Tattoos may look cool, but what do they do to your body? From Post Malone to David Beckham, many people – both celebrities and non-celebrities; fitness fanatics and couch potatoes – love a tattoo (researchers reckon about four in every 10 young adults aged 18 to 29 have at least one tattoo). And half the attraction of getting a tattoo, some argue, is showing the world you simply don’t care about the risks of getting a tattoo – or risks in general. And that’s all well and good. The risks of getting a tattoo are real but rare – and what’s life without occasionally putting your skin in the game?

Well, if you’re a fitness fanatic or biohacker, then tattoo-free life can be full of dilemmas such as: if I live an otherwise healthy lifestyle, is it ok for me to get a tattoo? Or would I just be undoing all the hard work I put into fasting, meal prepping and ritually burning kale at the stake (or whatever else it is those glowing-skinned peoples do).

Enter: Dave Asprey, a health hacker who has faced this dilemma himself. Asprey recently took to social media to share his thoughts on tattoos (after, it seems, being called out for having one himself).

“Aren’t tattoos bad for your health? Absolutely, they’re bad for your health,” Asprey said in a video on Instagram. “Here’s why. Toxic metals. Oh and when they say, ‘Oh, it’s vegan,’ it’s usually plastics and endocrine disruptors so what my caffeine tattoo here is… this is done with carbon black which is activated charcoal.”

“So carbon black is apparently the safest one. I did a lot of research on doing this, if you have a lot of metals in your body… if you have metals in your body weird stuff happens. I already have enough metal in my body from an implant in my knee.”

Regarding what you can do to reduce the risk, Asprey says you can not get a full sleeve tattoo (“unless you’re willing to take that risk and detox afterwards”). He also suggests you “go for carbon black.” He then says “the super colourful ones are awesome” but that he has concerns over how they are getting that pigment” and claims “there are studies that show most tattoo inks will accumulate in your lymph nodes” and “I know a few people with lots of amazing tattoos who have chronic illness that is probably related to them.”

Finally, Asprey sums up: “They’re not without risk, but most people handle them pretty well.”

His opinion sparked some debate in the comments section. One Instagram user took issue with Asprey’s anecdotal (and in their view baseless) claim that his friends with tattoos’ chronic illness was “probably” related to the ink.

They wrote: “Love your page but this is a stretch and unfounded. Work closely w doctors who are head of the tattoo clinic at hospital here in Denmark – experts in their field. They hardly have peer reviewed research on the matter. And talking about people w illness and tattoo and saying probably to do w this is very unfounded!”

Other Instagran users thanked Asprey for the heads up. “I had no idea about this when I was a youngster getting that ink!” one wrote. “I have always wondered about this,” said another.

Another chimed in, saying: “At some point you have to just live your life. There are so many things that are ‘bad for our health’ but it’s also not good to live in fear.”

“There’s so much fear mongering these days on social media and it’s exhausting. I could rattle off 50 things most people do, eat, or use daily that are bad for them, but is it really ‘healthy’ to obsess over every possible thing that’s bad for us, many of which are unavoidable?”

According to WebMD: “The ink used in tattoos may be harmful – even years later.” They said this after a new report raised questions about the safety of tattoo inks in Europe, most of which come from the United States.

“The inks have been found to contain hazardous chemicals, including carcinogens,” WebMD states.

WebMD then cited a statement from ECHA, which reads: “Tattoo inks and permanent make up (PMU) may contain hazardous substances — for example, substances that cause cancer, genetic mutations, toxic effects on reproduction, allergies or other adverse effects on health.”

Healthline, however, at the time of writing, states: “While researchers have studied the possible link between tattooing and cancer for years, any direct association is currently regarded as a myth.”

Healthline adds: “Getting a tattoo alone is unlikely to cause skin cancer, but there may be risks associated with certain ingredients in tattoo ink. Different colors are created with variations in pigment and dilution, while some contain materials that may be considered carcinogenic (which means ‘having the potential to cause cancer'”).

Healthline also states that: “Overall, tattoo ink is safer than in previous decades. Yet it’s still important to ask your tattoo artist what types of inks they use, what the ingredients are, and where they come from. It’s also worth noting that no tattoo inks are regulated or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).”

You also have the more run of the mill immediate risks of getting a tattoo, like infection, allergic reactions, and scarring (the risk of which increases if you don’t see a licenced artist or if the wound doesn’t heal properly.

• Before & After Photo Reveals What Tattoos Look Like After 50 Years
• How To Choose Tattoos That You Won’t Regret When You’re 50
• 25 Snake Tattoo Ideas: Bold & Unique Serpent Designs

The post Tattoos ‘Absolutely’ Bad For Your Health, Bio-Hacker Says appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Tom Platz, the 66-year-old retired bodybuilder, is a man who once owned some of the largest, most muscular legs in bodybuilding history. To get such mammoth pins, he had to perform a brutal series of leg workouts when hitting the gym. Put simply, he is a prime example of what you can achieve if you never skip leg day, and his favourite leg exercise is the squat.

