The Oscar winner and veteran actor Nicolas Cage has expressed interest in playing a ‘terrifying’ villain in a sequel to Matt Reeves’ The Batman. According to IGN, while promoting his upcoming film, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Cage told reporters at SXSW:

“We have this new [movie with] Robert Pattinson as the Batman, which I’m excited to see. I haven’t seen it yet but I think he would be terrific.”

“The villain that Vincent Price played on the 60s show, Egghead, I think I want to have a go at Egghead. I think I can make him absolutely terrifying. And I have a concept for Egghead. So let them know over at Warner Bros., I’m down for Egghead.”

Nicolas Cage

Cage is, of course, referencing the villain Egghead, a character who did not originate in the DC Batman comics but was created for the 1960s Batman television series that starred Adam West as the titular vigilante superhero.

There is still no official confirmation whether there will be a sequel to The Batman, although its director Reeves and titular star Robert Pattinson have both expressed interest in turning the standalone film into a trilogy.

Currently, the only confirmed projects in the works that are related to The Batman are two HBO series. One will focus on Arkham Asylum – where Paul Dano’s Riddler ended up at the end of The Batman – while the other will focus on the Penguin; a role that Colin Farrell has already signed on to reprise.

Here’s hoping an announcement confirming that a sequel to The Batman is on its way, is made any day now. And fingers crossed Warner Bros. lets Cage take on a new scary version of Egghead in it…

• The Batman Review: No Batman Film Will Ever Be As Good As The Dark Knight
• All Batman Films Ranked & Where To Watch Them Before

The post Nicolas Cage Wants To Play A Terrifying Villain In The Next Batman appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

If you’ve ever listened to The Joe Rogan Experience podcast – we’re going to assume the chances are high, such is its notoriety – then your ears would have been exposed to the regular introduction that goes a little something like this:

“Joe Rogan podcast, check it out!”

“Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night!”

“All day!” Cue: drumbeat.

But, have you ever wondered where that slogan came from? Have you always assumed it was a younger Joe Rogan promoting his own show?

Well: wonder no longer.

A likely looking answer was recently given on a Reddit thread, where user u/Lest91 posted a short video of MMA fighter Nick Diaz shouting the new infamous phrase into the microphone whilst being interviewed by Joe Rogan following his fight.

A YouTube video (most likely the same one posted in the Reddit thread) was posted to YouTube in 2011, and while we can’t be 100 percent sure, we can logically assume it was during the post-fight interview that Nick Diaz uttered the now famous words.

If so, it would have been from UFC 137 in which Nick Diaz – older brother of MMA fighter Nate Diaz – defeated B.J. Penn by unanimous decision in the welterweight class, following three 5-minute rounds.

Both the Reddit thread and YouTube videos are littered with comments from users claiming they never knew where the quote from, or that they simply assumed it was Joe himself who said it.

• “Always wondered where that came from”
• “Not gonna lie, thought it was Joe saying it”
• “Same, sounds exactly like him”

Of course, there are those who like to make everyone else feel stupid by claiming they always knew where the quote came from, as they’re most likely close followers of UFC.

• “So many people have no clue about this. A lot of JRE fans now are post 2019”
• “I saw this shit live, it was after he beat BJ wasn’t it?”
• “It’s sad how many people didn’t know this was the intro”

It might not be the most groundbreaking information ever, but it’s certainly a good piece of trivial knowledge.

The more you know.

• Joe Rogan Names The Hangover As Last Good Comedy Before ‘Wokeness’ Took Over Hollywood
• Joe Rogan Responds To Accusation He’s Spreading Dangerous Misinformation

The post Where The ‘Train By Day, Joe Rogan By Night’ Slogan Really Came From appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Trying to figure out just where to get started when it comes to crypto investing can be pretty daunting. Crypto newbies often feel overwhelmed by a sea of new and over-complicated information that usually leaves them feeling more confused than before they started out.

That’s why we’re going to start at the very beginning: choosing a trustworthy exchange to buy, sell and hold your crypto assets. Today, we’re going to take an unbiased look at everything that you need to know about the US-owned cryptocurrency exchange: Kraken. 

Check out our full round-up of the best crypto wallets here

What Is Kraken?

Founded all the way back in 2011, Kraken is one of the longest running crypto exchanges in the world. With a focus on user-experience and security, Kraken has maintained its reputation as a market-leading crypto exchange, offering its users the opportunity to buy and sell more than 120+ different digital assets. 

While this selection isn’t as comprehensive as Binance or CoinSpot, investors are still able to purchase all of the major tokens such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP) as well as a healthy selection of smaller altcoins. 

Kraken provides its users with an intuitive, beginner-friendly platform and mobile app as well as offering technical features that more advanced traders would be after. Kraken is definitely one of the top choices for investors at any experience level. 

To get a better understanding of Kraken, let’s use a classic pros & cons list to weigh up the verdict.

