Monday morning is rapidly approaching, and when the fateful hour of your alarm arrives, you’ll be tempted to hit snooze.

Our relationship with sleep is complicated. As children we fight to avoid it. As adults there’s nothing we want more. A third of our lives are spent in bed, yet we don’t even feel the hours passing by. We wake up feeling groggy but know little about how we got there.

Your smartphone is normally the enemy of a restful snooze, but a crop of apps are out to help adults improve their nighttime habits, slumber better, and wake up feeling more refreshed. Here are nine of our favourite sleep apps.

Sleep Cycle

Sleep Cycle is a smart alarm that aims to make mornings as peaceful as possible. The app uses sound analysis or your phone’s accelerometer to identify your sleep states by tracking your movements in bed. During the ‘wake up phase’ (30 minutes before your desired alarm time by default), Sleep Cycle will wake you when you are in the lightest possible sleep state to mimic the feeling of waking naturally without an alarm clock.

Sleep Genius

Developed from research to help astronauts fall asleep, Sleep Genius calls itself “the world’s most scientifically advanced sleep app.” In the morning, the app awakens you with a five-minute progressive alarm of periodic sound cycles that help you wake gradually. At night, the Sleep Genius Relaxation Program’s acoustically modified music helps reduce stress and anxiety so you fall asleep easier. And if you need a pick-me-up during the day, try the app’s Power Nap feature.

Pzizz

Pzizz encourages sleep using the science of psychoacoustics. The app’s patented algorithm plays a sleep-optimised mix of music, voiceover, and sound effects to quickly quiet your mind, put you to sleep, keep you asleep, then wake you up feeling refreshed. Many of the app’s features are customisable, and over time, Pzizz learns what kinds of sounds you like and dislike and evolves to give you the best sleep experience possible.

Relax and Sleep Well

Relax and Sleep Well is a hypnosis and meditation app from British hypnotherapist Glenn Harrold. A free 27-minute session guides you on a relaxing journey into the deepest levels of self-hypnosis, while subtle background soundscapes promote even deeper feelings of mental and physical relaxation. Dozens more hypnotherapy recordings that cover insomnia, stress, anxiety, mindfulness, weight loss, confidence, self-esteem, and more are available as in-app purchases.

Sleep Time

More than two billion hours of sleep have been recorded with Sleep Time to date. Like Sleep Cycle, Sleep Time gathers intel on your sleep patterns by tracking your level of movement during the night and learns to wake you up at the perfect moment of your lightest sleep phase. The app generates comprehensive reports of the data it gathers so you can find patterns between your sleep and other variables in your life. Sleep Time also offers soothing Soundscapes to help you drift quickly to dreamland.

MotionX-24/7

Seven years of research and development in the biomechanics of natural human motion and sleep optimisation are behind MotionX-24/7. The always-on activity tracker helps improve your snooze by measuring and correlating resting heart rate with sleep quality, including advanced sleep cycle monitoring with smart alarms and power naps. On the flip side of things, the app also tracks daily steps and calories burned, and provides ‘Get Active’ alerts to let you know when you’ve been idle for too long.

SleepBot

The idea for SleepBot was born when two of its founders had a conversation at 5am about how great it would be if they knew how much sleep they weren’t getting. After unsuccessfully searching for an easy way to track their slumber, they created SleepBot Tracker Log, a simple app anyone could use to log their hours, view stats, set alarms, and create auto-settings to get the most out of your sleep.

Awoken

Awoken is a free lucid dreaming tool for Android that aims to connect you to your mind and dreams on a whole new level. The core features are split into three segments that help you integrate the art of lucid dreaming into your daily and nightly life: Reality Checks, a Dream Journal, and a Totem Sound (it’s all very Inception). Other features include information on lucid dreaming, oneironaut achievements, and the ability to temporarily pause your training.

Sleep Better

Does your daily workout or evening glass of wine impact your sleep? Runtastic’s Sleep Better app has the answer. Sleep Better lets you track your sleep, monitor your dreams with a journal, wake up at the optimal hour, and improve your bedtime habits. The app’s most advanced features help you understand how your daytime activities (such as caffeine and alcohol consumption, workout habits, and stress levels) and even the moon phases influence your sleep efficiency.

The post Smart Sleep Apps To Help You Score A Better Night's Rest appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The lights of Times Square and Las Vegas Boulevard are famously spectacular, but for a brief period each year, they’re dwarfed by the staggering illuminations of Nabana No Sato.

