The global pursuits of a man should never be hindered by unfamiliar soil. Short of being thrown in the slammer for being a wanderlusting douche, there are still rules to follow in order to achieve and retain true gentleman’s status when travelling abroad.

Follow these seven simple travel tips to ensure your path to a nomadic magnificent bastard.

#1 Always Dress Appropriately

Many countries have their own dress codes for both men and women depending on the occasion. It may be common practice to slip on the flip-flops and mankini back home during Summer, but always be sure to read the fine print to avoid offending the locals or copping a fine. As an example, wearing a three-piece suit maybe common around town in Europe, but pull the same thing in the tropics of Vietnam and you’re in for a sweaty surprise along with many odd looks. The same also goes for wearing garments which heavily feature a national flag between conflicting countries, i.e. using the Japanese flag as a cape in Beijing.

#2 Keep Hygiene Practices In Check

Certain places in India, China and South East Asia allow for locals to spit in public. This doesn’t mean you need to follow suit. Keep the hygiene practices at a high standard and you’ll avoid much trouble, especially in heavily policed countries such as Singapore which has laws against spitting in public and chewing gum. There’s been stories about Singapore cancelling visas of high profile politicians who are known offenders of this habit.

#3 Know A Country’s Alcohol Laws

Every man loves a good drink and it’s imperative to know where alcohol consumption is allowed to take place when abroad. Islamic countries prohibit alcohol altogether and the gift of a bottle to a muslim is considered offensive. So keep walking, Johnnie. Do not drink in public in the Middle East and save it for the hotel room instead.

#4 Respect The Culture

There’s a fine line between embracing and insulting one’s culture so be sure to take into account all aspects to avoid the cliches. In Japan where tradition and culture is still highly regarded, be sure to bow as you greet and leave, and remove shoes when entering a guest venue. In Europe, follow the conventions of the church by having shoulders covered. It might not be your religion but it’s theirs and you’re in their house.

#5 Watch Your Sign Language

In places like Spain, Iran, Bangladesh and Turkey the thumbs up is considered offensive so keep those commonly used hand signs in check. In Malaysia, pointing fingers (except for the thumb) is considered a big no-no and using a left hand in Indonesia is disrespectful. And no, a slap on the bum is unacceptable as a greeting anywhere in the world. Put away that hi-five.

#6 Curb Your Public Displays Of Affection

PDA is sickening in any language but it’s definitely not illegal. In Western countries PDA such as kissing, hugging, holding hands is common practice. Do it in some Asian countries and the Middle East and you could be incarcerated for being a top lover boy. Keep it in your pants until you get behind closed doors.

#7 Leave As You Arrived

A true gentleman never leaves a guest’s home in a mess after a visit and this same rule applies to visiting another country. Leaving your mark behind on a grand monument is the biggest offender here, whether it be tagging your name on the Great Wall or tacking a lock of your ex-girlfriend’s hair to a Mayan voodoo statue. Just don’t do it.

RELATED: 15 Rookie Travel Mistakes & How To Avoid Them

The post 7 Ways To Be A Gentleman When Travelling Abroad appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Forget about Steve McQueen, David Gandy, and Ryan Gosling. Your new favourite style icons include Pikachu, Charmander, and Bulbasaur.

Everyone is talking about Pokemon Go, the uber-viral augmented reality app that lets you catch ’em all with your smartphone. The game has caused cheating boyfriends to be caught, people to be robbed, and oblivious players to fall off cliffs – but it’s not all bad news.

Following the app’s astronomical success, graphic designer Marcello Pisano is taking a lighter approach to Pokemon, dressing the popular pocket monsters in the season’s hottest streetwear. The three original starter Pokemon are present, as well as fan-fave Pikachu and furry Meowth, sporting the likes of Vetements, GCDS, MISBHV, OFF-WHITE, and Gosha Rubchinskiy.

The post Illustrator Imagines Pokemon In FW16's Hottest Streetwear appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

New York has long been the proving grounds for many of the world’s most ambitious and talented young minds.