Pros & Cons Of Kraken

Pros

• Beginner Friendly: If you’re new to cryptocurrency, then Kraken is the exchange for you. The Kraken app is one of the most beginner-friendly and simple to use crypto apps available anywhere. If you just want to buy and hold crypto assets, Kraken takes out all the complicated and unnecessary “trading” jargon, charts and info so that users can focus on the simple stuff.   
• Competitive Fees: Kraken offers extremely low fees, based on a maker-taker model. Fees begin at 0.26% and are reduced as users trade higher volumes of cryptocurrency on the exchange. 
• Great Platforms for Australians: By default Kraken lists crypto prices on its platform and app in US dollars, however Aussie users can easily switch to view assets in AUD.
• Healthy Selection of Digital Assets: Perhaps one of the most frustrating experiences is getting completely set up on a new app or platform and then realizing that the random, super niche altcoin your mate mentioned to you isn’t actually available on this random app you’ve just installed. With a selection of over 120+ digital assets, Kraken has a very comprehensive coverage of major cryptocurrency assets.
• 24/7 Customer Support via Live Chat: Great customer support may not be the first thing investors jump to when it comes to buying cryptocurrency, but it can be a deal breaker when digital assets get transferred to the wrong place and you get stuck with a “help-bot” that is anything but helpful. Kraken is one of the rare large exchanges that now offers a global Live Chat support feature where users can interact with a real human person, which if you find yourself needing assistance with monetary issues can be a life-saver.

Cons 

• Lack of Crypto Assets: While other exchanges offer selections of over 300+ digital assets, Kraken only offers around 120 which is on the lower side for a major exchange. If you’re a user who is looking to buy mostly well-established crypto assets then this won’t be an issue. 
• Not the Lowest Fees: Kraken offers very competitive fees, however exchanges like Binance and CoinSpot offer slightly lower fees. 

Kraken Fees Explained

Fees are ultimately how crypto exchanges and platforms make their money, so it’s really important for investors to understand how much they’re paying every time they make a trade. Fee structuring can be pretty tricky, as platforms often like to disguise hidden costs in the form of strange fees.

Kraken has some of the lowest fees in the cryptocurrency industry. 

Kraken Deposit & Withdrawal Fees

For the most part, depositing your fiat currency (Australian Dollars) onto Kaken won’t incur a fee, providing you use the healthy range of deposit methods at your disposal: Apple pay, Google pay, bank transfer, OSKO. 

However, if you choose to buy cryptocurrency directly using a credit or debit card, it will incur a 3.75% fee and you may also be charged an international conversion fee by your bank as Kraken uses USD and EUR natively.  

• When withdrawing cryptocurrency Kraken will charge a fee that varies with the digital asset being withdrawn. You find the full list of withdrawal fees here. 
• Withdrawing fiat currency on Kraken may also incur a fee, based on the currency and the method of withdrawal. You can find the full fee list here.

Kraken Transaction Fees

There are a couple of different transaction fees on Kraken, and they can get a be tricky if you’re not up to speed with what the different terminology for buying and selling is.

Instant Buy: If you’re a new crypto investor this is the feature you’ll probably go to initially as it takes all confusion out of purchasing cryptocurrency. When you buy or sell crypto directly on Kraken using the Instant buy/sell feature, there is a 1.5% fee per transaction. 

Spot Trades: 0.16% to 0.26% fee –  All spot trades will incur a 0.16% fee for makers and 0.26% for takers. As your 30-day trading volume increases, the amount you are charged in fees per trade, is reduced based on a tiered structure.

Margin Trading Fees: Margin fees are applied in addition to the trading fees at the opening and closing of market positions. The opening fees for most margins are 0.02% with a rollover fee of 0.02% per 4 hours. There are a few exceptions where the opening fee is 0.01% and rollover fee of 0.01% per 4 hours.

Futures Trading Fees: Futures fees are 0.02% for makers, and 0.05% for takers, with reduced fees applicable for high-volume traders.

Is Kraken Safe To Use?

No matter your experience level, the security and safety of the platform used to buy and sell digital assets is usually a top concern for crypto investors. Kraken is among the most secure and reliable cryptocurrency exchanges in the Australian market. 

Kraken is easily one of the most security-oriented cryptocurrency exchanges in the industry, and routinely goes above and beyond to make sure that investors’ funds are safe and all necessary regulations are followed.

Kraken stores 95% of its digital assets offline in air-gapped cold storage. Its servers reside in secure silos with 24/7 surveillance as well as armed security at all times. Kraken is further regulated by FinCEN (US-based financial crimes regulator) offering full reserves at all times as well as the highest standards of legal compliance. 

All Kraken login activity is further protected by 2FA (two-factor authentication) that requires investors to enter a code generated on their registered mobile device to sign in to the Kraken platform.

Kraken Alternatives

If Kraken doesn’t have the tokens you’re looking for, or the fees are slightly too high for your looking, the alternatives listed here are ranked in order of similarity and preference for using AUD.