Every winter, towns around Japan are transformed by extravagant light displays featuring millions of colourful bulbs. The festivals add much-needed brightness to the cooler months, and keep the festive spirit of the holidays going long after the celebrations have passed.

One of the biggest and brightest is held at Nabana No Sato, a flower park found in the Nagashima Resort in Mie Prefecture. It takes four months, thousands of workers, and more than eight million bulbs to turn the park into a winter wonderland straight out of a raver’s fairytale.

“Nabana no Sato has huge flower gardens but there aren’t many flowers that bloom in winter,” Nagashima Resort spokesperson Yasuyo Otani told CNN last year. “So we came up with the idea to have a light show that has the same potential as the flowers.”

The festival gets a new theme each year to keep tourists coming back. This year is “the beauty of mother nature.” Otani says it’s the biggest show yet.

The main area is a massive 30 metres high and 155 metres wide, and sprawls out over an area of 26,400 square metres. Here visitors gape at five mammoth landscapes from five countries around the world, including Plitvice Lakes National Park in Croatia and Monument Valley in the United States.

Nabana No Sato’s other highlight is the tunnel of lights, a world-famous (and Instagram-famous) illuminated tunnel that stretches over 100 metres and is made of more than a million bulbs. This year’s tunnel pays tribute to autumn foliage with shades of green, red, and orange.

“We try to show the beauty of autumn ‘momiji’ leaves,” said Otani. “It shows traditional Japanese beauty and it’s hard to find anyone who dislikes momiji in Japan.”

The post Nabana No Sato: Inside Japan's Most Mind-Blowing Light Show appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Shaky willpower is a stumbling block for countless dieters and wannabe ex-smokers, but help may come in the form of blocks of a different kind. According to a study published in the journal Appetite, just three minutes of playing Tetris can reduce cravings for food, cigarettes, and alcohol.

Researchers claim the beloved retro game and its colourful shapes could provide a “quick and manageable” fix for people struggling to stick to their healthy habits.

“Episodes of craving normally only last a few minutes, during which time an individual is visualising what they want and the reward it will bring,” said Professor Jackie Andrade, one-third of the team that conducted the research at Plymouth University’s Cognition Institute.

“Often those feelings result in the person giving in and consuming the very thing they are trying to resist. But by playing Tetris, just in short bursts, you are preventing your brain creating those enticing images and without them the craving fades.”

The study’s 119 participants first noted what and when they were craving, then rated their cravings on strength, vividness, and intrusiveness. Following the assessment, one group played Tetris while the control group sat in front of an empty screen.

Three minutes later, each group was asked to rate their cravings again. Participants who played Tetris experienced 24% weaker cravings than those who did not. Their cravings were less vivid, less frequent, and less intense.

A principle called the Elaborated Intrusion Theory is at work in this experiment. According to the theory, “tasks that compete for limited working memory resources with food-related imagery can reduce desires to eat that food, and that positive imagery can promote functional behavior.”

In other words, your visual brain can only handle so many tasks at one time, so if you distract it with something engaging, there’s no brainpower left over for your cravings. The mind’s capacity is limited, and in this case, that’s a good thing.

“Feeling in control is an important part of staying motivated, and playing Tetris can potentially help the individual to stay in control when cravings strike,” Professor Andrade added. “It is something a person can quickly access for the most part whether they are at work or at home, and replaces the feeling of stress caused by the craving itself.”

The post Science Found A Very '80s Trick For Reducing Unhealthy Cravings appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Common sense stipulates that no man should ever push the limits of his machine beyond its physical capabilities. But what if the limitations of a road car could be shifted and pushed beyond its original purpose?

This is the story of Magneti Marelli, a cutting-edge Italian engineering house which is transforming road-going civilian cars into part-time race machines for those who demand the occasional spirited drive without compromise.

The Magneti Marelli name is a coveted one which stems all the way back to 1919, where it served as an electrical manufacturing company founded by Fiat and Ercole Marelli.

With almost a hundred years of technological expertise under its belt, Magneti Marelli has seen some of the most gruelling and competitive motorsport environments to develop their technology on.

Formula One, MotoGP and the World Rally Championships are just some of the glamorous racing circles you’ll see the Magneti Marelli name floating around but their mission is rooted much deeper than this.

Magneti Marelli has always been about developing a vast array of technology for racing to drive the advancement of the automotive industry.

A fine example of this in recent times is the Alfa Romeo Giulia QV, a four-door sedan which has claimed the title as the world’s fastest sedan on the legendary Nurburgring circuit. And yes, it comes with luxury trimmings.