For one Swiss watchmaker called Piaget, the city marked a significantly important milestone in its illustrious history of watchmaking. 1985 was the year in which the Piaget polo team celebrated the iconic Piaget Polo timepiece by riding down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue.

To carry on this tradition of making a statement for our time, Piaget decided to do something different. To rediscover the spirit of the Piaget Polo name through nine distinguished men at the very top of their craft. They call these men the game changers of 2016.

“We needed to create a watch for people where price is a factor.” – CEO, Piaget

Helping to kick off the launch of five new Polo S watches in New York, Piaget had on hand some of this generation’s finest players.

Actors Ryan Reynolds and Michael B.Jordan, polo player Malcolm Borwick, novelist Joël Dicker, singer Hu Ge, tennis player David Goffin, artist Mohammed Sultan Al Habtoor, musician Miyavi and chef Jean-François Piège were all in attendance making for a stellar panel of talent.

Inside The Piaget Polo S

The night of course belonged to the watches; five bold new timepieces captured in the Piaget Polo S and the Piaget Polo S Chronograph. Each variant of these two models exude the elegance of a classic watch but with the unique Piaget design that contains the shape-within-shape cushion case that the brand is renowned for.

Both models feature a 42mm stainless steel case crafted to conform with Piaget’s ultra thin philosophy in order to appeal to the aesthetic needs of the modern man. More specifically, a watch with either a 9.4mm or 11.2mm thickness which can be worn seamlessly from day to night in both work and play.

The automatic Piaget Polo S comes in three dial colours – silvered dial with slate grey indexes, blue dial with silvered indexes and slate grey dial with silvered indexes. Inside resides the 1110P movement which drives the hours, minutes, seconds and date window at the 6 o’clock mark.

The Piaget Polo S Chronograph meanwhile adds an extra dimension to the Polo S with the addition of two chronograph counters for 30 minutes at 3 o’clock and 12 hours at 9 o’clock, all driven by the 1160P movement inside a slightly thicker 11.2mm case. The Chronograph will come in two variants differentiated between a silver dial face with slate grey indexes and a blue dial with silvered indexes.

Both of these movements have been specifically developed for the latest Piaget Polo S watches which all feature a matching stainless steel bracelet with integrated folding clasp and a 100m water resistant rating.

Australian Pricing & Positioning

Speaking to Piaget’s CEO Philippe Léopold-Metzger from the New York launch, we wanted to find out what makes the new watches more appealing to Australian men.

“We needed to create a watch for people where price is a factor,” he said.

“Those looking for a great watch but cannot afford anything in the collection. That was the mindset two years ago when creating the watch. It was a good time for us as the economic slowdown was happening. Some watches are pricing themselves out of the market.”

He says that the affordable pricing point of the latest Polo S timepieces cater not so much to lowering the price point just for the sake of it, but more so for the fact that “younger people are buying luxury watches earlier than they were before”.

A flagship Australian Piaget store is meanwhile in the works with Léopold-Metzger saying that he is currently scouting out the right location. Only after then will we be likely to see an Australian ambassador for the brand.

The Piaget Polo S Automatic model will retail in Australia for $15,600 whilst the Chronograph variant will cost $20,700.

Piaget stockists in Australia include:

Swiss Concept
90 Pitt Street, Sydney

Watches of Switzerland
Four Seasons Hotel, 199 George Street, Sydney

The Hour Glass Sydney
142 King Street, Sydney

Monards Melbourne
Shop 7, 101 Collins Street, Melbourne

The post Piaget Polo S Launches With A New Generation Of Game Changers appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

An updated version of Ferrari’s high-performance Grand Tourer calls for a sunny day in Sydney to sample the goods. Luckily we were able to do both on a recent Ferrari California T drive day.

Kicking off at Bondi’s iconic Pacific penthouse, a handful of lucky guests were given the mandatory debrief before hopping into their designated prancing horse. The weapon of choice was of course the California T complete with a new handling package which is now available in Australia.

