China is known for some of the world’s most spectacular monuments but their latest could well be the most ambitious yet.

The nation is building the world’s biggest radio telescope in a bid to hunt extraterrestrial life, according to state media.

The report and images show a mammoth 500m Aperture Spherical Telescope, aptly abbreviated as FAST, which spans 30 football fields across a mountain in the poor south-western provence of Guizhou. The Xinhua news agency says that scientists are already ironing out bugs and putting the telescope through its testing phase under the supervision of the National Astronomical Observation group for the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

RELATED: Here’s How China Was Brewing Beer 5,000 Years Ago

The project will cost China 1.2-billion yuan which is about AU$240 million, a wise investment according to Zheng Xiaonian, the deputy head of the National Astronomical Observation, who predicts that the new telescope will be a global leader in research for the next two decades.

FAST took five years to complete and will begin official operations in September in a move to fast track China’s space exploration program. Alongside this push, President President Xi Jinping is also hoping to put a man and Chinese space station on the moon by the year 2036.

Concerned parties have been assured that China’s program is for peaceful purposes, but the US have already countered that claim with the Defence Department noting that the communist nation is pursuing these projects in a bid to stop potential enemies from using space-based technology during a threat.

More importantly, have the Chinese seen 1995’s Goldeneye?

[via ABC]

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Do we really need to go into the countless reasons why trying to pick up women in winter is a constant battle? It’s freezing, which means the motivation to go out and socialise, let alone leave the warm glow of Netflix, is at an all-time low.Getting your glad rags on to trudge through the rain and queues for a potential date can be pretty bleak, but not all hope is lost. Here are 6 cunning ways to meet women when you’re in the clutches of winter and it’s too darn cold to go out.

#1 Hit The Gym

Instead of freezing your arse off, get sweaty at the gym and open your mind and eyes to the dozens of single men and women with exactly the same idea. Group training sessions are the perfect way to get paired up with a potential date and show off your strength and stamina. It’s got to be better than getting Hypothermia at an outdoor bootcamp, right?

#2 Get Online

It might seem like an obvious choice when it’s too cold to meet women IRL, but these days there’s a new dating app launching every time you unlock your phone, so winter might be the perfect chance to try something new in the world of online dating. Whether you’re swiping on Tinder, scrolling on Happn, or waiting in anticipation on Bumble, the cold weather will surely increase your pool of potential online dates.

#3 Party At Home

Who said hefty cover charges and expensive drinks was the only way to meet someone? Ditch the dingy bar and hibernate at home with your posse. Just make sure they bring friends, and friends of friends, or you’ll be setting yourself up for a night of Bromance.

#4 Order A Coffee…Or Two

Seems a bit cliche, the concept of meeting the love of your life as a hairy barista pours milk into your overpriced latte, but it’s gotta beat trying to pick up in the outdoor smoking section of a loud bar. If the cute coffee shop girl is right up your alley, just be sure you have the confidence to approach her with a non-creepy conversation starter and all those caffeine hits will be worth it.

#5 Work Your Daytime Routine

Instead of trying to meet potential dates in the dark when it’s cold and miserable, make it a part of your daytime routine. Grocery shopping? Dress your best and strike up a conversation at the checkout. Lunch break at work? Start working the common area, and if you own a dog, walk the hell out of that cutie in very public places. It will do wonders for your love life.

#6 Don’t Be Lazy

If you’ve done the hard yards and scored yourself a date during winter, as tempting as it is to invite her over for Netflix and chill, or down the pub so close to your house you barely have to roll out of bed to reach the bar, don’t be lazy just because it’s cold. Get creative with your winter dates, whether it be ice skating in the city, wondering through a toasty art gallery, or mulled wine on a new rooftop bar.

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What happens when you combine a faux French chef, your favourite childhood snacks, and the magic of Instagram? Meet Jacques La Merde (aka Canadian chef Christine Flynn), a culinary artist who spoofs haute cuisine with elaborate, exquisite junk food dishes.