As Healthline says, “leg workouts engage the major muscle groups of your body, which helps to improve athletic performance and support healthy movement patterns in your daily life.”

“A strong lower body will also help to prevent injury and manage chronic conditions such as arthritis, heart disease and diabetes.”

If that’s not enough proof that you should dedicate at least one gym session a week to your legs, we don’t know what is.

As we mentioned earlier, Tom – also known as The Quadfather – says, without doubt, the best leg exercise you can do (and given the sheer size of his legs in his bodybuilding days, we’re going to say he knows what he’s talking about).

This revelation was uncovered in a video posted to TikTok by David McCullough, which shows someone speaking with Tom in a gym.

In the video, Tom can be heard saying “Nothing compares to squats, you can do leg presses, but why?”

“Why do inferior movement, why do a movement that looks good but produces hardly any results. I don’t care how much weight you use, I’d rather do 3 good plates and get in 15, 20 good reps and reap the benefit.”

Highlighting a reason why people may choose to forego squats or leg days altogether, Tom continues, “there’s a reason why people don’t do squats, it’s hard!.”

“People don’t want what’s hard, they want what’s easy, what looks showy.”

And, revealing his best piece of advice, Tom goes on to say, “In fact, forget about the weight, just squat correctly. That is the secret. Absolutely.”

Indeed, Tom’s words can be applied to practically any gym exercise. You’re going to gain greater benefit from performing a movement correctly, than you are by increasing the weight, and performing it incorrectly. This is something fitness trainer Paul Sklar has touched upon before, highlighting what is known as the mind-muscle connection.

This means you are mentally connected with your body, and so understand what is happening to the muscle as it goes through each repetition. This technique doesn’t require heavy weights, quite the opposite, in fact. Using a lighter weight will give you the time and energy to divert your attention away from making sure you complete the lift, and instead use it to visualise your form and technique instead.

So, how do you squat correctly? Well, firstly, there are several variations of the squat you can perform – including the front squat – but for the purposes of this article, we’re referring to the barbell back squat.”

To perform a squat, start with the barbell set just below shoulder height on the squat rack. Step under it and have it rest on your shoulders. Lift up and take a couple of steps back. If you’re new to squats, or have had some time off since you last performed them, keep the weight light so as to avoid injury and help improve the technique.

Bring your pelvis in and brace your core. You want to keep this same solid core throughout the duration of the movement. Take a deep breath in and squat down. To squat effectively, ensure your knees push outwards and almost imagine you’re just sitting down. Sit into the squat until your hips are just below your knees. If this feels too deep to push back up from, you at least want to bend your knees to a 90-degree angle.

Keeping the breath held in – it helps with stability – push up through your heels until you’re back at your starting position, where you can exhale (you can exhale as you lift up if you find it helps you more).

Of course, you don’t want to just perform squats when you’re in the gym and be done with it. You will need to perform other leg exercises to help build your leg muscles. But in terms of the main movement you do, squats are an absolute essential.

• One Change To Your Squats Can Supersize Your Legs
• ‘The Best Deadlift You’ve Never Done’ Could Be Most Effective Variation

The post ‘The Quadfather’ Tom Platz Reveals The Secret To Getting Super Strong Legs appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

It’s no secret that the minimum wage in the US – especially for hospitality workers – is ridiculously low; which is why tipping is customary. In fact, most hospitality workers make most of their money through tips – not through their wages.

However, multiple staff members who work at the Miami Nusr-Et – a restaurant owned by Nusret Gökçe AKA Salt Bae; a viral sensation best known for the way he sprinkles salt – realised that customers were no longer tipping due to a mandatory ‘service charge’ that’s added to every bill.

Upon this discovery, they then found out that this service charge (which at Nurs-Et is always 18% of the bill’s total) was not being divided up and given to staff members on top of their wages. It was instead just going towards their wages as well as other costs to run the restaurant… Meaning these staff members were getting way less money than usual.

So, they sued and argued that this ‘charge’ shouldn’t be used to cover their normal wages, it should be given to them as a ‘bonus’, especially because the very appearance of the charge on every bill leads most customers to think a tip is no longer necessary.

The court has finally come to a decision and ultimately ruled against the staff members though, stating that a compulsory service charge and tips are not the same thing; and that under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Nurs-Et is well within its rights to put every 18% service charge towards staff’s wages rather than give it to staff members as a bonus on top of their wages.

In fact, the court outlined that tips are “determined solely by the customer” and that “the essential element of a tip is its voluntary nature,” therefore, because this ‘service charge’ is a mandatory fee the restaurant charges customers, it is definitely not a tip.

