Comments on: A Guide To Wearing Men’s Bracelets (Tastefully) & The Bes

Shiba Inu Is Absolutely Skyrocketing. Is It Too Late To Buy?

Furry haired ‘meme coin’ enthusiasts rejoiced and seasoned investors rolled their eyes this week as the self-proclaimed “Dogecoin killer” Shiba Inu skyrocketed to the highest price it’s been since its release in May. It’s now sitting, at the time of writing, on AU $0.00004061.

But before we get into why Shiba Inu is blowing up, and whether it’s too late to buy, first: what the hell is Shiba Inu?

Shiba Inu is one of a few new ‘meme coins’ on the block, which appears to have been inspired by Dogecoin’s heroic spikes (which began in Jan/Feb), when people started looking for the next Dogecoin (one they could get in early on this time).

Shiba Inu is far from the only one – plenty of developers have tried to riff off it (with catchy names and the like). Shiba Inu, however, is arguably the catchiest spinoff right now (Shiba Inu being the name of the breed of dog the Dogecoin meme is based on).

Shina Inu’s origin story goes as follows: Russian-Canadian programmer and writer (and co-founder of Ethereum) Vitalik Buterin was, without his permission, gifted 50% of Shiba Inu’s coins by its anonymous founder (who goes by the pseudonym Ryoshi), according to SHIB’s white paper.

Buterin is a respected figure in the crypto space. However, this gave him the power to rug pull at any time. Which he promptly did – but not quite in the way you might expect. Buterin donated a huge number of Shiba Inu (as well as a couple other of his other coins) to help support India’s Covid relief cause.

This caused panic among investors and saw Shiba Inu’s price plummet drastically soon after its inception. It’s price dropped from just over 0.00004 to around $0.00001, and has hovered around the 0.00001 range for months. After a couple of mini price hikes in September, however, Shiba Inu’s value has now started soaring in October. It is now worth $0.00004061 – more or less back to where it was before Buterin’s charitable rug pull.

This week Shiba Inu holders have woken to see 50% price increases – and then last night 70% price increases – overnight.

These rises have come after billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk posted a photo of his new Shiba Inu puppy with the caption, “Floki Frunkpuppy” on Twitter on the 4th of October.

Floki Frunkpuppy pic.twitter.com/xAr8T0Jfdf

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 4, 2021

Elon has a history of playing with the crypto market, and many users seeked further clarification on his cryptic message (or non message, depending on how you view it).

Hello, it is floki coin or shiba inu ?

— KShop (@KogiShopp) October 4, 2021

Many supporters and holders of Shiba Inu, with a vested interest in seeing its price skyrocket, took this chance to generate hype and FOMO (as did fans of every coin which could conceivably be linked in any way to the Tweet).

Naturally, for the time being, the price has shot up, with Shiba Inu making it into CoinSpot’s #1 ‘gainer’ spot at certain points this week (it’s currently the number 2 gainer across the entire market, with BTC Standa sitting at #1 at the time of writing).

But is Shiba Inu’s growth sustainable?

Take this as a compliment or an insult (take your pick), but Shiba Inu is sustainable in much the same way Dogecoin is sustainable – it will last so long as there is people buying more of it. As long as there is hype and cult-like belief.

Although figures like Mark Cuban and Elon Musk like to pontificate about the potential real uses of meme coins (see video below, where Elon Musk calls Dogecoin the best medium of exchange), and though it is true that Dogecoin, for instance has quicker transaction speeds than Bitcoin, there is already a more serious segment of the crypto market dedicated to solving that problem and becoming the next Ethereum (see: Cardano). At this stage, there’s nothing more than random Elon Musk tweets that suggest meme coins like Dogecoin – which was originally built to be unusable – are practical enough to go down that route.

Elon Musk & Mark Cuban talk about the potential ‘real life’ applications of meme coins – beyond just cash.

That said, Dogecoin saw some ridiculous highs earlier this year based on what some call idiocy, and what others call groupthink. And the same phenomenon could now be at play with Shiba Inu. So if you are happy to risk your money (and know you might not get it back) then Shiba Inu could be worth a flutter (much like a trip to the casino) and it could keep on booming for a bit, with bigger spikes potentially around the corner. Or it could just totally die off again and never see another spike after this one. Who knows.