• CoinSpot: Australia’s largest cryptocurrency platform with more than 350 digital assets available.
• Cointree: An Australian operated exchange and fully AUSTRAC-regulated. Offers similar features to Kraken but with a smaller selection of tokens and slightly higher fees.
• Digital Surge: Another Australian exchange with more than 200 cryptocurrencies that operates natively in AUD. Has a quick verification process but higher fees than CoinSpot.
• Binance: The largest crypto exchange in the world based on daily trading volume. Binance is oriented more strongly towards non-Australian users and is more suitable for advanced traders looking for niche pairs.
• Coinbase: Possibly the most well-known exchange in the world. Investors can trade a variety of different cryptocurrencies but fees are high and all values are denominated in USD.
• eToro: Offers commission-free crypto trades with the added bonus of social and copy trading.

Overall Kraken Conclusion

Kraken is a stand out choice for any Australian crypto investor looking for an intuitive user-experience, fantastic customer service and high security standards. Its beginner-friendly interface, selection of 120+ cryptocurrencies as well as 7 fiat currencies and additional features such as staking, margin trading make it a great option for investors of any skill level. 

Furthermore, Kraken stores 95% of all digital assets offline, air-gapped cold storage, in secure locations that are protected by armed security 24/7. It complies with the highest levels of financial regulation and is also registered with FinCEN, a US-based agency that actively prevents financial crimes such as scamming and money laundering.

Read Next

• Crypto.com Exchange Review 2022: The Pros & Cons You Need To Know
• Binance Review Australia 2022

The post Kraken Crypto Exchange Review 2022: Everything You Need To Know appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Formula 1: Drive To Survive is a global phenomenon. The Netflix documentary series, now in its fourth season, gives a unique behind-the-scenes look at the drivers and teams competing in the Formula 1 World Championship – and has completely transformed the sport it covers.

It’s been responsible for bringing in a huge number of new fans, particularly in America, and turned many F1 drivers into mainstream, international superstars. It’s also quickly become one of Netflix’s must-watch shows.

The 4th season of the show, which debuted on the 11th of March, covers the 2021 F1 World Championship, one of the most dramatic F1 seasons arguably of all time. It’s fantastic watching. Here are the most important plot points to know so you’re all prepared to watch 2022’s F1 races in real-time.

Daniel Ricciardo and McLaren

One of the best storylines from Drive To Survive S4 was Aussie legend Daniel Ricciardo’s first year with McLaren and his triumphant win at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.

‘The Honey Badger’, who has been one of Drive To Survive’s biggest stars, has had a rather rough go of things over the last few years. Since leaving Red Bull for Renault at the end of 2018, only to jump ship again to McLaren at the end of 2020, Ricciardo has struggled to find consistent success – something previous seasons have covered in depth.

S4 gave us a close look at how much Danny Ric struggled to wrap his head around his new McLaren, as well as how comprehensively trounced he got by his younger teammate, Lando Norris, for most of the season… All of which made his impressive win at Monza so much sweeter. We love a redemption arc.

Ricciardo’s win at Monza was his first since the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix and McLaren’s first since the 2012 Brazilian Grand Prix. On top of that, Norris finished second (Norris’ highest result in F1 ever), making it a one-two finish for McLaren; the team’s first since the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix.

Something that was quite surprising to see from this season was how tense the relationship between Ricciardo and Norris seemed to be in 2021. Before Ricciardo’s move to McLaren, fans had predicted that the two would get along very well, with both drivers sharing a reputation for being funnymen.

Instead, the season revealed a rather fractious and at some times petty relationship between the pair – but as Max Verstappen has recently come out and said, there’s probably a lot of editing involved there, and you need to take things with a grain of salt.

RELATED: Max Verstappen Calls Bulls**t On Drive To Survive’s ‘Fake Rivalries’

More struggles for Haas

Haas, the plucky American team that’s been a big focus for Drive To Survive, ended the 2021 F1 season with no points. It was yet another nightmare year for Haas team principal Guenther Steiner (a breakout star of the series), whose difficulties corralling a recalcitrant Nikita Mazepin being a focus of the show’s 4th season.

RELATED: You Shouldn’t Feel Sorry For Nikita Mazepin

The 23-year-old Russian’s maiden F1 season was pretty inglorious. Not only did he quickly gain a reputation for bad driving – gaining the unfortunate moniker ‘Mazespin’ – but he was pretty comprehensively outdriven by his teammate, Mick Schumacher (son of the legendary Michael Schumacher).

This is despite his father, billionaire oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, pouring millions of dollars into Haas, with Uralkali (a Russian chemicals company he’s a major shareholder in) becoming the team’s title sponsor. Drive To Survive painted a grim picture, too, of how much influence the Mazepins seemed to have over the team – with the revelation that Dmitry threatened to pull funding unless they gave Nikita a new car a particularly shocking moment.

At one point, a frustrated Steiner curses at Mazepin on the pit wall, saying “f*cking hell, that’s why people hate you.” Later, the team boss has a frank chat with the young Russian, saying “we really try to help you, but you need to help me as well… When you speak on the radio, do not be aggressive – you don’t achieve anything.”