Where Race Meets Road

Step inside Alfa Romeo’s most anticipated car of the past decade and you’ll notice all of the premium hallmarks of a compact luxury sports sedan primed for taking on the Germans.

Look further beneath that skin though and you’ll find Magneti Marelli’s Formula One derived technology hard at work, ensuring the driver receives all of the right feedback from the tarmac when they need it most – at speed.

One of Magneti Marelli’s finest contributions to the Alfa Romeo Giulia is the CDC (Chassis Domain Control) system, an electronic brain which optimises handling and performance across varying degrees of driving conditions whilst the car is in motion.

Given that the average daily driver isn’t hitting the race track for a living, the CDC system sets up the car’s character in real time via data obtained from sensors measuring vertical, lateral and longitudinal accelerations and rotation.

Once the CDC brain has analysed all of the critical situations it then sends commands to specific areas of the vehicle’s network to get the car to behave in a certain way. This means the predetermined distribution of power to each individual wheel via the torque vectoring system (the thing that helps you rocket through a corner like a God without losing control) and the control of the car’s active aerodynamics which adjusts the rate of downforce to develop grip.

CDC doesn’t call it a day just there yet. Magneti Marelli’s technical boffins also hooked up the system to the vehicle’s active damping control in order to refine ride quality depending on the driving circumstances. Need harder suspension with a more responsive and sharper steering feel? CDC can do that. Need a softer ride for the daily commute in comfort? CDC also looks after that.

All of this plays into a complete package which sees the CDC continually moulding the Giulia’s chassis from a cruisy luxury sedan into a red beast straight out of hell whenever it’s called upon.

Where Vision Counts

Driving fast can only take you so far without a clear vision of the road ahead. That’s why Magneti Marelli didn’t stop at just tinkering with the Giulia’s suspension, exhaust and engine response to deliver the perfect Italian ride.

Alfa Romeo teamed up with the company to produce both the front and rear headlamps which exude the bold character expected of such a calibre of car whilst retaining the cutting-edge tech to ensure the car’s safety at dusk.

Equipped in the Giulia is the latest Xenon technology featuring AFS (Adaptive Frontlight System) and a 35W lighting module. In layman terms this lighting solution yields a 200% increase in luminosity when compared to standard halogen headlamps.

The ideals of perfect vision also extend into the Alfa’s interior with Magneti Marelli using their expertise in Formula One steering wheel displays to create one of their most intuitive and seamlessly integrated infotainment systems to ever grace a road car.

Extending the Giulia’s tech credentials is Magneti Marelli’s 8.8 “black panel” TFT display which employs innovative “optical bonding” technologies to achieve the optimum display readability in all forms of lighting.

This system runs on the latest Genivi open source technology in order to satisfy the most demanding automotive performance and robustness criteria, essentially turning the Giulia into a connected car with a plethora of useful functions.

One notable feature is the navigation program which utilises high-resolution maps with 3D elements and Dead Reckoning technology to map out routes in areas which are not covered by a GPS signal.

The post Uncovering The Secrets Between Race & Road Car With Alfa Romeo appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

A new prancing horse has been announced ahead of the upcoming Geneva Motor Show and it’s an absolute weapon.

As the replacement model for the outgoing F12 Berlinetta, the aptly named 812 Superfast will come with the Maranello camp’s most powerful V12 engine ever made. It’s already touted as the fastest Ferrari to ever come out of the marque and the spec sheet certainly suggests this, however purists who prefer their engine behind their head might be disappointed.

The new 812 Superfast follows the powertrain layout of both the F12 Berlinetta and f12tdf, opting for a front-engined, rear-wheel drive setup. This move can be attributed to the taste of today’s Ferrari owners who demand an uncompromising sports car primed for both the road and track without diminishing the necessities of comfort and versatility in daily driving.

The new car is crammed with the latest evolution of Ferrari’s 6.5-litre V12 engine to develop 588kW (789hp) and 718Nm of torque. For those playing at home that’s a commendable effort of an additional 43kW and 28Nm over the F12. The 0-100km/h sprint also gets a slight reset, now joining the sub-three-second club at 2.9 seconds.

As the car is about drivability as well as performance, Ferrari have made available the mountains of torque from 3,500rpm – all 80% of the 718Nm. Other notable areas of the car includes the first ever Ferrari inclusion of a sport EPS (Electric Power Steering) mode which is slated to work in unison with the car’s electronic vehicle dynamics system. In other words, more thrills in the twisty bits.

Stepping inside the car will reveal a radically updated interior with a floating design approach which gives full attention to components a driver needs to see without the stuff that distracts them. And because of the drivetrain layout, there’s also a very practical boot.

