US$12.78 million – that’s the kind of coin you’ll need to part with to call Johnny Depp’s expansive Los Angeles penthouse your own.The top floor premium space takes the up five condos and sits within the iconic Eastern Columbia Building. The interior meanwhile is fitted to Jack Sparrow’s eclectic tastes featuring a clash of vintage furnishings and a subtle approach to luxury.Think contrasting coloured feature walls in every room, endless examples of hanging wall art and some of the quirkiest light features man could get their hands on.According to the Wall Street Journal, Depp snapped up the five condos between 2007 and 2008 for a cool US$7.2 million. More importantly though he opted to retain the original architecture’s integrity by adding door ways between the condos instead of knocking down each wall.This approach retains the heritage feel of the penthouse whilst still providing ample and seamless access between the 1068 metre-square space.Watch the real estate video below to see how a modern day Willy Wonka lives.

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The following article has been sponsored by American Express RewardsGreat men must start somewhere. Before Bourdain was a chef, he was a simple guy who liked food. Before Ford was a fashion designer, he was a guy with good taste. Before Musk was a billionaire, he was a man with big ideas and even bigger confidence.

“If you believe in living well no matter your disposable income, this could be the card that gets you there.”

The path to Magnificent Bastardom cannot be completed overnight. The luxe watches and sports cars, the tailored suits and fine dining, the 5-star resorts and first-class flights…it all comes with time and careful cultivation. They say that getting there is half the fun.Then again, it’s hard to deny the appeal of a shortcut. The American Express Qantas Discovery Card is the latest shortcut in our arsenal. We recently took it for a spin, putting its points system and rewards programs to the test. If you believe in living well no matter your disposable income, this could be the card that gets you there.

Meet The American Express Qantas Discovery Card

The American Express Qantas Discovery Card comes with a simple premise: no frills, no annual fee, and a direct connection to your Qantas Frequent Flyer account.Card Members earn one Qantas point for every dollar spent on any purchase, anywhere. Two points are earned for every dollar spent with Qantas. Members new to American Express can also earn up to 7,500 bonus points – 5,000 with a $300 minimum spend in 3 months and 2,500 after the first spend with Qantas.But let’s talk about what you really want to know. What do those numbers translate to in actual travel terms?With 8,000 points, you could purchase a Qantas Economy one way Classic Flight Reward from Sydney to Melbourne. 12,000 points could take you one way from Sydney to Hobart in Economy. Save up 18,000 and you could score a Qantas Economy seat one way from Perth to Adelaide.Points are easy to earn, easy to manage, and easy to use when the spending mood strikes. American Express transfers your points straight to your Qantas Frequent Flyer account each month (because a Magnificent Bastard has bigger things to worry about).Points can be redeemed for rewards flights with Qantas and over 50 partner airlines and their affiliates (because a Magnificent Bastard doesn’t like to be boxed in). And there’s no cap on the amount of Qantas Points you can earn (because a life without limits is the only one worth living).Our verdict? It’s a great value entry-level credit card, ideal for a man who recoils at the thought of a yearly fee but wants to maximise his travel points earning potential and pick up a few perks along the way.Continue on for our advice on how to make the most of it.

See The World

We start with the obvious: with a Qantas card, travel is always on the mind. If the Qantas Discovery Card did nothing else right (and fortunately, it does) the travel rewards would still make it an intriguing option for frequent flyers and those who aspire to be them.The card earns kudos from us for its versatility. Your frequent flyer points can be used for one way, return, or multi-destination Classic Flight Rewards. They can be redeemed with Qantas, of course, but also with more than 50 partner airlines and their affiliates.In all, that means access to over 1,000 amazing destinations worldwide. Your unattainable jet-setting dreams may not be so unattainable after all.Any purchase earns you one point per dollar. Any Qantas purchase earns you two points per dollar. The savvy traveller (hint: that’s you) books Qantas flights with his Qantas Discovery Card to earn double points towards his next adventure before the current one even begins.Since moving from Melbourne to Sydney, I find myself frequently making the trip home to visit family and friends. I know it’s a regular route for me, which makes it easy to book strategically and earn the most points possible. Who says it’s hard to master travel hacking? Not this ginger.

Eat Up

Travel is just one piece of the good life puzzle. A refined palate is a must for a Magnificent Bastard, and the ‘Taste from American Express’ program makes it easier to attain. The global dining program serves up at over 400 restaurants around the world, each one handpicked by locals in the know. From hotspots to hidden gems, each restaurant makes the cut for one simple reason: the food’s damn good.With the Taste program, Card Members get treats along with their eats. Pay with your card at any participating restaurant and you’re guaranteed to receive a special perk with your meal – an appetiser from the à la carte menu (up to ten guests), a complementary bottle of wine for the table, or 20% off the food bill (up to 10 guests).Taste proved to be a perfect companion for my travels. There are few better ways to immerse yourself in a culture than to sample its food. I hit Araliya for a Sri Lankan feast, accompanied by a free bottle of vino and a brand new batch of points earned.It’s a tasty endeavour solo, but for the biggest benefit, gather the squad for a night on the town. Pay the bill with your card and get the rest of the gang to pay you in cash, so you earn points on the full amount without spending anything extra.

