Gone are the days of the budget motel ‘wet room’ or pokey sink you can barely brush your teeth in. If you’re a travelling man of style, you’d understand the benefit of a luxurious hotel bathroom and according to Condé Nast Traveler there’s definitely no shortage of them around the world.

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If you’re rich enough to build yourself a mansion, you’re rich enough to trick it out with the weirdest, wildest, most whimsical details your imagination can devise. In the latest episode of the mental_floss List Show, host John Green reveals some of the nuttiest features ever built into famous homes.

These cribs make the celeb pads on MTV look restrained. Indoor pools are practically pedestrian. Instead, try private railroads, secret passageways, and a personal ice cream parlour. The notable homes profiled include the original Playboy Mansion, Buckingham Palace, the Winchester House, Hearst Castle, and Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch.

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If you were planning on celebrating tonight’s full moon by howling at it then we suggest you grow up, locate your magnificent bastard self and head to Bondi Icebergs for the Full Moon Crab Dinner.

The intimate dinner will see Icebergs’ Maurice Terzini and Chef Monty Kulodrovic showcase Australia’s freshest crabs with some pretty mind-blowing views.

Dishes on offers include crab and saffron arancini, spanner crab with tomato, olive, caper and anchovy and rye sourdough with baby gem lettuce, crab oil and verjuiceo. If that has your tongue wagging then it’s best you make a reservation, stat.

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Peace and serenity in Japan is a rare commodity given the population’s notoriously high stress levels.

Luckily someone caught onto that notion and created one of most relaxed scenic resorts for guests to unwind in. Regarded by locals as a mystical landmark, Mount Fuji is one of the most frequented and beautiful locations to visit in Japan.

Azuma Architect & Associates have fittingly created a resort called Hoshinoya Fuji to extract the most out of this. True to urban Japanese design, it features a bunker-style design from the outside but it’s behind the facade where it counts. Each room faces the grand Mount Fuji, taking in the breathtaking landscape via floor to ceiling windows which flows out onto a balcony.

RELATED: 9 Most Unusual Hotels In Asia

Heading in the opposite direction, guests will find a rather minimalistic and clean living quarter design which ensures that attention isn’t taken away from the real winner outside.

Stepping even further beyond that will bring guests to an amphitheater decking and entertainment space amongst the trees – just as Mother Nature intended for her happy glampers.

When burning marshmallows is no longer an option, guests are welcome to step inside the sleek Hoshinoya Fuji restaurant featuring architecturally sound structures and enough swagger to make any design junkie weep.

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Taking the concept of fast fashion to the next level is not the easiest but Gucci are definitely giving it a good crack with a brand new jacket customisation service.

Launched as the second iteration of the Gucci DIY service which operates from the label’s Via Montenapoleone flagship store in Milan, the service offers a selection of customisable denim jackets, silk jackets, tailored jackets and leather jackets.

Customers can choose from elaborate patterns, floral motifs, unique designs and fonts that are synonymous with the Gucci collection design. For the bikie-inspired fashionisto, there’s even a hand-painted studded biker jacket whilst silk bombers and initialised 14 oz. Japanese denim jackets cater perfectly to the closet bodgie.

A 2013 report from consulting firm Brain & Company cited via the Business of Fashion revealed that, “by providing customisation options, brands raise loyalty at a time when it’s more important than ever.”

“Customisation also helps companies reach specific consumers—such as the unpredictable millennial generation shoppers, a group known for their fast- moving preferences. As a growing consumer force, young shoppers demand more individualised products than their older counterparts – they’re not a one-size- fits-all generation.”

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You’d think being a likeable and magnificent bastard these days shouldn’t be so hard, but as social media and text messaging become widely accepted channels of communication, often our words get minced and we find ourselves with a less than desirable reputation. We all care about what others think of us so it’s only natural for us to crave popularity.

Whether you’re trying to come back from a drunken slip of the tongue, impress a first date or score a promotion at work there are some surprisingly easy ways to get people to like you, or even love you.

Here are 10 for you to keep up your sleeve next time you’re aiming to impress.