La Merde creates meals that look like they belong on Michelin-starred menus using candy, snack food, and basic grocery store fare. Each image is accompanied by a bro-tastic all-caps caption. “NEGATIVE SPACE GAME V. STRONG HERE,” proclaims one. “HANDS IN THE AIR IF YOU LOVE GOGURT BROS,” demands another. The character is over the top, goofy, irritating, yet simultaneously lovable.

Flynn describes her alter ego as a “bumbling idiot chef” who lacks tact and grammar, not to mention kitchen skills, but makes up for it all with enthusiasm. “I have laughed more in the last year than I have in my entire life,” she told Wired. “I’m calling out some of the more extreme parts of the industry. But it’s also lighthearted, benevolent satire.”

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Tired chain hotels these are not. While the destination is the draw for most travellers, these spectacular stays are reason enough to pack your bags and board a plane.

Some bucket list hotels offer unprecedented access to exotic locales. Others are exceptionally private. Some are steeped in history, or provide an unusually up-close experience with Mother Nature. What they have in common is unparalleled service, uncompromising luxury, and unforgettable memories.

Start saving your spare change. These 10 hotels don’t come cheap, but they’re worth it for a once-in-a-lifetime stay.

Minaret Station | Wanaka, New Zealand

Minaret Station treats guests to an authentic alpine experience so exclusive it’s only accessible by helicopter. There are only four rooms, each an individual “alpine chalet” with tasteful high country design and private hot tubs. Guests explore New Zealand’s famous wilderness through a variety of Heli-Adventure options, including skiing, hiking, guided hunting and fishing, biking, boating, and farm tours.

VIEW OR BOOK

Hanging Gardens Of Bali | Payangan, Bali, Indonesia

Fans of travel photography may recognise this iconic swimming pool from Instagram. The piano-shaped infinity pool of Ubud’s Hanging Gardens of Bali is instafamous and award-winning, hailed as one of the world’s best by TripAdvisor and Condé Nast Traveller. The rest of the resort is no slouch either. Forty-four private villas are nestled on a mountain face in the heart of the jungle, offering an immersive experience in Bali’s beautiful tropical environment.

VIEW OR BOOK

Emirates Palace | Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abu Dhabi’s Emirates Palace is a lavishly imagined dream built as a monument to Arabian culture. The grand hotel (the second most expensive ever constructed, after the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore) encompasses 394 luxurious rooms and suites, a 1.3 km pristine beach, landscaped pools, and a private marina overlooking a natural bay. Although the hotel rating system officially only goes up to 5 stars, a dazzled journalist called Emirates Palace a 7-star facility.

VIEW OR BOOK

Gamirasu Cave Hotel | Cappadocia, Turkey

Formerly used as a monastic retreat in the Byzantine Era, Gamirasu is now home to 35 meticulously restored and designed cave rooms. The hotel is carved directly into the rocks of Cappadocia, combining harmony with nature with the comforts of modern accommodations. Be sure to go hot air ballooning, Cappadocia’s most famous pastime, during your stay.

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Ashford Castle | County Mayo, Ireland

Your Irish dream home is here. Ashford Castle, once owned by the Guinness family, was built in 1228 and became a hotel in the 1930s. Today the time capsule property comes with a mix of original medieval details and modern updates – think towers, turrets, wood paneling, chandeliers, antique furniture, Connemara marble, and claw foot tubs. Guests can enjoy activities like falconry lessons, golf, boat tours on the lake, clay shooting, and archery.

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Le Sirenuse | Positano, Italy

The Amalfi Coast is a naturally extraordinary destination, but against all odds Le Sirenuse makes it even more so. Four siblings converted their summer home in Positano into a charming seaside hotel in 1951. Since then, Le Sirenuse has become one of Italy’s leading luxury hotels – not just because of its breathtaking view, but also its thoughtfully decorated rooms, illustrious guests, and Michelin-starred restaurant.