Shop Like A Local

A Magnificent Bastard excels at many things, but one of his most finely honed skills is shopping. What can I say? Even magnificence doesn’t exempt you from the allure of retail therapy.Through the Local Champion program, you can easily earn an additional bonus point per dollar spent at the retailers you visit most.Step one: Download the app.Step two: Select up to 10 merchants where you want to play.Step three: Shop and pay with your Qantas Discovery Card.The aim is to become the local with the most number of transactions at a given location – aka that location’s Local Champion.If you’re crowned, you automatically receive bonus points any time you purchase from that merchant – which means that not only do you end up with the purchases you want, you also support local businesses and set yourself up for bigger Amex rewards. Win-win-win.During my test drive, I put my plastic through its paces at some of my favourite Sydney stores. For a fashion fix, I chose two classics, Uniqlo and Zara, where I can always find affordable and on-trend basics. I threw in Lululemon, the mecca of up-market workout wear, for good measure. It’s never too late to get started on those New Year’s resolutions.Edible adventuring took my Amex around the world without leaving home – A Tavola for Italian, Mr Wong for Chinese, Sake for Japanese, and The Pavilion for modern Australian. For entertainment of a liquid variety, my bid for Local Champion took me to Bondi Beach Cellars. Even Magnificent Bastards need the occasional night in with a relaxing brew.

Always Be Earning

It’s easy to talk about the flashy stuff. We all want more food, more fashion, more flights to far-flung locales. But being an expert points earner is about more than splashing out on the biggest, shiniest things.Consider your spending habits. Where do you shop most frequently? What items do you buy often? What reoccurring payments do you make each month? These purchases, though not as glamorous as a first-class ticket to Bangkok, are key to regularly increasing your points cache.Use your card to pay for groceries and gym memberships, pull it out at petrol stations, and set up automatic debits for your monthly bills. Over time, the small and consistent purchases may be the ones that reap you the most rewards.There’s no excuse not to earn along every step of the road to magnificence.

The post Amex Rewards Points Explained & How To Make To Most Of Them appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Time to delete that embarrassing Broadway show tunes playlist on Spotify. The music streaming service has partnered with Tinder to bring users together via the power of sound.

“Tinder already suggests matches based on your swiping preferences, mutual friends and common interests, but we know we can always add more to the equation,” announced the Tinder blog. “That’s why we’ve matched with Spotify to integrate music into the swiping experience.”

The collaboration allows Tinder users to share their favourite artists and music preferences from Spotify. If you stumble onto an intriguing Tinder profile with a connected Spotify account, you can listen to previews of that match’s top songs without leaving the dating app. You’ll also be able to see the artists you have in common, so you know where they fall on the Kanye vs. Taylor feud before you swipe.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how many is a song worth? Spotify integration also allows Tinder users to add an ‘Anthem’ to their profiles. The Anthem, according to the Tinder blog, is “that one single track that tells your story. That one song you can’t get out of your head… It may change as you change, but at any given time, you have an anthem—and the world is waiting to hear it.”

Is shared music taste an essential factor for long-term compatibility? Obviously not, but it’s an easy way to make the snap judgements – or snap swipes – that Tinder is famous for. It could also be a cool way to discover new tunes, and a low-pressure way to break the ice with a match.

What will you choose for your Tinder Anthem? Let us know below.

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You have the will for solo travel. Now let us help you find the way.Exploring the world stag can be an incredible experience. Travelling alone hasn’t just shed its taboo, it’s full-on trendy in the 21^st century. It’s hailed as a way to learn about yourself, test boundaries, grow spiritually, and push freedom to its limits. It’s also the perfect time to try those things you’re too embarrassed to share with friends (your secret’s safe with us).To help you make the most of your vacation days, whether or not your mates are along for the ride, we’ve rounded up some of the best solo travel destinations for men. Happy trails.

Japan

The neon lights of Tokyo. The stately temples of Kyoto. The hot springs of Hakone. Though Japan might seem like a totally different (and totally overwhelming) world to a westerner, the country is well-suited to solo travel. It consistently scores highly on safety rankings and locals take hospitality seriously. A solitary holiday is also the perfect time to take advantage of Japan’s teensy-but-trendy capsule hotels.