So, what does this mean? Well, to put it simply, if you’re at a restaurant – whether it’s one of Salt Bae’s lavish steak houses or not – and there’s a service charge on your bill, you do still need to tip your servers! It’s also a lesson to restaurant owners – treat your staff well otherwise they might try and sue you…

• ‘Uncomfortable’ Usher Moment At Salt Bae’s Restaurant Suggests Celebrities Don’t Cook Often
• Salt Bae’s Restaurant Prices Will Blow Your Mind

The post Salt Bae Lawsuit Proves Why It Pays To Tip Restaurant Staff appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Bitcoin (BTC) surged past $47,000 ($62,000 AUD) yesterday and looks to be on the warpath to reversing a pretty rough start to the year. The world’s largest cryptocurrency is up a total of 15% over the past week, compared to a 16% rise in Ethereum (ETH), a 30% rise in Cardano (ADA) and a 25% increase in Solana (SOL) over the same time period. 

Why Is BTC Price Increasing?

Earlier this month, Bitcoin increased rapidly in price, spiking from $37,500 ($50,018 AUD) to $44,500 ($59,355) in just a few hours, owing to speculation that Russia and its citizens would use cryptocurrencies to dodge economic sanctions. After this rumor proved to be a little less substantial than everyone thought, the price tanked again. 

However, as of the 16th of March, the price of Bitcoin has begun steadily increasing in the first major, sustained rally of 2022. While the S&P 500 also rallied during the same period (gaining 9% since March 16) Bitcoin has grown a more substantial 25%, showing a strongly renewed interest in the broader crypto market. 

Bitcoin’s rally comes as Do Kwon, the co-founder of Terra (LUNA), promised to buy $10 billion worth of Bitcoin to use as reserves for Terra’s US Dollar stablecoin, UST. Kwon has so far held up his side of the deal, with the Luna Foundation Guard (LFG) bitcoin wallet address purchasing more than 27,000 BTC worth around $1.3 billion ($1.73 billion AUD).

Without getting too technical, Bitcoin’s recent surge also seems to be driven by an increased demand from the spot market, meaning that more investors want to buy actual Bitcoin right now, rather than speculate on its price in the future. 

Will This Rally Last?

According to market analyst, Damanick Dantes from CoinDesk, an increase in spot demand for Bitcoin generally shows up around market turning points, which suggests that the current rally could be here to stay for a while longer. This is further supported by increased buying from big names like Do Kwon which seems to have pumped some positive sentiment back into the overall crypto market as well. 

There is also a renewed appetite for altcoins like Solana (SOL) and Cardano (ADA), which suggests that crypto investors are starting to make riskier plays. If past market rallies are any guide, strong altcoin rallies usually coincide with a sustained upward movement of the entire crypto market.

It’s always anyone’s guess when it comes to predicting moves in crypto, but the underlying conditions of this current rally look somewhat promising, at least for the foreseeable future.

• Best Crypto: 3 Best Cryptocurrencies To Buy Right Now [March 2022]
• $3 Million Crypto Punt Allegedly Sent Australian Company Broke

The post Bitcoin Is Rallying Again. Will It Last? appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Will Smith, the global megastar with a glittering movie and music career could have tarnished his entire reputation as a result of a few seconds at the 94th Academy Awards, setting a poor example for young men in the process.

On the night, comedian Chris Rock made a joke about Will’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith, that referenced her alopecia. Will took a distaste to this joke and decided to take matters into his own hands, walking up on stage and slapping Chris Rock around the face. He followed this up by demanding Rock “keep [my] wife’s name out your f***ing mouth.”

The altercation has become the most talked-about moment of the entire Awards ceremony, overshadowing the fact we saw the first deaf man win an Oscar in Troy Katsur, and Ariana DeBose, the first openly queer woman of colour, also take home an Oscar.

Will even won an award himself for Best Actor just 40-minutes later, for his portrayal of Richard Williams, father to highly successful tennis-playing sisters, Venus and Serena Williams. In the movie, Richard (Will) proves he will go to great lengths to do anything he can for his daughters in order for them to be successful and realise their dreams.

I have no doubt that Will’s own personality would have shone through in this role. He is a family man through and through and will do anything he can to help them succeed.

But, was Will Smith right to do what he did?

Comedians make jokes for a living. It’s what they’re paid to do. They also, more often than not, make jokes that make you question whether you should laugh at them or not. British comedian and actor Ricky Gervais has been the host of several awards ceremonies, and regularly took shots at Hollywood’s elite (and, as Mel Gibson knows all too well, enjoyed taking shots at some of the most embarrassing and shameful moments in their lives). Has he ever been assaulted on stage? No.

There are claims that Chris was unaware of Jada’s alopecia. If true, then it was an innocent mistake. If he did know, then it just comes down to poor taste. I certainly don’t agree that you should make fun of someone’s medical condition (whatever the case, it certainly wasn’t as funny as some of Gervais’ quips).

We all have things about our bodies we’d like to change, and things we’re embarrassed by. So for someone to bring it up on live global television will certainly make you feel like the smallest person in the world.