We got to pilot something a little less conventional for a Ferrari during the day – a frosty blue number which packed the same proven front-engined V8 and retractable hard top with room for two more in the rear. Of course it was all about driving on this particular day. The action began with a quick crawl through Sydney’s horrendous traffic before the roads opened up for us on the way into the Royal National Park for some twisties led by none other than the CEO of Ferrari Australia, Herbert Appleroth.

Taking the the California T through the countless hairpins and tight turns of the park proved just how much sharper the car has become as it dispatched the rolling corners with absolute poise and minimal body roll. It felt lighter and planted the entire time leaving the driver to worry about just two things: 1) How we’d ever get over that sweet V8 tune once we parted ways and 2) The shadows covering areas of the asphalt which would often render a corner completely invisible.

The Handling Speciale option offers a series of specific calibrations and a set-up that lends an extra edge vehicle’s Sport mode.

Thankfully common sense kicked in and it was time to cruise the rest of the way to enjoy the sights without sending an exotic into a ditch. Stopping off at the Great Ocean Road drivers were given insight into what makes the new handling package unique.

The Handling Speciale option offers a series of specific calibrations and a set-up that lends an extra edge vehicle’s Sport mode. More specifically, revised dampers and springs now means the car is stiffer to cater to spirited driving without compromising too much on ride comfort. A refreshed and throatier exhaust note meanwhile comes complements of a variable exhaust system which remains quiet at low speed and unleashes hell as the driver speeds up – a feature which we think epitomises what a modern sportscar should be.

As the convoy made its way down coast on the Great Ocean Drive before heading back inland to Bowral’s famous Biota dining, we were able to have a quick chat with Herbert Appleroth about the new handling package’s significance to potential customers.

“The California T ‘Handling Speciale’ will appeal to our clients who love spirited driving and spirited sounding cars,” he said. “The Australasia premiere drive from Bondi to Bowral – both escapist locations in their own right – takes in some beautiful and challenging roads designed to highlight the superior sports handling of this car, while also underlining its great versatility as a Grand Tourer for every day.”

For those looking for an aesthetic difference on the HS, there are definitely minor details which includes a new front grille in matte Grigio Ferro Met and a rear diffuser in the same colour with matte black fences and matte black tailpipes. Inside, drivers will find a special plaque indicating the presence of the HS package.

The post Carving Up Asphalt With The Ferrari California T 'Handling Speciale' appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

A current phenomenon in China is occurring where big businesses are hiring caucasians to fill a very specific role – the white person.

“We were being paraded around a half-built factory and we had to sit in temporary offices the rest of the day, not really doing anything. We were sleeping at our desks or reading magazines.”

This strange practice has been happening in provincial China where the notion of white privilege is taking on an entirely different form. According to those who are aware of the job offers, the businesses hiring white people to do nothing except stand around and look important are doing so to satisfy a cultural concept of “face” – as in, the notion of presenting to others that they run a successful company because they can afford to hire a caucasian worker. This in turn leads to respect and status amongst peers and the general public.

According to reports from various outlets and those who have gone over to take on the jobs in China, it’s a pretty straight forward affair. White folks don’t need any experience and there are even Chinese firms which rent out foreign-looking people to attend events – of those foreigners commanding the highest callout fees? Caucasians.

At the moment the white employment policy is most prevalent amongst China’s real estate entrepreneurs where the whitest looking people are sent to live in huge apartment complexes facing vacancy issues.

“[Real estate companies] believe that filling their remote buildings with foreign faces, even for a day, suggests that the area is ‘international,’ a buzzword in provincial areas that often translates to ‘buy,’ ” says David Borstein at The New York Times. More specifically the real estate companies will often request that rented foreigners act like famous musicians and models to increase the building’s appeal amongst locals.

Mitch Moxley is a freelance writer based in Beijing who was one of these rented caucasians. He was paid US$1,000 a month to act as a fake white businessman.

“It was pretty funny,” Moxley told NPR. “The whole thing was a little bit surreal. We were down there and were being paraded around a half-built factory and we had to sit in temporary offices the rest of the day, not really doing anything. We were sleeping at our desks or reading magazines.”