So – to answer the question, ‘is it too late to buy?’, that really depends on whether the hype grows, or whether those that have just made serious money breathe a sigh of relief and cash out, and leave you holding the bag.

Advantages Of Stubble

The first step to killer stubble is entirely up to Mother Nature. If you’re not blessed with an abundance of facial follicles then it’ll take you a bit longer to work with what you’ve got. On the flip side, rocking the styled stubble can greatly enhance your facial features (or lack thereof) by accentuating the lines of a man’s face.

No chiselled jawline? No problems. Stubble helps provide that much needed ‘edge’ to highlight where the frontal region of your face ends. This simple grooming hack can also work for the larger gents who often have the issue of their necks blending into their chin. A little stubble can go a long way here.

Owning The 5 O’clock Shadow

Once your beard has grown to a length of about 2-3mm, get hold of an adjustable beard trimmer with an adjustable guard that can provide you with pre-set shaving depths. If you’re oldschool, clippers with a short guard will also do the job.

Ensure that as you’re trimming, you make multiple passes whilst checking the mirror for any missed spots – neck, sideburns, chin and under the ears. We can’t stress this enough, being someone who’s walked out in public with a 3/4 stubble shaved face.

Once you’re happy with the overall trim, wash your face to remove the cut hair and dry off with a towel. Next, have a pair of grooming scissors handy to clean up the end tips of your moustache which are usually hard to get with the trimmer.

This also goes for your Adam’s apple which the trimmer will cut unevenly. Any other stray hairs should also be removed with the scissors or the trimmer sans the guard. These are best spotted under decent bathroom lighting.

Depending on your rate of growth, the usual stubble trim occurs around every 2- 4 days for most men. Leave it any more and you’ll be venturing into bearded territory.

Skincare For Facial Hair

You’d be surprised, but a lot of men actually grow out their stubble because of skin irritation caused from regular clean shaving with a razor. Every time a man clean shaves, he’s essentially scraping off a thin layer of skin off with the hair, so repeated shaving can have dry and damaging effects.

This is especially true if you don’t let the skin rejuvenate before your next shave.

Pursuing the perfect stubble can also have a similar effect but to a lesser extent. It’s for this reason that we recommend you also use a good moisturiser in accordance with your beard trimmer. Brands such as MILK, Lab Series and Bull Dog provide the perfect companion in helping your skin stay healthy when going for the stubble look.

Going Rugged

As much as we endorse the rugged look, it is not for everyone. The three reasons a man should grow his stubble is to:

Avoid the baby faced look
To manage sensitive skin due to shaving
For landing the look between a beard and a clean shave

The one defining factor as to why you shouldn’t grow stubble is rather obvious – you simply can’t. As mentioned, only some men are blessed with even growth of facial hair so for those of you who don’t have it, keep it clean. There’s nothing creepier to your potential date than blotchy stubble with bum fluff which they will never go near – this also means no kissy-kissy for you.

Maintaining it is rather easy, I’ve found, but if you’re lazier than me then don’t bother with the stubble look. It does take some TLC every few days and if you’re the laid back type then you’ll look like you live under a bridge in no time.

Bearded Wise Man Says…

So with this advice, we’ll be leaving you to your beard trimmers and our gallery of inspiration. Gandhi once said, “If you can grow it, then flaunt it.” Not really. We just made that up. But if Gandhi had stubble that’s what he would say.

Stubble FAQ

How do I make my stubble softer?

Use stubble softening pads with no added oils or creams. They round off the tips of your stubble nicely, minimizing the sharp edges of your facial follicles.

How to dye gray stubble?

Men usually dye their stubble the same color as their normal ones. Generally, choose a dye one or two shades lighter than the color you want. You may also use a golden or reddish color to turn your gray hairs into highlights.

Why is my stubble so itchy?

Beard itch may be because of poor hygiene, dry skin and ingrown hairs. It may also be due to excessive grooming, with soaps and other products irritating your skin.