Unsurprisingly, the ‘slap seen around the world’ has already become a huge viral meme on social media accounts, and you now can’t scroll through your Instagram or Twitter feed without seeing some sort of reference.

It’s not the first time Will has been turned into a viral meme. In 2020, a picture of him crying went viral and found itself on the receiving end of jokes around the topic of men showing emotion. It effectively became a synonym for the word “pain” (or a dark alternative for sarcastically saying: “great”).

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Todays chill memes (@chill_memes_2020)

Just as some people back then defended Will, claiming it was a great moment to highlight the fact men can, and should, show emotion, they are once again coming to his defence over this more recent event.

These defenders say he was right to put down somebody who made an offensive joke. Others claim there is no way he should have been able to get away with physically assaulting someone at an occasion such as the Oscars, which would have been seen by millions upon millions of people around the world – initial viewership figures for the United States estimate just over 15 million watched it nationally.

Hollywood itself is divided, with The New York Times citing the Academy itself as saying it “condemns the actions of Mr. Smith”, and Star Wars star Mark Hamill claiming it to be the “ugliest Oscars moment.”

Tiffany Haddish, meanwhile, who is a close friend of the Smiths said Will’s slap was “the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” and a regular receiver of criticism, British journalist Piers Morgan, said he feels he should “defend” Will’s actions.

Morgan pointed out the fact it was more a slap than a punch (“whilst I don’t condone violence, Will Smith didn’t punch him”) and also wrote: “Making fun of a woman who’s lost all her hair isn’t funny, it’s just unkind.”

It’s an interesting subject and one that should warrant conversation and debate. Ultimately, however, I am personally torn over which ‘side’ to take.

I do understand Will’s intentions behind what he did, and I do applaud that. If someone you love is on the receiving end of criticism and they don’t have the strength within themselves to make it known they didn’t like it, you should be able to stand up for them.

And that is exactly what he did. Will actually laughed at the joke initially, but when he turned his head and noticed Jada was anything but amused, that’s when he got up on stage.

However, the way in which he did it and the stage in which he was seen to have done it, was a poor choice in my opinion.

Violence should never be the answer for anything. Some people may say “but he only slapped him, he didn’t punch him.” It’s irrelevant. It’s still violence and it still should not be condoned.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Respectful Relationships (@maxi.radcliffe)

As the above Instagram post from @maxi.radcliffe perfectly explains, there is a right way and a wrong way to react to something that offends you or a loved one.

Hitting them just undoes all the tireless work that attempts to change the image of men. Hitting them just once again proves that men aren’t able to talk things out and feel their only medium to show the fact they’re offended, is to resort to violence.

At the time of the original publishing of this piece, Will hadn’t apologised to Chris for slapping him around the face, and I think Chris has shown remarkable courage and resilience to have shrugged it off, continue hosting and not press any charges following the event.

Since publishing, however, Will Smith has taken to Instagram to issue an apology.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Will Smith (@willsmith)

For the most part, people’s reactions have been relatively narrow-minded. “How dare Chris make such an inoffensive joke about a woman’s medical condition, of course, Will should have stood up for her, he loves her.”

Scale this out, though, and suddenly you can start to see how Will’s actions could influence a younger generation and the negative effects it will have. If a young man sees his idol physically hit someone in the name of love and honor, does that now mean he can one day also hit someone, defending someone he holds close, without consequence?

Another argument raised by some people on social media is that it’s elitist (or simply, sheltered and overly-sensitive) to be quite so disgusted by violence. A bit of rough and tumble never hurt anyone, they seem to imply (see, for instance, satirical outlet Betoota Advocate’s recent headline: ‘Will Smith Reminds Hollywood That He’s West Philadelphia Born And Raised’).

Piers Morgan, for his part, while qualifying he doesn’t condone violence, wrote: “In previous eras, he’d have been saluted for defending his girl, not savaged by an overly sensitive snowflake society.”

Many subscribers to this school of thought argue that men – and the boys who look up to them – can distinguish between ‘honourable’ types of violence (like, in their view, what Smith did to Rock) and ‘bad’ types of violence (domestic abuse, a sucker punch to a random outside a pub, Putin’s war machine).

Except: this school of thought doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Why? Violence hurts people. This wasn’t a boxing match. It was a sucker slap. And violence typically only results in more violence, creating a vicious cycle which benefits no-one.

And all violent acts ultimately contribute to a culture in which things like domestic abuse, sucker punches and… wars occur – all still at horrifying rates. If people are able to distinguish between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ violence, why do we live in such a messed up culture?

If we want to start doing better as a society we need to draw a harder line on violence – all of it.

Will highlights this fact in his apology, claiming “violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive…there is no place for violence in a world of love and kindness.”

He goes on to admit he is a “work in progress.”

One of the insights gained from DMARGE’s own Men’s Matters study found men and women unanimously agreeing on the fact young men need better role models, and only a small percentage of men and women surveyed (23%) felt that a man is weak if he doesn’t fight back.