“[The engineers] are afraid of you. You are not a p*ssy. I’m not saying you need to be loved. I’m just saying to be very neutral. Not being ‘Oh this is f*cking sh*t’. That doesn’t help anyone.” Grim stuff.

Verstappen vs Hamilton

Of course, the major storyline of the season was the title fight between seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton and an ascendant Max Verstappen, and how tense it got between the two drivers – as well as their two teams, Mercedes and Red Bull, and rival team bosses Toto Wolff and Christian Horner.

There was almost more airtime dedicated to Wolff and Horner’s beef than there was to Hamilton and Verstappen’s racing – although we’d say part of that is because Verstappen, unlike Hamilton, refused to participate in the filming of S4, meaning Netflix had to really lean on Horner’s commentary.

RELATED: Meet The IWC Schaffhausen Watch Built To Withstand Toto Wolff’s Biggest Tantrums

While Red Bull gets plenty of airtime throughout the season, Drive To Survive definitely sets Verstappen up to be the villain for the title fight. Contributing commentators like Will Buxton and Jennie Gow are very obviously Team Lewis, and Hamilton doesn’t mince words about the Dutchman during his interviews, calling him “dangerous” and. a “bully”. Again, maybe if Verstappen actually participated in the show, we’d get a different edit.

Anyway, you couldn’t have asked for a more dramatic finish. As we’re sure you probably know by now, Hamilton and Verstappen went into the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi equal on points, and after a controversial call by FIA race director Michael Masi (who has since been ousted thanks to the immense backlash), Max secured the win and therefore the World Championship.

Surprisingly little time was dedicated to the controversial nature of the win, perhaps because it’s a sore spot for F1. A clearly angry Wolff has the final word in the season, though, when asked if Red Bull has a target on their backs: “everyone has a target on their back”. Firey.

Where was everyone?

Drive To Survive can’t cover every driver or team’s story – hell, even George Russell made a comment this season that he barely had any screen time last season – but season 4 featured noticeably fewer storylines and drivers than previous seasons. This is easily our biggest criticism of S4.

No time was spent on new team Aston Martin or its star driver, fan-favourite Sebastian Vettel (or indeed how he clinched the team’s first podium in Azerbaijan). Kimi Räikkönen’s last season in F1 at Alfa Romeo didn’t even get a mention either – although Kimi’s notorious hatred of the press might have had something to do with that – nor did Fernando Alonso’s return to the sport with Alpine. No love for the old dogs, then?

Unlike in other seasons, they also didn’t give any airtime to driver moves for the 2022 season, other than Bottas and Russell. They didn’t talk about how F1’s about to get its first Chinese driver in Guanyu Zhou next year or about Alex Albon’s return to the grid with Williams. That could just be the result of Drive To Survive’s hectic production schedule, but it’s still a glaring omission.

RELATED: Lewis Hamilton’s Opinion On Racing In Saudi Arabia Sparks Debate

In short, Drive To Survive S4 is a brilliant watch, and sheds a lot of light on the 2021 season – but it leaves just as many questions unanswered as it answered. This isn’t really a bad thing. It just means you have to tune in to the 2022 F1 season in real-time to get the full picture in time for the next season of Drive To Survive.

• The 21 Best TV Shows On Netflix Australia In 2022
• Is Formula 1 Poised For An Australian ‘Takeover’?
• Lewis Hamilton Announces Name Change Ahead Of 2022 Formula 1 Season

The post Drive To Survive S4 Review: The Most Intense Formula 1 Season Yet appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Qantas has given frequent flyers what they most want: the opportunity to use their points to upgrade.

Though this might sound straightforward – obvious, even – the truth is that using your points to get a free upgrade isn’t always simple. Usually, there will be a limited number of seats per flight that are available to book purely with points, depending on the route, and the demand for that route.

The result? Travellers consistently tell airlines in polls, despite all the bells and whistles on offer (from toasters to duty-free trinkets), more than anything, what they’d rather use their points on, is a free upgrade.

On that note: Qantas is giving Australian travellers the chance to use their points for exactly that purpose. If they want to fly to New Zealand, that is.

That’s right: every Qantas flight to New Zealand in May will be a points plane.

If you have enough Qantas points and want to go to New Zealand, (I know, I don’t understand it either), looks like May is the month for you.
Apparently every plane is going to be a points plane.

— Garth Godsman (@GarthGodsman) March 16, 2022

The airline announced on Wednesday: “Throughout May, every Qantas and Jetstar flight will be a Points Plane meaning Frequent Flyers can use Qantas Points to book any seat as a Classic Reward Seat.”

“Classic Flight Reward seats across the Tasman start from 18,000 points with Qantas and 14,400 with Jetstar plus taxes, fees and carrier charges.”

Qantas News Room

Seats on these flights can also be purchased with cash.

This comes after news broke that New Zealand will reopen to Australians from April the 13th.

