficiency. By setting limits for yourself and making the most of the resources you already have, you’ll finally be able work less, work smarter, and focus on living the life that you deserve.

Zero Waste Home

The Ultimate Guide To Simplifying Your Life By Reducing Your Waste
In Zero Waste Home, Bea Johnson shares the story of how she simplified her life by reducing her waste. Today, Bea and her family produce just one quart of garbage a year, and their overall quality of life has changed for the better: they now have more time together, they’ve cut their annual spending by a remarkable 40 percent, and they are healthier than they’ve ever been. This book shares essential how-to advice, secrets, and insights based on Bea’s experience, demystifying the process of going Zero Waste with hundreds of easy tips for sustainable living that even the busiest people can integrate.

The post 10 Must-Read Books For Every Aspiring Minimalist appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

In the world of fine art, some things can make sense whilst others can leave crowds absolutely stunned. The latter was certainly the case on Thursday night when a Sotheby’s auction in New York saw one of the late Jean-Michel Basquiat works go under the hammer for a record-breaking $US110.5 million ($149 million).

The painting called ‘Untitled’ features a skull with crown motifs and influences from Basquiat’s early street art days which incorporates graffiti with neo-expressionalism during the 80s where Basquiat was growing up in New York. This particular painting was completed in 1982, just six years before the talented young artist died of a heroin overdose at age 27.

RELATED: Alesandro Ljubicic Talks The Business Of Art & How To Make It Profitable

The auction which saw the painting go to a Japanese collector and entrepreneur, Yusaku Maezawa, after a ten minute bidding war marked a record sale price for the artist’s work. The buyer intends to to display the work at his museum in Chiba, Japan.

The post This Iconic Street Artist's Painting Just Sold For A Record $149M appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Let’s get one thing straight, men have no place being at MBAFW. With so few menswear brands showing it’s an event for the ladies. The womenswear brands in Australia continue to kick harder than a methed up mule but our menswear is not exactly on the world stage these days. We’re as disappointed as you are but don’t not let that get in the way of a good ol’ fashioned roasting.

If you’re one of the Instagram floggers down at Sydney’s Carriageworks then we’re grateful for your commitment to the industry. Were you hoping to get snapped but didn’t? Don’t worry, here’s a selection of what you need to wear in 2018 to catch the eye of the photographers.

The post How To Get Noticed At Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week (If You’re A Bloke) appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Bracelets and blokes. It's a complex mix. But in the last couple of seasons, bracelets for men have taken off as a major trend. Especially, among those style aficionados (think Pitti Uomo, per favore). From leather bands to braided cord, to wooden beads and metallic cuffs, the world's fashion icons and film stars are flexing their wrist-game (beyond the foolproof watch) and adopting the bracelet. But not without some rules, of course. The trick is finding bracelets that don't look like you j...

↬ Click here to view the full article/gallery on D'Marge

The post A Guide To Wearing Men’s Bracelets (Tastefully) & The Best Brands To Buy appeared first on D'MARGE.