Zhang Haihua who is the author of Think Like Chinese, told CNN that, “face, we say in China, is more important than life itself.”

“Because Western countries are so developed, people think they are more well off, so people think that if a company can hire foreigners, it must have a lot of money and have very important connections overseas. So when they really want to impress someone, they may roll out a foreigner.”

These types of roles have quickly spawned their own term of the ‘White Monkey’. To spot a ‘White Monkey’ job opening, one simply needs to analyse the signs of a Chinese job listing.

These include: Looking for poorly written job ads in English, spotting jobs that focus on looks rather than experience, a job with a specific height or weight requirement and a job ad which specifies “Caucasian only”.

The post Chinese Companies Are Hiring White People To Be White appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

New renderings have been released of the latest stunning skyscraper to join Melbourne’s already impressive CBD line up on Collins Street.

Receiving the green light from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning as well as the City of Melbourne this week, Zaha Hadid Architects will begin construction of the 54 storey building this year in a bid to become an new emblem of “the most livable city in the world”.

The project will be a massive one featuring 70,000 square metres across its entire floorspace which will house office, retail, residential, and public spaces. It may sound like every other flashy new building in town but the Zaha Hadid designers always have a silver bullet up the sleeve.

RELATED: Australia’s Coolest Suburbs Have Been Revealed

The completed building will use 50% less energy than standard buildings whilst retaining its striking skeletal design. Speaking of design, the architects at Zaha will take a modern approach with white planar columns which form a structure which resembles a giant heat-sink.

The post Melbourne To Receive Australia's First Zaha Hadid Building appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

How does a $330,000 lab-grown burger sound? Add to the fact that it doesn’t taste quite like meat yet and most would give that dud offer a big resounding ‘NO’.

Don’t revel in your omnivorous glory too quickly though. Belgium scientists along with researchers in the United States are continuing to forge ahead with the concept of meat substitutes. This also comes with the expectation that it’ll taste like real meat and cost a lot less by the year 2020 when the efficiency of bulk production kicks in.

Some may fret over the idea of an eye-fillet grown in a petri dish but it’s important to realise that the push for this radical idea remains a factor of global population growth against strained supply output. There’s also the debatable issue of the meat industry which has been subject to claims of animal cruelty and contribution to greenhouse gases over the decades.

Add these points together and the United States and its other meat loving cousins such as Australia are poised to see one of the largest shifts in the industry to ever occur. The most obvious issue currently facing these meat scientists includes trying to convince the public that ‘cultured meat’ is okay to munch on.

A 2014 Pew poll indicated that only 20 percent of Americans would be game enough to try cultured meat whilst a 2013 survey in Belgium (before the lab burger was created and tried) revealed that just 13 percent of 180 subjects knew what cultured meat was. Add to this the fact that the vegetarians surveyed perceived man-made meat to be unhealthy and unfavourable and it would appear scientists have gotten into a beef they can’t win (sorry).

There’s still a glimmer of hope though as the Belgian researchers have shown that all it takes is a little caressing and knowledge. Once respondents were told how the meat is grown, most said that they might give it shot. Add to this a robust educational program and potential environmental benefits and respondents warmed up to the idea by two-fold.

Expect sausages the length of your arm and steaks the size of a small child to arrive at a BBQ near you soon.

The post Scientists Say Humans Will Be Eating Lab-Grown Meat By 2020 appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

This story was originally published on Collective Hub

If you’re of the opinion that coffee is the strongest addictive substance in your life, it’s time put down your latte and reassess. Are there any other small, handheld devices that keep you up at night?

Let’s put it this way: how many cumulative minutes per day – honestly – would you spend on your phone, computer or tablet? According to a US-based study from Pew Research Centre’s Internet and American Life Project, 67% of phone owners check their phone for messages, alerts or calls – even when they don’t notice their phone ringing or vibrating.

Avoiding technology completely is unfeasible for many of us – it’s a major part of our lives (and our jobs) and has limitless benefits, but using our digital tools excessively can induce a range of stresses and anxieties in our lives, not to mention the fact that it devours a substantial amount of downtime with ease.