Qantas says it will increase the frequency of flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to Auckland, and Sydney to Christchurch, from mid-April. The flights will be on Boeing 737s and Airbus A330s.

Flights to Queenstown and Wellington are due to start during May and June.

Qantas also said that for the rest of the year it has already increased the availability of seats that can be booked with points on its trans-Tasman routes – by up to 50%.

Am I booking NZ flights right now? You bet I am. https://t.co/FXwSKnBjdm

— Angus Kidman (@gusworldau) March 16, 2022

Qantas Domestic and International CEO Andrew David said: “As a thank you to our frequent flyers for their ongoing loyalty throughout the pandemic, we’ve made every flight across the Tasman for the month of May a Points Plane, which means every seat can be booked using points.”

He also emphasised the importance of this latest travel freedom saying: “New Zealand was Australia’s second biggest source of international visitors before the pandemic, and Australians were the biggest source of visitors to New Zealand, so this is an important milestone as part of the recovery for both countries.”

“With restriction-free travel possible from next month for Australians, we look forward to rebuilding our trans-Tasman flights.”

Qantas Domestic and International CEO Andrew David

“We know that testing requirements can deter some people from travelling. As the world shifts to truly living with COVID, it’s important that we normalise travel between Australian and New Zealand by removing layers of testing given the virus is endemic in both countries and both have some of the highest vaccination rates in the world.”

• Qantas Launches ‘Points Plane’ Exclusively For Frequent Flyers
• Australian Travellers Can Now Fly Flat To Bali In Absolute Luxury On Qantas 

The post Qantas Gives Frequent Flyers What They’ve Always Wanted appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

A traveller’s creepy Airbnb find has left Twitter stunned. It also adds more fuel to the argument (which did the rounds earlier this week) that hotels are due a come-back as we come out of this pandemic era.

The find? Twitter user @Britered66 claimed she found two cameras in her Airbnb, which she discovered after two days of staying there.

“My last AirBnB had 2 cameras, one in bdrm & one in living rm in front of sleep sofa where my son slept & dressed. Once discovered after 2 days I nicely blocked lens. Very chilling to know someone was likely watching us undress/sleep/sex. I don’t know if I’ll ever use one again.”

My last AirBnB had 2 cameras, one in bdrm & one in living rm in front of sleep sofa where my son slept & dressed. Once discovered after 2 days I nicely blocked lens. Very chilling to know someone was likely watching us undress/sleep/sex. I don’t know if I’ll ever use one again.

— Britered66 (@britered66) March 13, 2022

She said this in response to another Twitter user asking his followers: “Why are y’all still choosing AirBnB over hotels?” and claiming “Prices are no longer as reasonable as before; they cost just as much as hotels… Hotels provide housekeeping, room service, fresh towels, & better service” as well as no cleanup fees and no surprise guests.

It is illegal in any place where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy, which generally means inside. Outside cameras ok, and garage is gray area. All inside areas are not a gray area.

— Russ Esq. – Practicing Tweet Improv – Typos Galore (@RussRyanLaw) March 14, 2022

Another Twitter user, Mylie Moore, claimed she had also found cameras in her Airbnb and that her host went through her trash, and then wrote a review about her trash.

Me too. In Porto last week and I had three cameras in my Airbnb. The landlord showed them to me and said I could cover them if I want. I was stunned. He was so nonchalant about it.

— Mary Grossman (@mindswide) March 14, 2022

The discussion didn’t end there. Another user said this creepy find could also happen in a hotel.

Unfortunately, this is not limited to Air BNB rentals. Be wary also when in hotels. Camaras are not always installed by owners.

— Andre (@1ndre75) March 13, 2022

Others said it wasn’t Airbnb’s fault…

I found cameras at an Airbnb and immediately contacted them to move to a new place and be refunded the remainder of what I’d paid for the 30 day stay. Thankfully, Airbnb saw this as a security concern, gave me authorization to move to a new listing, and reimbursed me.

— Dr. Diane Tober (@Diane_Tober) March 13, 2022

…and claimed Airbnb had given them refunds after they made similar creepy finds of their own.

You can sue the hosts for that, it’s not a feature of Airbnb, it’s a unique host bug.

— Caleb George (@whatupcaleb) March 14, 2022

Another provided a handy tip for checking if your room has any cameras. They wrote: “You can use your phone to detect cameras. Turn all the lights off and get it the room as dark as possible, turn the camera on your phone on and use it to the scan the room. On the phone’s screen, cameras show up as small lights.”

Cameras have been found in hotel rooms. My husband bought a device to detect them. We also frequent AirBnBs.

— The Lavatory Lady (@LavatoryLady) March 14, 2022

This isn’t the first time people have taken to the Internet to share their creepy Airbnb stories. On Reddit, one user, a couple of years ago, posted a super creepy looking room to the r/oddlyterrifying community with the caption: “Creepy place I found on airbnb a while ago. North of England. I seem the remember the description saying something like ‘amazing for couples or families.'”