Subsequently, more men and women (33%) disagreed with the statement, “A guy who doesn’t fight back is weak; guys should act strong even if they are scared.”

The importance of role models and the influence those in the public eye can have over young men and women can often be forgotten about, I feel. I’m willing to admit this opinion could be based on the fact I personally don’t feel I do look up to anyone in particular.

But for those who do have their heroes, they are going to watch and imitate things they do. And Will’s meteroic rise from the loveable young jokester in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air to one of Hollywood’s leading men is a perfect example of how perseverance, commitment and to not let hate bring you down (not all of his movies have been box office successes, but he hasn’t let the negativity affect him) can bring you success.

It’s this dedication to the cause and his charming, laidback aura that have earned him legions of fans around the world. But what he did to Chris Rock should have these fans questioning whether Will is, in fact, perfect.

Trent Knox, one user on social media who released an uncensored version of the clip of Will slapping Chris, said himself in his video that “Role models are not perfect.” This could not be more true.

We all make mistakes. We can all react impulsively, only to rethink our actions at a later time. I feel in this particular instance, Will would have done better to have done better to have kept the rage he felt inside him at the time, and speak to Chris after the event.

But love can make us do crazy things.

While Will has since owned up to his actions and apologised, it doesn’t mean the event itself never happened. Of course, an apology and an admission of doing wrong are good, but it could still encourage the idea that we can still use violence against someone if we feel it’s justified.

Just as long as we say sorry afterwards.

Be a better role model Will. We know you can be. You know you can be.

• Good Role Models: Why Young Men Need Them
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The post OPINION: Men Will Never ‘Do Better’ With Role Models Like Will Smith appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Polkamarket’s native cryptocurrency, POLK, has surged over 45% in the last 18 hours, spiking quickly from $0.25 ($0.33 AUD) yesterday to $0.37 ($0.49 AUD) today. This has led many investors to question what on earth POLK is and why it’s performing so well recently, after suffering from lacklustre performance since its introduction on the 25th of February last year. At the time of writing POLK is down a little over 90% from its all-time high of $3.62 ($4.81 AUD) in mid-March last year. 

What Is Polkamarkets (POLK)?

Polkamarkets describes itself as a “DeFi-Powered Prediction Market”, which in plain english is essentially a very technical gambling platform that runs on a blockchain. Polkamarkets lets crypto enthusiasts to make speculations about real world events and back it up with cryptocurrency. 

Fun fact: the concept of prediction markets actually dates back several decades, with the first modern electronic prediction market introduced during the 1988 US presidential election. According to one study, prediction markets tend to be fairly fairly accurate and usually outperform other predictive tools like polls. 

Why is the price of POLK increasing?

The entire crypto market is currently experiencing a broader rally, with altcoins (all cryptocurrencies that aren’t Bitcoin or Ethereum) also seeing substantial gains. 

While there’s no major news concerning Polkamarkets, the POLK token is among a series of much smaller tokens that traders have recently found to be an attractive buying opportunity, according to a new influx of posts about the token doing the rounds on “crypto twitter.”

POLK Price Prediction

According to forecasting from DigitalCoinPrice, POLK is a good buy for the long-term, with analysts expecting the Polkamarkets token to be worth roughly $0.43 ($0.57 AUD) by the end of this year. From there, POLK is predicted to finish 2023 at $0.48 ($0.64 AUD) and by 2025 the token could be worth around $0.64 ($0.85 AUD), a healthy 72% increase from today’s price.

Super low-market cap tokens like POLK, which is currently valued at roughly $22 million ($29 million AUD) and is ranked as number 771 by market cap, are usually what experts call “super risky”. Even the largest cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum experience massive volatility, so it should come as no surprise that tiny altcoins are even more prone to enormous swings in price. 

Is POLK actually worth buying?

Polkamarkets is still in a very, very niche area of DeFi, which is itself a niche area of crypto, which means that investing in POLK is pretty risky if you’re not familiar with all of the ins and outs of decentralized finance and Web3.

Other prediction market services haven’t been having a great time either, mostly because they lack incentives for regular use and don’t provide much in the way of entertainment value. Polkamarkets seems to be a little different in this regard, because it allows for day by day speculation on a whole host of different sports, financial markets and political happenings. 

According to their roadmap, Polkamarkets also plans to begin offering a more “gamified” experience by integrating NFTs (non fungible tokens) as well as live streams, virtual events, and giveaways.

Polkamarkets Conclusion

Ultimately, figuring out which way POLK will move from here is anyone’s guess. There doesn’t seem to be an enormous downside risk (the possibility that the token will totally collapse from here) as it’s already down a solid 90% from its all-time-high and its price has remained relatively consistent over the past few months. If you think that Polkamarkets offers a unique service that people will want to use, then maybe grabbing up some POLK wouldn’t be the worst idea.