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Jade Mountain Resort | Soufrière, St. Lucia

Jade Mountain Resort on St. Lucia is a cornucopia of organic architecture celebrating the Caribbean’s scenic beauty. From the extravagant private infinity pools to the rugged stoned-faced columns, every detail was designed to exist in harmony with nature. The most remarkable feature is the absent fourth wall, which turns each accommodation into a stage for viewing the full glory of St. Lucia’s Pitons World Heritage Site and the eternal Caribbean Sea.

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Oberoi Udaivilas | Udaipur, India

Staying at the Oberoi Udaivilas feels like stepping into a fairytale. Guests are ferried across Lake Pichola in a private boat and greeted by domed architecture out of an Arabian Nights fantasy. The sprawling grounds include manicured gardens and a twenty-acre wildlife sanctuary with deer and wild boar. Sensory overload is almost a guarantee, but thankfully you can unwind with the hotel’s spa, yoga sessions, and cooking classes.

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Explora Patagonia | Patagonia, Chile

Explora is a travel company that operates hotels and adventures in seven remote destinations of South America. The all-inclusive Explora Patagonia gives guests the rare opportunity to sleep in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. From there, they can embark on a number of hotel-led excursions on foot or on horseback around Torres del Paine National Park.

VIEW OR BOOK

Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp | Chiang Rai, Thailand

Learn to “drive” an elephant at sunrise. Watch the playful antics of elephant bathing time in the river. Go elephant trekking through native forests and past picturesque rice paddies. At Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort, the family of resident pachyderms are integrated into every part of your stay – even the yoga classes. The only place you won’t see them is the traditional Thai spa, because having an enormous mammal grind your muscles is not as relaxing as it sounds.

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Sometimes less is more, as these 25 striking examples of minimalist interior design prove. Other times, less is a bore. Maximalist interior design embraces bold colours, layered patterns, and artful clutter to create charmingly madcap spaces.

The only limit to your maximalism is your imagination. Start with a serious library of books (perhaps stacked on the floor), paired with stylishly overflowing gallery walls. It’s delicate and over the top simultaneously, an easy way to dip your toe into maximalist waters.

From there, be fearless. Splash a bright coat of paint across your walls. Or a dark one. Or daringly printed wallpaper. Stock up and patterned pillows, patterned rugs, patterned chairs and sofas. Arrange art and tschotskes everywhere.

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You’ll never meet an experienced traveller who boasts about how big their bags are. The mark of a real jetsetter is how lightly they pack.

Not only does a featherweight suitcase spare your back and shoulders, it also saves you from pricey baggage fees. The end result? You arrive at your destination with more money in your pocket and no need for a massage – unless you want one.

#1 Don’t Double Up

Check in with your hotel, Airbnb host, or any travelling companions before packing to avoid bringing duplicates. A mini hair dryer seems like a neat travel gadget until you remember that most hotels have hair dryers of their own (and they’re bigger). Toiletries are the easiest items to leave out of your bag. Worst case scenario, if you can’t score freebies from your hotel or share with a fellow traveller, it’s not hard to purchase the basics in your destination.

#2 Make Two Lists

Do your best Santa impression and make two lists – except instead of Naughty and Nice, call them Wants and Needs. Consider all the activities you’re realistically likely to do on your trip. Make one list of the gear and clothing you’ll need for each, as well as daily essentials like contact lenses or prescription meds. Make a second list of things you won’t necessarily need but think it might be nice to have. Only bring items from the second list if there’s space left after packing everything from the first.

#3 Lay Everything Out

Your Tetris skills can finally come in handy. Lay everything out on the bed or floor before you pack. In addition to creating an Instagram-worthy flat lay photo, this strategy serves two purposes. Number one, seeing everything at once can help you edit. Pack realistically, not ambitiously. If you think “maybe” or “what if” about an item, toss it out. Number two, simultaneously viewing all the contents of your suitcase can help you visualise the best way to arrange them to maximise space.