The 812 Superfast will be launched in a brand new hue of red called Rosso Settanta to mark the company’s 70th anniversary.

The post Ferrari 812 Superfast Is The Prancing Horse's Most Powerful Car appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

A man can only stomach so many episodes of Big Bang Theory before he snaps. Fortunately for passengers travelling in Australia, Qantas has announced a new launch on domestic flights that makes limited in-flight entertainment options a thing of the past.

The airline has partnered with Netflix, Spotify, and Foxtel to bring streaming content to the flying masses. Though all three are normally paid subscription services, passengers will be able to sign up for free trial subscriptions while onboard to enjoy movies, television shows, and more than 30 million songs.

The suite of entertainment options is made possible by Qantas’ new wi-fi, which the airline promises is “up to 10 times faster than conventional inflight wi-fi” so video and audio streaming will function smoothly.

“We know that email, online shopping and general web browsing will be popular uses when we switch on Wi-Fi,” Olivia Worth, Qantas group executive of marketing, said. “But what a lot of people relish about flying is being able to catch up on their favourite TV shows or watch movies they didn’t get to see at the cinema.”

Foxtel will offer three days free access to its app each time a customer flies, with no sign-up to a subscription required. Netflix will offer new customers access to the entire Netflix service as part of a 30-day free trial, while existing Netflix members only need to log in to continue watching at no extra charge. Spotify will offer a 30-day free trial of its Premium music service, which has shuffle play, unlimited skips, and no advertisements.

The post This Airline Will Soon Offer Free In-Flight Netflix And Spotify appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Playboy shocked the world in 2015 by announcing the unthinkable: the magazine would no longer publish photos of fully nude women. Instagram star Sarah McDaniel had the honour of gracing the first clothed cover in March 2016, while Dree Hemingway (Ernest’s great-granddaughter) took the issue’s centerfold spot.

But as any scientist knows, some experiments don’t go according to plan. In a bid to make Playboy great again, Hef’s infamous men’s mag has announced a return to nudity following last year’s ban.

Cooper Hefner, Chief Creative Officer and son of founder Hugh, shared the news with Twitter on Monday saying, “I’ll be the first to admit that the way in which the magazine portrayed nudity was dated, but removing it entirely was a mistake.”

“Nudity was never the problem, because nudity isn’t a problem,” he continued. “Today, we’re taking our identity back and rediscovering who we are.”

The March/April 2017 issue will include pictorials with March Playmate Elizabeth Elam and April Playmate Nina Daniele, as well as an interview with Scarlett Johansson, a profile of CNN political commentator Van Jones, and an article on hip-hop duo Run the Jewels. Also returning are the Party Jokes section and The Playboy Philosophy, a political and cultural column last published 40 years ago.

The makeover doesn’t end there. A new Heritage section will take a stroll through the magazine’s past, and “Entertainment for Men” will no longer appear on the cover. “Playboy will always be a lifestyle brand focused on men’s interests,” the younger Hefner said in a statement, “but as gender roles continue to evolve in society, so will we.”

In support of its newly progressive, more feminist stance, Playboy counted down to the new cover on Twitter with a series of famous images shopped to remove their nudity. #NakedIsNormal is the hashtag battle cry, as well as the caption on the upcoming issue’s cover.

The post Playboy Is Bringing Nudity Back In Its New Issue appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

For generations, India has been seen as an emblem of the exotic and mystical East. Westerners know the country as a deeply spiritual place, a land of history and ritual, breathtaking and bewildering at the same time.

But that’s only one side of a country so vastly diverse it has been called its own continent. From the frozen peaks of the Himalayas, to the rolling dunes of the Thar Desert, to the palm trees and beaches of Kerala, India’s expansive landmass is home to an incomparable range of landscapes and cultures.

With that diversity comes a similarly varied set of customs. Indian etiquette is a unique blend of British and Asian influences, one that goes well beyond a noted love of cricket. Visitors unacquainted with the nation’s proprieties may want to prepare ahead of time to avoid causing offence or embarrassment.

Below you’ll find a handful of key Indian etiquette lessons, and remember: when in doubt, watch what the locals do.

Dining

India’s eating etiquette can be a minefield of potential faux pas for tourists. It’s considered proper to eat with your hands, but only one hand: your right. As in other parts of Asia, the left hand is used for a variety of unsavoury functions and therefore considered inappropriate for use when eating, shaking hands, giving gifts, etc.