New Zealand

New Zealand has more than earned its reputation as ‘The Adventure Capital of the World’. Queenstown offers hundreds – literally – of adventure tourism activities on the South Island. Rotorua is emerging as its companion in the north. Between the two, visitors can try skiing, boating, rafting, bungee jumping, biking, hiking, sky diving, and more. Who has time for loneliness when there’s so much to do?

El Camino de Santiago, Spain

Spain‘s Camino de Santiago isn’t just well-suited to solo travel, it’s better experienced that way. Pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago walk for weeks or months to arrive in the city of Santiago de Compostela. Trekking the trail – which actually encompasses a variety of different routes – has historically been seen as a form of spiritual growth. Many still consider it a sacred or spiritual undertaking.

Chile

Chile is an ideal place to commune with nature. Torres del Paine National Park, found in wild Patagonia, is known for soaring mountains, raging rivers, bright blue glaciers, and the three granite towers from which it takes its name. The otherworldly Atacama Desert offers entirely different, but equally awe-inspiring, terrain farther south. Either is the perfect setting to visit alone and marvel at man’s microscopic place in the universe.

Laos

Beautiful, friendly, and not yet inundated with western tourists, Laos is something of a low-key favourite for solo travellers. The country has preserved much of its natural environment and traditional culture, making it one of the most pristine destinations in Southeast Asia. For a fully immersive experience, arrange a village homestay. The Laotian people are welcoming hosts who happily share their lives with visitors who share theirs in return.

Ireland

Ireland: home of the finest beer and spirits anywhere in the world. What’s not to love about a land like that? A brewery tour is an obvious excursion for a man who appreciates the finer, more intoxicating things in life, but it’s hardly the only thing Ireland has to offer. The Emerald Isle is also home to world-class golf courses, rich history, ancient ruins, and more character-filled cobblestone streets than you could possible trek in a single trip.

Indonesia

With a seemingly endless supply of temples and yoga retreats, Indonesia is an ideal destination for solo reflection. Bali is the country’s most famous stop (and a good choice if you’re hoping to link up with fellow solo travellers). In less trafficked areas, lodgings, food, and massages come cheap. Lessons in surfing or diving are similarly economical. And the dazzling beaches? Those are free, my friend.

Kenya

Who needs human company when, at any moment, one of the ‘big five’ game animals (elephant, black rhino, buffalo, lion, and leopard) could hove into view? Kenya is home to all of them. A safari is an extraordinary way to see these incredible beasts in their natural (equally incredible) habitat. Independent travellers can join up with others on group safaris if they’re in a social mood, or arrange for private guided excursions.

Sweden

Stockholm is one of the safest cities in Europe and one of its most aesthetically appealing. From the quaint and colourful Old Town, to its soothingly minimal approach to modern design, the Swedish capital is a visual feast. Fair warning: Scandinavia is expensive, so it’s not the best destination for budget travellers. If you can afford it, it’s worth it for the shopping, architecture, museums, art galleries, and excellent street food.

Belize

If it’s good enough for Leonardo DiCaprio, who bought an island in Belize back in 2005, it’s good enough for you. The Central American country is rapidly raising its profile, with spectacular Ambergris Caye leading the charge. The island is a quintessential tropical paradise – all fruity drinks, white sand, crystal clear water, and coconut trees. Ambergris Caye’s main attractions are its beaches and barrier reef (the second largest in the world), which can be enjoyed during day trips from one of the island’s swanky resorts.

The post These Are The Top Destinations For Men Travelling Solo appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

They say a man’s living quarters is never complete without a bit of greenery to balance things out. Little do most know that there’s also a health reason.

During the 1980s NASA embarked on an investigation to find efficient ways to detoxify the circulating air in space stations. What the researchers found was that Earthly plants could be used to filter toxins out of the air whilst converting carbon dioxide into oxygen.

These findings were eventually publicised in a clean air study which listed the best indoor plants that can clean grubby air. According to the study, maximising the effects of these plants required that there be one plant for every nine-square-metres of indoor space.

To understand this a bit better, it’s important to identify what’s in common indoor air to begin with for your epic vertical garden.

Trichloroethylene: This is a chemical found in common printing inks, paints, lacquers, varnishes, adhesives, and paint removers. Short term exposure to Trichloroethylene includes heightened emotions, dizziness, headache, nausea, and vomiting followed by drowsiness and potential coma.

Formaldehyde: Are commonly used in paper bags, waxed papers, facial tissues, paper towels, plywood paneling, and synthetic fabrics. Short term exposure can cause nose, mouth and throat irritation. Extreme reactions can cause swelling to the larynx and lungs.

Benzene: Is known for its use in the manufacture of plastics, resins, lubricants, detergents, drugs, tobacco, glue, and furniture wax. Short-term exposure will lead to eye irritation, drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, an increased heart rate, headaches and unconsciousness.