• Best Crypto: 3 Best Cryptocurrencies To Buy Right Now [March 2022]
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The post What The Hell Is Polkamarkets (POLK) & Why Is Its Price Surging? appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

“When I am preparing for my big wave season, I am really preparing for survival,” big wave surfer Nic Von Rupp told DMARGE recently. “I want to give it all in the gym to be sure when I do fall to have the best physical capacity a man can have to survive the superior power of nature.”

“My season start three months before – training in the gym, we do cardio to start off and get the cardio and VO2 max levels up, then we shift into body strengthening, legs and arms.”

Nic Von Rupp

Von Rupp added: “My primary concern [when training] is making myself stronger – both physically and mentally – for a better chance of survival and then obviously I also train for better performance.”

If this sounds scary; that’s because it is. Von Rupp, a Portuguese big wave surfer who recently “quietly became one of the world’s best big wave surfers” (as called by The Inertia) is having a purple patch. And with purple patches (if you’re a big wave surfer) comes the confidence to surf insane hunks of water.

But Von Rupp’s up and coming status isn’t just a stroke of fortune. Von Rupp hasn’t even always enjoyed big waves. He’s worked hard, incrementally, and respectfully, to earn his reputation as one of the world’s best big wave surfers.

“I wasn’t necessarily the bravest kid on the block, but I was always taught to challenge myself,” Von Rupp told DMARGE. “That’s the backbone of the progression as a professional career. Always dare to challenge yourself to take that one step further.. and that’s what I did, unconscious, but I kept daring to take those daily steps…”

“Guess what; 20 years later I am surfing the biggest waves in the world.”

Nic Von Rupp

Those looking for proof of Von Rupp’s big wave chops need only look at January the 8th’s historic session at Nazaré.

It was a day full of mayhem and injuries. One surfer went over the falls of a monster and said it was the closest they had ever come to death. Another accomplished big wave rider got smashed by a trademark Nazaré triangle, breaking their arm and blowing their eardrum.

Von Rupp, though, was reportedly a “steely, calm, presence in the lineup” who, with his partner Pedro Scooby, surfed a dozen waves and returned safely to the harbour.

RELATED: Australian Big Wave Surfer Mark Mathews Reveals The Secret To True Courage

No one was paddling that day – it was simply too big. Von Rupp told DMARGE: “Paddling huge Nazaré waves is big challenge. Once it starts getting over 30ft it’s just too dangerous to paddle.”

This is because there is a large area over which the waves might break. And getting smashed by big sets over 30ft puts your life at risk. As Von Rupp told us: “You can sustain big injuries that can ruin your career.”

“We want to ride big waves, not get cleaned up by them, that’s why you see people towing when it’s over 30ft instead of paddling.”

It’s not just in the big wave arena where Von Rupp is coming into his own. Von Rupp also runs a successful Youtube channel, which sees him document his wave-chasing adventures all around the world, from Scotland to Indonesia.

Speaking of which: big wave surfers – particularly entrepreneurial ones, like Von Rupp – have to be ready to go at any moment. As Von Rupp explained to DMARGE: “Technology is extremely advanced these days which facilitates to know when the big waves are going to show up, but forecasting isn’t 100% accurate.”

“To know when that record-breaking wave will break is a combination between size of a swell, direction, wind, tide and being at the right place right time.”

Nic Von Rupp

On that note: Von Rupp is a Tudor ambassador. He wears the Tudor Pelagos, and he’s a hell of a test pilot. Von Rupp takes the Swiss luxury wristwatch manufacturer’s ethos of being “field-tested to the extreme” to a whole new level.

“All my life has been about daring,” Von Rupp told DMARGE. “This is the reason why this partnership happened so naturally.”

“While I surf, I wear the Tudor Pelagos, which I love because it is sporty and light. It is hard to measure the size of the waves, but I have been using the Pelagos with its black dial since early January and it’s been on my wrist on the biggest waves I rode this season.”

“I hate measuring the size of the waves, they are all huge, but they must be very close to record-breaking 80ft.”

Von Rupp had a massive wipeout while wearing the Tudor Pelagos, during the TUDOR Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge in February. He told DMARGE: “I fell at the bottom of the wave, skipped down with my arm and got dragged deep down.

“Good news is the watch has been tested by the power of Nazaré’s big waves and it’s still ticking and shiny.”

Nic Von Rupp

“It is definitely the best companion for these extreme conditions.”

Von Rupp added: “I am very excited to join forces with TUDOR and I am humbled to now become a part of that legacy of people going for their dream even if it seems crazy to all the others around. Also very happy to reconnect somewhat to my Swiss roots through this new partnership.”

As for those still wondering what it’s like to surf Nazaré, we’ll leave you with this final quote from Von Rupp:

“Surfing Nazaré is a roller coaster of emotions, desire, strength and fear… but when you are going for that wave it’s a moment of zen, where everything slows down and you are 100% aware of what the wave is giving you. During that moment you just want to ride the wave and make it to the channel safely.”