Another, in a “what’s your creepy Airbnb story,” thread, said: “My fiance and I were staying at an AirBnB in Helsinki to visit family. When we got there and got settled, we were chatting about things we thought were missing in the apartment, specifically I remember saying I wished there was another towel hook in the bathroom (there was only 1 and obviously 2 towels being used).”

“The next day we went out and were out pretty much all day, and when we got back that night there was another towel hook in the bathroom…”

Reddit user 15sunflowers

Oh, and another shared the time they kept getting “checked in on” by their host (while another claimed to have found passports with blood on them).

Staying at a creepy Airbnb and found the passports of two old people with blood all over them… check my Snapchat story LOL

— Millie T (@milliet25) December 8, 2017

It can also go the other way, with some hosts complaining about creepy guests.

Though these kinds of creepy finds are quite rare, it goes to show – if you want the added freedom and ‘cool’ factor of staying in an Airbnb over a hotel, you have to take a slightly higher risk that you could end up with a weird or creepy host.

• World’s Worst Airbnb Leaves Australians Stunned
• Airbnb Host’s ‘Illegal’ Request Of Australian Travellers

The post Traveller’s Creepy Airbnb Experience Leaves America Stunned appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Health hacker Dave Asprey has taken to Instagram to share what eating industrially farmed meat does to your body. Spoiler: it’s not pretty.

Before we get into all that – here’s a little context. Asprey, who is a renowned health hacker (one who promotes things like velcro light blockers for your curtains and blue light eliminating glasses), and who is always at the forefront of anything that could potentially extend your youth, is a big fan of eating grass-fed, naturally raised meat, and has warned his followers many times of what can happen to your health if you go vegan (and don’t do it right).

But when it comes to factory farming, he’s not a huge fan either.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dave Asprey (@dave.asprey)

“I tried going keto 20 years ago, but I didn’t understand that different meat does different things to your inflammation,” Asprey told his 533k followers.

“Meat from industrial animals has a noticeably different fatty acid profile. It messes up your gut bacteria and ages your body. Basically, it causes inflammation.”

He added: “Plus, it’s mean. I live on a small farm, and we take great care of our animals. We get to know them. It makes my stomach turn to see animals in crowded factory conditions. It’s not OK.”

“And if you are into living a long time like I am, you need to understand something. When we take something out of the soil, we have to put it back in. Sadly, industrial agriculture is extractive, not regenerative.”

“When you decide to buy from a small farmer and buy grass-fed (even if it costs a little more…you eat less meat and more butter, so it all works out), you are doing yourself a solid—and you are doing our soil a great service.”

“If that’s not enough to convince you, let me tell you about Zearanol. It is a pharmaceutical that industrial agriculture companies place in a cow’s ear, a synthetic estrogen made by a species of toxic mold. It’s 1000 times more estrogenic than normal cow estrogen…so the cow gets fat on 30% fewer calories.”

“Why would you want to put that into your body?”

Dave Asprey

Food for thought – and a warning, we reckon, to those considering going keto without really preparing properly (or without having the budget for grass fed meat). Though there are those who argue industrial meat is still better for you than processed foods like Mac n’ Cheese, you’re still doing your body a disservice compared to if you had just chosen to eat healthy vegetarian whole foods or grass fed beef.

• If You Want Bigger Muscles, You’ll Need To Eat These Foods
• The Keto Diet – The Truth About How It Impacts Your Health

The post What Eating ‘Cheap Meat’ Does To Your Body (Spoiler: It’s Not Pretty) appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Trying to figure out just where to begin when it comes to crypto investing can be as daunting as learning to slackline over a crocodile pit. New investors can easily become overwhelmed by the river of new and over-complicated information that often leaves them feeling more confused than before they started out.

That’s why we’re going to start at the very beginning: choosing a trustworthy exchange to buy, sell and hold your crypto assets. Today, we’re going to take a very honest look at everything that you need to know about the Australian-owned crypto exchange: Cointree. 

Check out our full round-up of the best crypto wallets here

What is Cointree?

Cointree was one of Australia’s first crypto exchanges, founded in 2013 with the goal of making cryptocurrency accessible for a wide market. While Cointree may not be as popular as other exchanges like CoinSpot of Swyftx, it is still extremely user-friendly and offers a more comprehensive range of investment options than other exchanges, including SMSF as well as tailored services for advisors and institutions.  

As of today, Cointree offers a comprehensive selection of digital assets: allowing its users to buy and sell over 150+ cryptocurrencies on its platform. This means that you can purchase everything from large-cap cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) or dive headfirst into the unpredictable world of altcoins.

To get a better understanding of Cointree, let’s use a classic Pros & Cons list to weigh up the verdict.

Pros & Cons of Cointree

Pros

• Great Platform for Australian Users: One of the biggest setbacks for Australian users when navigating other exchanges like Binance or Crypto.com is that prices are natively denominated in US Dollars. While this might be fine for more advanced users, most everyday Aussie crypto investors just want to be able to transact easily in AUD. Cointree makes this possible with AUD only transactions and viewing. 
  