Xylene: Occurs in rubber, leather, tobacco smoke and car exhaust. Effects from short term exposure includes throat irritation, dizziness, headache, confusion, heart issues, liver and kidney damage and coma.

Ammonia: Is commonly found in cleaning products such as window cleaners, detergents, floor waxes and fertilisers. Short term exposure can cause eye irritation, coughing and a sore throat.

[via GOOD]

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YouTube personalities don’t fly like the masses. Some of us are proud business class customers. Some of us are just excited when free peanuts are passed out. Either way, we’re nowhere near living the luxe life of vlogger Casey Neistat.

Neistat (who couldn’t look less prepared for the experience in a backwards baseball cap) was recently given a first class upgrade on an Emirates flight from Dubai to New York City. Fortunately for those of us who won’t be granted the same privilege any time soon, he decided to take YouTube viewers along for the ride.

And what it ride it is. There’s a private cabin with retractable doors, a huge touchscreen entertainment system, a personal wet bar, an order-anytime menu, a sleek amenities kit, even a shower. Need a snack? There’s a bowl full of them. Need to take notes for your next business meeting? There’s a writing kit. Need a mid-air refresh? There’s a mirrored compartment of grooming products. It’s basically a hotel room in the sky.

Curious about exactly how good he got it, Neistat decided to look up the the cost of a first class ticket from JFK to DXB. The regular price clocked in at a whopping $21, 635.30 USD ($28,680.72 AUD) – which, somehow, is still not the most expensive seat in the sky. That honour currently goes to the 3-room suite called ‘The Residence’ aboard Etihad’s Airbus A380.

Check out Casey Neistat’s incredible all-access tour above. You’ll be plotting your own path to YouTube stardom before it’s over.

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Man cave, meet skate park. Thanks to Inhouse Brand Architects (and some seriously cool parents), a South African teen now has the world’s raddest basement hang space.

Creative Director Aidan Hart and Senior Designer Jenine Bruce designed the ultimate man cave for skateboarders. The space includes a fully functional concrete skate bowl and custom wall art courtesy of South African street artist Jack Fox. It’s the perfect place to live out your Tony Hawk fantasies, but you don’t have to have mastered the nollie hardflip late backside 180 to appreciate this basement chill zone.

Visitors who are not inclined to risk life and limb on a plank of wood can occupy themselves with the vintage pinball machine, the pool table, the workout area, or the fully-stocked snack bar. Design aficionados will also love the room’s most eye-catching feature: the curved timber wave that houses the entertainment system. The wave is lit up from above with LED strips and outfitted with surround sound to complete the epic teen oasis.

It’s official: your parents didn’t love you enough.

The post This Man Cave Hides A Skateboarder's Secret appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Fixed floating stages are nothing new but a revised version built in Italy could pave the way for the future of music festivals held in the world’s most iconic harbour cities.

The city of Mantova has been crowned the 2016 Capital of Culture and to score this title, it features a floating platform which can allow citizens to get up and close to the action in more ways than one.

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The aquatic installation known as Arcipelago di Ocno is made up of multiple modular units which looks incredible from the sky but serves an even more important purpose on water. Patrons can walk around to different pods of varying sizes which are connected with the main stage. Seating is sparse but that’s the novelty of the design itself.

Space Caviar who designed the aquatic piazza modelled it off a lotus plant which can be widely found across Mantova’s lakes. Once the concert is over, the platform can be packed, relocated and reconfigured to suit the next event. Endless extensions are possible with the company looking to rollout bigger platforms in the coming years to host different performances, lectures and cultural events.

It also manages to solve the pesky issue of fence jumpers.

The post The Future Of Music Festivals Could Be Held On Floating Stages appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

A hairdresser’s car no more. The Italians have taken the latest Mazda MX-5 platform and turned it into a modern day revival of their classic Fiat 124 Spider.

The performance boffins over at their neighbouring Abarth weren’t satisfied enough though so they dumped the 1.4-litre turbo motor and replaced it with their own 1.8-litre turbo four-cylinder packing a healthy 300hp instead. What you get before you is the Fiat 124 Abarth R-GT rally car.

Even the standard manual gearbox gets the boot with a new six-speed sequential now sitting beside the driver for a much more engaging driving experience through rapid shifting.

Abarth didn’t just pull a lazy swap job though. Both the engine and transmission have been pushed further back into the chassis to help achieve a closer weight balance to the magic 50:50 figure. Beyond that the hardcore road car receives functional and cosmetic goodies such as a roll cage and fixed roof complete with mandatory rally air scoop.

The video above shows the R-GT in all of its manic glory as it’s being flung around corners with poise and a lot of noise. Given that this particular example is the test version being used to achieve FIA compliance, it’s only a matter of time before we see some of these steroid-induced roadsters rolling around local streets.

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