• Kai Lenny Explains What It Would Take To Surf 80ft Nazaré… Without A Jetski
• Did David Beckham Accidentally Reveal A New ‘People’s Rolex’?
• I Surfed Australia’s Scariest Wave & This Is What I Discovered

The post Nic Von Rupp’s Watch Is Tested By The World’s Biggest Waves appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Ah, gin. Sweet, sweet gin. For so transparent a spirit it sure has a colourful past; a true rags to riches story that every man, woman and their dog should know.Born in Holland and adopted by the English in the 17th century, it lubricated and warmed the Thirty Years War, was used as medicine to cure (ironically) gout and stomach complaints, saved countless sailors from the scurvy when mixed with lime, got the poor of London so consistently blind hammered that The Gin Act was passed – which subsequently incited the Gin Riots – before it clawed and refined its way through the intervening centuries to become the sophisticated and classic backbone to James Bond’s martini…before Smirnoff brainwashed everyone with a bloody corker of an advertising campaign.All in all it’s been a one hell of a ride for gin, and what we particularly love about it is how it conjures images like a time-machine, whether they be romantic ones of gin-swigging sailors of the Royal Navy chasing down rum-guzzling pirates in the 18th century, or not-so-romantic ones of London whores with teeth the colour of earwax showing off their ankles for a penny during the Jack the Ripper era.Of course, nowadays gin is synonymous with summer days and a G&T or, if you’re of the Snoop Dogg disposition, sippin’ on with some juice.The real question though, is which juniper juice to plump for? No need to reach for a drop of the Dutch courage – that’s gin again by the way – to help, here are thirty of our favourites from around the globe.Here’s out picks for the best gin in the world and the brands who make them.

Gin Brand FAQ

Read Next

• The Best Cognac Brands To Try 

The post 31 Best Gin Brands 2022 appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The most frustrating and counter-intuitive problem with “cryptocurrency,” is that despite the entire crypto market rocking a valuation of around $2 trillion, practically none of it can actually be used as an actual currency. 

While the crypto-purists might argue with me here by pointing to Bitcoin’s adoption in El Salvador or try to show me all the ways that people can technically use extremely convoluted services to make online purchases using crypto – it’s glaringly obvious that spending crypto is still really difficult. 

That’s why when Crypto.com announced that they’d be launching a crypto-friendly debit card in partnership with VISA back in March last year, I couldn’t help but jump onboard. It immediately struck me as an innovative and much-needed solution to one of the strangest problems in the crypto industry and I wanted to be a part of the first mass-scale effort to make cryptocurrency accessible to the general public.

Make sure to check out our full round-up of the best crypto cards to try right now

Overall Experience with Crypto.com

So, roughly ten months ago, I staked $5,000 AUD into the native crypto.com token, CRO (Cronos token) for a metal crypto.com debit card. To clear up any confusion, crypto.com requires all users who want to gain access to the debit card to lock up an initial investment starting from $500 for a 6 month period — this is called “staking”. After your staking period is up, you’ll get a notification that your card is being sent out to you. 

Now, as someone interested in personal finance and investing, the Crypto.com card was attractive not just because of its sheer novelty, but also because of the undeniably cool features that it offered:

• Free Netflix & Spotify
• Airport lounge access
• Fee-free cash withdrawal from any ATM
• Easily spend crypto on real products

When I first staked my AUD into CRO, I can’t say that I had a bulletproof, long-term investment thesis — I was honestly just interested to see what sort of product I’d end up with. Fast-forward to now and the token has grown from US$0.10 to US$0.48 — turning my staked amount from $5000 to roughly $19,000 – a pretty comfortable 380% return on my initial investment.

During this time I watched Crypto.com forge deals with the UFC, Formula 1 and the NBA. They purchased the ‘Staples Center’ home of the LA Lakers and renamed it the ‘Crypto.com Arena’ in a $700 million acquisition deal (the largest ever naming rights deal in history).

They also introduced glossy, big-budget advertising campaigns with Matt Damon as the face of their brand, pushing their platforms and services further into the mainstream.

The “Matt Damon” campaign is set to expand in 2022, with Crypto.com recruiting a whole host of new talent, including: UFC fighter Ronda Rousey, NBA all-star Carmelo Anthony, olympic snowboarder Lindsey Jacobellis, and retired astronaut: Scott Kelly. All of this inspired a good deal of confidence that I’d invested with the right company. 

Personal Experience With the Crypto.com Card

When Jade Green card arrived in the mail a few months ago, I was stoked to see how it would work from a functional perspective. I was worried that the process of transferring crypto assets onto the card wouldn’t be super intuitive, but after opening up the app and putting a few hundred bucks onto the card in just a few seconds, I realized I had nothing to worry about. 

Essentially, if you want to spend $100 worth of your Bitcoin that you have on the crypto.com app, you just go to the “card” section of the app and press “top up”. After you select that you want to top up from your Bitcoin wallet, it will transfer that $100 worth of Bitcoin into AUD on the card and you’re good to go. 