#1 Use People’s Names

It’s one thing to ask for someone’s name upon meeting them but actually remembering it and using it can take you from Narcissus to Mr. Nice Guy in an instant. Dropping another person’s name while in conversation with them is a tried and tested technique and is perhaps most famously referenced in  Dale Carnegie’s book How to Win Friends and Influence People. 

#2 Smile

People often underestimate the power of flashing your pearly whites with a big grin. When you smile, that happiness (whether real or forced) rubs off on the receiver, improving their mood and making you instantly more likeable. In fact, there have been many studies showing how mood, whether positive or negative, spreads between individuals.

#3 Open Your Palms

They might sweaty as all hell, but keeping your palms open during an interview, for instance, has been proven to convey trust and make people more likely to agree with what you’re saying.

#4 Ask Questions

It’s a given that most people like to talk about themselves, and a lot just really love the sound of their own voice. Making someone else feel important, and perhaps indulging their ego a little with strategic questioning about their life is a surefire way to get in the good books, and hopefully get what you want.

#5 Maintain Eye Contact

This might seem like a pretty obvious point, and something we’re all taught to do from a young age, but it’s extremely helpful in making people like you. There is, of course, a fine line. No eye contact and you’ll seem shy, or disinterested, but too much and you’re a bit of a creep. Apparently, maintaining eye contact for 60% of a conversation is all it takes to make you appear friendly, interested and trustworthy.

#6 Ask For Advice

Much like asking questions to become more likeable, asking for advice works in a very similar way. Asking someone what they think, or how they’d approach a situation shows that you value their opinion and also demonstrates respect.

#7 Be An Expert Storyteller

There’s nothing worse when a person commands the attention of a room just to tell a boring story that doesn’t lead anywhere. Great storytelling will definitely make you more likeable, but it’s a fine art that requires a careful balance of language, pacing, and of course, a little light embellishment.

#8 Silence Is Golden

Now we know that most people like to talk, especially about themselves, it’s no wonder that everyone feels the need to constantly fill silence. When you’ve asked someone a question and they’re slow to respond, it may work in your advantage to remain silent. This puts the ball in the other person’s court and also makes you seem like a damn good listener.

#9 Physical Touch

There’s a fine line with physical touch in getting people to like you and it definitely depends on the kind of person you’re dealing with. A subtle touch can make someone else feel more connected to you, but that’s not an invitation to start cuddling your co-workers. Reading the situation and the person you’re engaging with is key in this circumstance.

#10 Lean In

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What turns men like Hugh Hefner, Colin Farrell, and Jack Nicholson into world-class womanizers? Money, good looks, and celebrity come to mind, but a new study suggests their famously active sex lives could also be linked to specific personality traits.

The study, published in the Journal of Research in Personality, looked at the sex lives of newlywed couples to examine the association between individuals’ personality traits and the probability of sex on a given day. It also analysed the association between these traits and individuals’ satisfaction with sex when it occurred.

Two hundred and seventy-eight freshly hitched couples agreed to keep daily journal entries about their sack sessions for two weeks. The entries revealed how often the couple had sex and how satisfying it was. The couples also completed a personality test that measured 5 key traits, known as the ‘Big 5’ in personality psychology. Two traits proved to be especially strong predictors of frequent and better sex.

The first was Agreeableness – the tendency to value getting along with others. Wives who were highly agreeable had more sex with their husbands during the study. The second was Neuroticism – the tendency to be anxious, fearful, envious, jealous, and moody. Husbands and wives who ranked low in neuroticism had more satisfying sex. Partner personality, perhaps unexpectedly, was unrelated to sexual satisfaction.

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There seems to be a refurbished pub, hidden gin bar and pop-up restaurant opening every day of the week these days, and as such it’s becoming particularly hard to sort the good from the great and settle on your stomach-pleasing plans for the week ahead. That’s why it’s our aim to present you with what we believe to be both Instagram-worthy and delicious, and The Dolphin’s new Dining Room is high on our list.

Bondi Icebergs’ Maurice Terzini is the brains behind The Dolphin Dining Room, a highly anticipated hipster hotspot that brings Italo-Australian cuisine to the streets of Surry Hills. The menu, created in collaboration with Chef Monty Koludrovic, features all your favourite dining room hits like hand-stretched pizza, gnocchi, chicken cacciatore and plenty of seafood plus a list of producer-focused wine, unique pre-batched cocktails and quality local spirits.