Because you are eating with your fingers, it’s important to wait to be served. Failure to do so dirties the serving spoon for everyone else at the table. Ask for what you want instead of reaching for it directly or pointing at dishes. And we shouldn’t need to say this, but wash your hands both before and after the meal, you animal.

Sharing food is a traditional part of Indian culture, sometimes even between strangers. Expect to share your dish with your dining companions but beware of jootha – the concept that a dish or utensil used by another person, or food they have eaten from, is ritually unclean. Do not allow your lips to touch anyone else’s food or utensils.

Invitations

If you’re invited to someone’s home, plan to arrive 15-30 minutes late. It’s considered bad manners to arrive on time (much to the consternation of some exceptionally punctual Westerners). Take off your shoes before entering the house and leave them outside.

It’s customary to bring a gift for your host in India, but your offering must be chosen wisely. Many Indians don’t drink alcohol, so only bring a bottle if you know your host imbibes. Consider that many Hindus are vegetarian before giving a gift involving an animal product like leather. Speak to a florist before giving flowers, as flowers have specific meanings in India and the etiquette is complex. A box of sweets is usually a safe bet, or a toy if your host has children.

The Sanskrit saying Atithi Devo Bhava prescribes the ideal dynamic of the host-guest relationship in India. It translates roughly to “the guest is God”, so expect to be treated lavishly if you’re invited to someone’s home. Allow your hosts to serve you. Don’t refuse food, but don’t feel obligated to finish your plate. Instead of saying “thank you” for their kindness, praise the food and reciprocate the invitation with a meal of comparable value.

Sex & Gender

Public displays of affection are frowned upon in India. Some religious or ethnic groups will avoid public contact between men and women entirely. Men may hold hands with each other as a sign of friendship, but in especially conservative areas, it’s taboo for couples to have even that minor contact.

Some Indian men may offer to shake hands with foreign men rather than using the traditional Hindu greetings of namaste or namaskar. Indian women, however, will rarely shake hands with Western men. A non-contact form of salutation is typically preferred in India.

Dress

India is a colourful but modest country. Customs take priority over comfort, for both men and women. While the burden of maintaining modesty falls more on the fairer sex, men are also expected to dress with decency in mind.

Always wear a shirt in public and consider skipping shorts unless you’re on the beach. Avoid anything that is torn or too tight. The rules of dress are particularly important when visiting a temple or mosque. Keep your legs and head covered, and take off your shoes, if you plan to enter these holy sites. You may find caps and cloths available for visitors to borrow for free should you forget to provide your own.

Other Do’s & Don’ts

A few final words before you’re on your own in India. These last tips will help you put your best foot forward whether it’s your first visit or your fifteenth.

Honour Your Elders

Respecting one’s elders (and social superiors) is extremely important in India. Use a person’s professional title whenever possible, and courtesy titles like “Mr.” when it’s not. Wait to be invited to use someone’s first name. Stand when an elder or a guest enters the room and remain standing until you’ve offered them a seat.

Be Aware Of Your Appendages

Pointing with your finger is considered rude, as is pointing a foot at another person. Feet are considered unclean in India. Use them only for the essentials, and avoid things like pushing items with your feet or resting with your legs up on a table. Apologise quickly if you accidentally slip.

Respect Religious Sites And Ceremonies

Religion permeates many aspects of life in India and deserves the utmost respect. Along with donning the appropriate dress before visiting a temple or mosque, educate yourself on other rules that may prevent or influence your entry. Some Hindu temples are closed to non-Hindus, for example, while non-Muslims are not typically allowed in mosques during prayer time. Think twice before taking photographs of religious sites, and never take photos of funerals or cremations.

Expect Intrusive Questions

The post How To Not Get Arrested Or Shot In India appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Sweden is renowned for its immaculately minimalistic approach to home design. And any design for that matter.

The latest humble abode to join those ranks is the Frejgatan Apartment, a residential project penned by DesignFolder in 2016. The Stockholm space sees its most striking feature as a perfect balance between brushed gunmetal steel, light wooden floorboards and lashings of exposed grey in various finishes of concrete and marble.

In any other situation the space would be too dark for the average dweller but in true Scandinavian fashion DesignFolder have built in natural lighting all over the house to really highlight the beautiful textures and statement artwork pieces.

To ensure the space isn’t overrun with a feeling of dreariness, greenery is strategically placed throughout the home to offset the grey and organic appointments. Even the bathroom doesn’t escape the Scandinavian touch with leather handles paired with black wooden drawers.

Not a bad way to live out the colder seasons up north at all.

The post Stockholm Channels Fifty Shades Of Grey In DesignFolder Apartment appeared first on DMARGE Australia.