The next best feature I didn’t even pay much attention to was getting a 3% cashback rebate on all of my transactions. Whenever I make a purchase using my card, 3% of the value of that transaction gets sent back to my account as CRO, which really begins to stack up if you’re making frequent or large purchases with the card. Another huge win was finding out at the Jade Green card also lets me withdraw up to $800 fee-free from any ATM.

Different Crypto.com Cards Explained

So, there are 5 tiers of cards that you can stake your fiat dollars into CRO for, with each more expensive card providing more unique and enticing features.

Midnight Blue

If you only want the absolute basics, like being able to spend your cryptocurrency more easily, then the Midnight Blue card is what you’re looking for. It doesn’t require any lock up period, and anyone with the crypto.com app can apply for it. Users will see 1% of their total purchase value returned to their accounts as CRO token as well being able to withdraw $200 for free from any ATM each month.

Ruby Steel 

Next is the Ruby Steel card, which you’ll need to stake $500 worth of CRO for. The Ruby card gives its users free Spotify, via a 100% rebate program, where whatever amount you spend on your Spotify membership is deposited back into your account. Users can withdraw $400 for free from any ATM and will see 2% of their total purchase value returned to them in the form of CRO. 

Royal Indigo & Jade Green

If you’re looking to get the best range of features for the lowest price tag the Royal Indigo and Jade Green cards are probably your best bet. These cards provide their users with access to the following:

• Free Spotify
• Free Netflix
• Free airport lounge access

Users can withdraw $800 for free from any ATM and will also see 3% of all their purchases returned as a CRO cashback reward. 

Frosted Rose Gold & Icy White

For those of you willing to lock up $50,000 in CRO token for 6 months, the Gold and White cards step the features up in a pretty major way. Not only do you get 5% of all of your purchases rebated to you as CRO, you also gain access to all of the following:

• Free Spotify
• Free Netflix
• Free Amazon Prime
• 10% off all Expedia purchases
• Free airport lounge access for you and 1 extra guest.
• Access to to crypto.com premium service
• Receive undisclosed bonus rewards as well as exclusive merch packs.

Obsidian

The Obsidian card is where things get absolutely wild. If you’re doing well enough that you have a spare $500,000 to drop on a debit card, then the features that come with Obsidian may prove to be pretty enticing:

• Free Spotify
• Free Netflix
• Free Amazon Prime
• 10% off all Expedia purchases
• 10% off Airbnb transactions
• Free airport lounge access for you and 1 extra guest.
• Access to to crypto.com premium service
• Receive undisclosed bonus rewards as well as exclusive merch packs.
• Private jet partnership.

That’s right, the obsidian card comes with its own private jet partnership option, as well as rebating 8% of all your transactions as CRO. As someone who “only” gets 3% back on their card, the amount of CRO you can accumulate simply by using your card frequently is pretty impressive. 

A general disclaimer is important here for the airport lounge access subject, as all crypto.com’s lounge access is provided in partnership with LoungeKey, which offers access to over 500 premium airport lounges in more than 300 cities worldwide, irrespective of the airline or travel class. 

The Downsides of the Crypto.com Card

The biggest issue with the Crypto.com card is that you have to stake your money into CRO for a minimum of 180 days and once the staking period is over you still need to keep the equivalent value of $500 or $5000 staked in order to use the card.

Owing to the volatile nature of the crypto market, the dollar value of the amount you stake could change drastically in the time that you’re waiting for your card. I was lucky enough to have locked up my CRO well before crypto.com blew up, but if I’d waited and staked 6 months later when the price was high, I’d currently be down a substantial amount.

The second slight issue I have with the card is that crypto.com currently don’t offer digital wallet access, meaning that you can connect the crypto visa card to your Apple Pay, Google Pay or anything else like that. It’s not a major drawback, but it is worth mentioning if you prefer to leave your wallet at home sometimes.

Crypto.com Card Conclusion

I found the crypto.com card to be pretty awesome. Obviously the more you’re willing to stake for it, the more cool features you’ll receive. Personally, I’m really happy with the Indigo card because it’s perfect for my finances, and I really couldn’t go past getting free Spotify and Netflix as well as the sheer utility of being able to spend my crypto assets super easily.

However, some people have made the observation that customer service with Crypto.com (being headquartered in Singapore) isn’t amazing. While I have not had any negative experiences in terms of customer service, it is a widely reported downside to crypto.com.

Ultimately, if you’re sick of getting hit with all of the different fees for withdrawing crypto into your fiat bank account, then the crypto.com card is a very solid option — it makes the process of actually utilizing your cryptocurrency cheap and efficient.

• Crypto.com (Cronos) Price Prediction AUD: What Price Can CRO Reach In 2022?
• Crypto.com Exchange Review 2022

The post Crypto.com VISA Card Australia Review: Is The Crypto Debit Card Really Worth It? appeared first on DMARGE Australia.