“We look to serve amazing, local produce treated simply. I am proud to work with such amazing producers and showcase the best of the best, whether it be a ball of burrata with just the best fresh unfiltered olive oil and vinegar or our special, light, Roman style pizza. The Dolphin Dining Room is a fun, casual place to enjoy the company of friends and we are looking to match the food to that experience”, said Chef Monty Kulodrovic.

Even if you’re just popping down to the Dolphin Dining Room for a Negroni or two, there’s no way you can go past its fresh fit-out. The Dolphin’s existing mezzanine level has been completely removed making for an open, bright and light-filled dining space, highlighting the Dining Room’s open kitchen and quirky art by Beni.

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This story was originally published on Gizmodo

The English language is a voracious eater, consuming words and digesting them into whole new things.

Sometimes words that used to be trademarked by companies pass into generic use – like escalator, thermos, and aspirin. And sometimes words live in limbo: still trademarked, but used all the time as generic terms. Here are 15 of those words.

These are all words (except one) that the United States Patent and Trademark Office lists as being registered and “live”:

#1 Astroturf

You’re supposed to use “artificial turf” instead of the brand name, which is technically “AstroTurf.”

#2 Auto-Tune

This isn’t actually just a generic way to describe how a lot of singers are produced today, it’s actually a specific program from Antares Audio Technology. Not that you hear people say “That sounds like pitch correction” often.

#3 Band-Aid

This one is so ubiquitous it’s hard to remember that there is another name you’re supposed to use: adhesive bandage. Despite Johnson & Johnson’s fairly intense drive to remind everyone that Band-Aid Brand Adhesive Bandages is a brand name, it’s fairly generic.

#4 Botox

Allergan is very serious about protecting its anti-wrinkle treatment brand. It sued to keep “Botulex” out of stores.

#5 Bubble Wrap

“Bubble wrap” is a trademark of the Sealed Air Corporation.

#6 Dumpster

Technically, this is a slightly grey area — because Dempster only lost its trademark on the word “Dumpster” in April of this year. As the name of the company kind of hints, the name “dumpster” was a portmanteau of “dump” (as in “where trash lives”) and “Dempster” (the name of the company that made it, Dempster Brothers). Why you’d want your name forever linked to trash is a different question.

#7 JumboTron

The trademark for JumboTron is literally “large television screens” and owned by Sony. It’s only a JumboTron if Sony says it is.

#8 Kleenex

Despite how often it’s used for any type of facial tissue, Kimberly-Clark still holds onto the trademark for Kleenex.

#9 Onesies

Yes, that one-piece garment is a trademark of Gerber. And they have got it for children and adults.

#10 Ping-Pong

Parker Brothers registered this trademark for what is properly and generically named “table tennis” in 1930. It’s now owned by Escalade Sports, who are more than happy to tell you that it is a registered brand.

#11 Popsicle

Unilever (as Conopco) has the trademark on “popsicle” as a frozen treat. Unilever is another company that wants to make sure it keeps this trademark from becoming genericized, and thus they have a whole page devoted to the names.

With this horribly punned conclusion: So now that you know the cold facts, do the cool thing and stay on the right side of the law. Use Popsicle^®, Creamsicle^®, Fudgsicle® and Yosicle® only to identify our products, use these trademarks correctly, and don’t use them for any other purpose without our permission. We appreciate your cooperation.

#12 Realtor

I bet you didn’t think a job could be trademarked, did you? And yet, only members of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) are really real realtors. Don’t believe me? Here’s a three-minute video produced by the NAR about how realtors can help protect their licensed name:

#13 Rollerblade

I’m sorry, did you think you were going to go rollerblading? Because the Tecnica Group has something to say about that (spoiler alert: it’s “don’t say that.”) Instead, consider going inline-skating instead.

#14 Seeing Eye dog

As “The Seeing Eye” is actually a training center in New Jersey, only dogs who come out of that program are “Seeing Eye dogs.” Everyone else is just a guide dog.

#15 Tupperware

Here’s another one where coming up with another name for the product is really hard. “Plastic container”? “Plastic food container”? “Plastic containers for food with lids that always go missing”?

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