#4 Pay Attention To The Palette

If Packing Light 101 were a class, this is how it would start. Pick a colour palette that mixes and matches. Your salmon chinos may be serious lady-killers, but they’re not the most versatile choice for your travels. Aim for a solid base of neutrals and one accent colour (no need to be boring just because you’re being efficient). Also consider what’s least likely to crease or show stains, and what will fold up smallest.

#5 Consolidate Your Tech

One day Google will implant microchips in our brains and we’ll be our own favourite gadgets. In the meantime, you have to choose which tech goes and which tech stays. Think about what you really need. A phone can double as a reading device and a camera, eliminating the need for your Kindle and your Nikon. It might even be able to replace your laptop if all you’re planning to do is check social media and read the occasional email.

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Acquiring all the essentials an adult man needs in his kitchen isn’t cheap. The best tools from the biggest names are investments, but if you’ve dropped your hard-earned on this kitchen staple, Anthony Bourdain says you’ve been bamboozled.

The outspoken chef doesn’t mince words when it comes to the scourge of knife sets. He writes:

“No con foisted on the general public is so atrocious, so wrongheaded, or so widely believed as the one that tells you you need a full set of specialized cutlery in various sizes. I wish sometimes I could go through the kitchens of amateur cooks everywhere just throwing knives out from their drawers — all those medium-size ‘utility’ knives, those useless serrated things you see advertised on TV, all that hard-to-sharpen stainless steel garbage, those ineptly designed slicers — not one of the damn things could cut a tomato.”

So what do you need? Bourdain is adamant that there’s only one knife you can’t do without: a quality chefs knife, “as large as is comfortable for your hand.” Use the narrow tip for small tasks and the thick area near the heel for bigger ones. If you must expand your collection, add a boning knife to fillet fish, a paring knife for delicate duties, and a basic serrated blade. Anything beyond that is just a tool for collecting dust.

The post Anthony Bourdain Says This Common Kitchen Tool Is A Waste Of Money appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

If you’re all about authentic cars and you’ve got some serious cash to splash then you’ll be pleased to know that the original Shelby Cobra, hand-built by Carroll Shelby, is going up for sale at RM Sotheby’s Monterey Auction on August 19th.

The very first Cobra, now known as CSX 2000, was created in 1962 when Carroll Shelby shoehorned a 260-cubic-inch Ford V8 between the wheel wells of a British-made AC Ace and a legend was born. The original Cobra was used heavily for promotion and as it was passed from publication to publication for reviews, underwent a host of colour changes to convince the public that Shelby had produced more than one car.

“It is the actual pen with which he signed his declaration of war and the idea upon which he built his company and revolutionised American racing – and the greater auto industry as a whole,” RM Sotheby’s stated. “It is, without exception, the single most important and history-rewriting sports car ever offered at auction, after over 50 years of ownership and without ever leaving the care of its founding father.”

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If you had the chance to dive into one of Heston Blumenthal’s bubbling, smoking, optical illusion dishes then it’d be pretty hard not to go straight for your iPhone to document every bite, but the celebrity chef thinks cameras should stay far away from his restaurants’ dining rooms.

“I would prefer it if they [diners] didn’t take any photos and just enjoyed themselves at the table, and certainly not take them throughout the whole meal,” Blumenthal told News.com.au

“Sometimes people take pictures from the moment they get somewhere and the camera disengages them from the emotion of being in the environment and the moment, as opposed to taking in the atmosphere, smelling, seeing, hearing, touching, feeling, all those senses.”

Blumenthal also made the point that mid-dinner photo shoots aren’t fair on other diners who are trying to keep a low profile. “Who knows, if somebody takes a picture, somebody on the next table is sitting there with someone they shouldn’t be sitting there with, it’s an invasion of privacy on the person.” We can now only assume there is some seriously dodgy stuff happening at Blumenthal’s restaurant The Fat Duck.

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