• Huge Range of Investment Styles: While Cointree is quite beginner-friendly and simple to use, it is more targeted towards those looking to undertake advanced investing options. This includes the option of managing a SMSF, tailored services for accountants and even platforms for institutional investors. If you are just looking to accumulate crypto assets and aren’t looking to buy and sell regularly, then Cointree is still a solid choice. 
  
• Massive Selection of Major Tokens & AltCoins: Perhaps one of the most frustrating experiences is getting completely set up on a new app or platform and then realising that the random, super niche altcoin your mate mentioned to you isn’t actually available on this random app you’ve just installed.
  
  With a selection of over 150+ digital assets, Cointree offers a comprehensive coverage of all the major tokens as well as a relatively wide selection of altcoins. If you really want exposure to random altcoins, CoinSpot and Digital Surge offer over 300+ crypto assets on their platforms. 
  
• Pay Bills In Bitcoin: Cointree offers its users the ability to pay their bills in Bitcoin. As long as the bill is from an Australian vendor and comes with a BPAY code, users can pay any bill in Bitcoin.

Cons 

• No Mobile App: Accessing Cointree is only possible through their website. Users can technically access the website via their mobile device but usability can get clunky depending on your device, which is not ideal considering that you’re most likely moving some volume of money around. However, if you’re happy with using your computer for most of your crypto purchases then Cointree is absolutely fine. 
  
• Not The Lowest Fees: Cointree offers a 0.9% fee on all trade which isn’t incredibly high, but competitors such as Coinspot, Swyftx and Digital Surge offer lower fees.  
  
• AUD Only Transactions: While pure Australian Dollar deposits and transactions may be great for the fresh new Aussie investor, this feature can end up becoming a little limiting once investors develop more proficiency and become interested in trading. If you’re just looking to buy and sell crypto quickly and easily without any super fancy bells and whistles then this won’t be a problem for you.

Cointree Fees Explained

Fees are ultimately how crypto exchanges and platforms make their money, so it’s really important for investors to understand how much they’re paying every time they make a trade. Fee structuring can be pretty tricky, as platforms often like to disguise hidden costs in the form of strange fees.

Here are the main types of fees that users of Cointree will come across:

Cointree Deposit Fees

The first fee that crypto investors will encounter is the deposit fee. This is because investors need to deposit funds before they can start trading. Cointree offers a healthy range of deposit methods, with the most popular options incurring zero fee.

• Bank transfer: free (minimum deposit $20)
• PayID: $1.30 (minimum deposit $25)
• Cash: 3% (minimum $50)

Cointree Transaction Fees

Cointree has a tiered fee structure where investors are incentivised to trade higher volumes of crypto in order to access lower fees. However its fees are relatively high when compared to other Australian crypto exchanges. 

If you are a new user to Cointree these are the fees that you will be hit with:

• Buying crypto with AUD: 0.9% per trade.
• Selling crypto with AUD: 0.9% per trade.
• Swapping (buying crypto with crypto): 0.25% per swap.
  

These fees will be incrementally decreased as you trade larger volumes of crypto assets or make referrals. 

Is Cointree Safe to Use?

No matter your experience level, the security and safety of the platform used to buy and sell digital assets is usually a top concern for crypto investors. Cointree ticks all necessary boxes here. 

Cointree is registered with AUSTRAC, meets all strict anti-money laundering obligations and is a member of Blockchain Australia. Cointree was also a ‘Blockies’ finalist in 2019, where the Australian Blockchain Industry presents awards to the best digital currency exchanges. Cointree also stores all digital assets in a hybrid hot & cold crypto wallet system, where essential cryptocurrency assets are stored in offline storage. 

All Cointree activity is further protected by 2FA (two-factor authentication) that requires investors to enter a code generated on their registered mobile device to sign in to the Cointree platform.

Cointree Alternatives

If Cointree isn’t exactly what you’re looking for, there are plenty of alternatives. The alternatives listed here are ranked in order of similarity and preference for using Australian Dollars.

• CoinSpot: Australia’s largest cryptocurrency platform with more than 350 digital assets available.
• Digital Surge: Another Australian exchange with more than 200 cryptocurrencies that operates natively in AUD. Has a quick verification process but higher fees than Cointree.
• Swyftx: Also an Australian platform with more than 260 digital assets available. Swyftx offers slightly lower trading fees and also allows users to ‘stake’ their crypto assets to generate passive income.
• Binance: The largest crypto exchange in the world based on daily trading volume. Binance is oriented more strongly towards non-Australian users and is more suitable for advanced traders looking for niche pairs.
• Coinbase: Possibly the most well-known exchange in the world. Investors can trade a variety of different cryptocurrencies but fees are high and all values are denominated in USD.
• eToro: Offers commission-free crypto trades with the added bonus of social and copy trading.