So, why not try switching off when not at work? The advantages from spending time removed from our devices are many; switching off can help remove feelings of jealously, envy, loneliness and most importantly, severe cases of FOMO. If you think you’re in need of a break, here are five ways to help you step away from the screen, and re-centre yourself with a digital detox.

#1 Set Your Intentions

Like any good detox, decide what your ultimate goals are, and devise objectives that will help you achieve them. Choose a feasible amount of time to be detached from your devices – if you’re unsure, a good compromise is a fusion of both realistic and challenging. That could be a day, a week or a month, depending on your relationship with technology. It’s also important to define what digital means to you; is it everything that uses a glowing screen and/or the internet? Or are you just trying to cut down the time you spend scrolling Instie on your smartphone before you get out of bed? Lastly, tell the people you connect with most frequently that you’re doing this, and they’ll find an alternative way to reach you. (You can expect that carrier pigeon next week).

#2 Invest In Tools

Here, you’re able to have some fun and revisit the tools of decades past. Remember alarm clocks? Buy one. Most of us wake to the chirping, bleeping or chiming of our phones, immediately prompting us to check our emails, messages, and the ever-important Snapchat. Waking up to an alarm clock will lessen the inclination to turbo scroll through our feeds the second upon waking. The same goes with wristwatches. You know, the accessory worn on the wrist that tells the time? Get in the habit of using this to read the time, rather than pulling out our phones.

#3 Minimise Distractions

Many of us have jobs that rely on the use of all the wonders modern technology has to offer, and have social lives that are connected via online platforms. This is unavoidable if you’re wanting to remain connected with colleagues and friends, but there are ways to minimise your time online. Disable all push notifications on devices and your tabs browsers as soon as you’re done with them. Don’t check your work inbox on your ride home. No distractions via click bait, for you!

#4 Learn How To Re-Entertain Yourself

Checking Instagram, Facebook, and our favourite websites have become automatic responses when we grapple with boredom and are searching for entertainment. Use your time in a digital detox to reinvest in a hobby or a task you’ve always wanted to get done. Now’s the time to learn to play the ukulele, become a master at Monopoly, or write your autobiography. And if you think it’s unrealistic to think you can conquer an instrument in your downtime, think again: if you sacrifice the mere 20 minutes you spend on your phone at night (and let’s be honest: it’s probably more than that), that’s over an hour and a half of weekday free time you’ve just put back into your working week. You’ll be strumming away in no time.

#5 Welcome Unoccupied Moments

Studies have shown that smartphone owners check their devices every 6.5 minutes, so it’s important to actively sit with the quiet time while you have it. Life has a tendency of only getting crazier, so recognise that solitude is a blessing, not boredom.

The post Finally, A Cure For Your Device Addiction appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

This story was originally published on Gizmodo

Since March 2011, a 50km radius around the ruined Fukushima Daiichi reactor has been a designated exclusion zone, unsafe to travel. Over 100,000 evacuees left in a hurry and left behind a snapshot of what life looked like in the moments just before they fled. A brave soul recently snuck in to photograph the apocalyptic scene today.

Imgur user Xanathon recently uploaded a haunting photoset that shows the effects of five years without human intervention. The images include grocery stores full of radioactive food, laundromats with clothes still in the dryer and homes filled with lost keepsakes.

The photographer described “a burning sensation in my eyes and thick chemical smell in the air” when he entered the red zone, the most radioactive area around Fukushima. Strangely he chose to wear a face mask and gloves, but shorts and sandals. “I can find food, money, gold, laptop and other valuable in the red zone,” he wrote in somewhat broken English, “I’m amaze that nobody looted this town clean.”

Not only wasn’t there looting, but the hastily abandoned wares in shops have been left untouched for half a decade. Some items have survived disuse better than others. But the whole scene is a chilling reminder of the Fukushima disaster and the consequences that will endure for many years to come.

Gizmodo explores the smart design, breakthrough science and awe-inspiring tech shaping your future.

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The post What A Radioactive Town Looks Like Years After Humans Leave appeared first on DMARGE Australia.