Overall Cointree Conclusion:

Cointree is a good choice for Australian investors looking for an easy way to buy Bitcoin and other crypto assets. However, it is definitely targeted towards users and investing professionals looking for more bespoke investing options such as managing an SMSF or providing wealth management services. It has relatively high fees (blanket 0.9% per trade) when compared to competitors and it does not come with a mobile app or live chat support. 

Despite this Cointree’s website is extremely user-friendly, meaning that a complete crypto beginner could navigate the platform with ease. More casual Aussie crypto investors would be better off opting for a competitor such as CoinSpot, Swyftx or Digital Surge. 

Security-wise Cointree ticks all the boxes, using offline cold storage to secure client’s funds as well as being registered with AUSTRAC, which actively prevent financial crimes and other unsavoury business from occurring on the platform. 

Read Next

• 5 Biggest Traps & Pitfalls Cryptocurrency Investors Fall For
• BTC Markets Review Australia 2022

The post Cointree Review 2022: Everything Australian Investors Need To Know appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The following article was produced in partnership with IWC Schaffhausen.

Not many people have what it takes to stop when they’re on a roll in their career and give everything up for a chance at the big time in another country. Dan MacPherson does.

The 41-year-old actor and presenter gave it all up seven years ago while a contract for five years’ work was being dangled in front of him. While your average Joe would have snatched it from the hand that held it, MacPherson instead set off on an adventure, not knowing how things would turn out, just as he did when his acting career began at 17-years old.

Growing up in Cronulla, MacPherson loved the beach. “There were a lot of freedoms in the 80s and early 90s in beachside Sydney,” he says. Anyone who’s seen him in his most recent roles on screen as a special forces soldier among other strong characters would struggle to believe he wasn’t an athletic kid. But MacPherson wasn’t.

“Genetics didn’t lend me that direction early on,” he recalls. Things changed when his rugby coach began a kid’s triathlon series. Before long he was on tour, running, riding and swimming on different tracks, roads and water all across the country from age 11 to 16.

One day out of the blue he was hit with something that made everything stop. After five years on a roll, wave and stride he contracted glandular fever and chickenpox. “Every time I’d move, I’d get sick. I couldn’t get away from the sport so I actually went and worked as an official on triathlons,” he says.

“As it turns out, the guy I was stationed with on the bike course was an acting manager…”

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He encouraged MacPherson to consider acting and the two exchanged numbers which led to an audition a couple weeks later. From this, he got his first gig the night before he sat his HSC. It wasn’t anything special… Just a gig on Neighbours, Australia’s longest-running soap opera. No big deal.

“My dad bought me a second hand Mitsubishi, we packed it up with everything I owned and we drove it to Melbourne. I started on Neighbours two days later,” he said.

“That was it, that was how it started. I was going to be a bike mechanic at the local bike shop. Instead, in the course of four months, my life completely flipped upside down.”

In his 30s, MacPherson again would pack up everything and start again, with no real indication whether things would turn out well.

“The biggest challenge that I had to overcome was backing myself to step away from the Australian industry,” he says. “I gave up hosting the biggest live TV show in Australia [Dancing With The Stars] to literally start at the very bottom of the pile in my early 30s in America.”

MacPherson knew he was tempting fate. “One thing that nobody tells you when you move to America and pursue an acting career is that when you walk into every audition, there’s going to be 50 guys who look exactly like you sitting in the waiting room… There’s a shorter version, a taller version, there’s this and that. Before that, I had thought I was kind of special,” he says with a smile.

Everyone thought he was mad, and at times, he wondered too. “Age 30, married at the time, providing for family… Am I delusional?” he asked himself. “I pulled myself apart, I went and found the best acting coaches. I worked with the best people I could to completely reinvent myself as an actor.”

It didn’t pay off at first. “For three years I didn’t get a job. But after three or four years of digging deep, you start making headway.”

MacPherson said it was one of the hardest, most transitional phases of his life. “I can tell you now that I have never been as satisfied with my work, with my career and ultimately with my life as I have in the past five years.”

While it was undoubtedly one of the hardest times in his life, it taught him many lessons.

“One of the best pieces of advice I received and it still serves me to this day is that hard work never goes unrewarded,” he said.

“You can work hard at a goal thinking that hard work has gone to waste but you will realise it hasn’t, maybe a way you hadn’t imagined. No matter what, if you put in the work toward a certain goal, that hard work won’t be wasted – it’ll never go unrewarded.”

In a life surrounded by change, the one thing that has remained constant is his watch. MacPherson’s choice is the IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot’s Watch 43.

“To me, the Big Pilot is almost a metaphor for life. In life, you have to learn what you can control,” he says. “You can’t control time, but you can control the instruments used to measure it.”

“I’ve worn lots of watches, I love watches,” he says. “But this one is different. I think at the end of the day, you wear a timepiece because you want to look at your wrist and feel good. Well, I feel that every time.”

Discover the IWC Schaffhausen Big Pilot’s Watch 43 collection here.

The post Actor Daniel MacPherson Reveals The Cold Hard Truth About Success In The Entertainment Industry appeared first on DMARGE Australia.