‘Dreaded’ Qantas Long Haul Flight Now Suddenly Incredibly Popular

Distance makes the heart grow fonder. By that logic, every Australian who’s had their wings clipped this year has a chest bursting for The World.Speaking of which… everyone used to hate long haul flights. Dread them, even. Which makes the current clamouring over long haul direct flights interesting (and potentially a positive sign for Qantas’ Project Sunrise ambitions).Of course, much of this can be attributed to short term factors, with Australians having a great pent up demand to see friends, family and the world, having been denied this for almost two years.But there’s another side to this which has people asking, in a post-pandemic world, are flights with stopovers going to become less desirable?With delays and sudden national shutdowns (or in Australia’s case, regional shutdowns) over COVID cases and varients now very much at the front of travellers’ minds, not to mention the risks of catching COVID and the inconvenience of paying for testing increasing the more destinations you go to), suddenly the idea of a 17-hour flight from Perth to London becomes a lot more attractive than a 3 stop Skyscanner special (or even a one-stop flight which goes via Singapore or Dubai).The only thing is… thanks to Western Australia’s rigid stance on entry requirements, Qantas has replaced its direct Perth to London flights with direct Darwin to London flights. This means Sydneysiders (and anyone willing and able to fly to Sydney) can fly to Europe with zero international stopovers (until December the 18th, when Singapore will be back on the QF1/QF2 roster).Until then, however, “the red-tailed Boeing 787-9 will depart Sydney three times a week at 6.30pm, and then call into Darwin at 9.25pm,” Executive Traveller reports.

The Qantas Dreamliner QF9 setting off from Perth, during its first-ever direct flight to London. Image: CNN

“After a 90-minute break as the plane refuels, QF1 is wheels-up from Darwin at 10.55pm to tackle the 13,800km, 17½ trek to London, where it arrives at 6.50am,” (Executive Traveller).There has been strong demand for this. Qantas’ Sydney-London flights, which begin on November the 14th, have been met with a surge in demand. According to Executive Traveller, the first of these flights is already sold out, and Qantas is now adding an extra two Sydney-London-Sydney flights in the second half of November.Writer, travel journalist and podcast host Ben Groundwater shared his personal response to the news on Twitter: “No surprise Qantas’s direct flights to London are going gangbusters. I used to think, 17 hours in a plane, no thanks. But now to get to Europe without transiting anywhere, without worrying about another country shutting down, just jumping off the plane and being in Europe? Yep.”

No surprise Qantas’s direct flights to London are going gangbusters. I used to think, 17 hours in a plane, no thanks. But now to get to Europe without transiting anywhere, without worrying about another country shutting down, just jumping off the plane and being in Europe? Yep. https://t.co/pUOytoSB2E

— Ben Groundwater (@bengroundwater) October 2, 2021

Reuters reported on October the 1st that “Rival Virgin Australia, which does far less international flying, did not announce any schedule changes but said it would continue to add flights as travel demand increased and restrictions eased.”There you have it – the long haul flights people used to dread are now more popular than ever. As to whether it will stay that way, it depends on whether people continue to prioritize the convenience of not having a stopover (and their fear of catching COVID-19) over their fears of contracting DVT.Got itchy feet yet? Watch the following video to see 3 reasons you should visit England as a tourist.

We Australians worship utes. They might be commercial vehicles, but we celebrate these cars like no other vehicles on the road. They're not just a tool, but a quintessential part of Australian culture... These days more than ever, utes and pickups are the 'must have' car; a status symbol nonpareil.

Vans don't enjoy nearly as exalted a position, however. Far from it. While commonplace on Australian roads, a van is a purely functional, boring thing – there's no glory to be had driving a HiAce compared to a HiLux, for example. But it didn't always use to be this way. In the 70s, vans were some of the hottest cars you could hope to drive. Panel vans (or 'panos') like the Holden Sandman or Ford Sundowner were iconic... And what about the legendary Volkswagen 'Kombi'?

Now, in 2021, Ford – once Australia's top car brand – wants to make vans cool again, and they're doing it in a rather unexpected fashion: with electrification. Yesterday, Ford Australia announced that the first all-electric vehicle they're launching in the Australian market will be an electric version of their Transit van, one of their biggest-selling vehicles both locally but globally.

The Ford E-Transit, as it will be known, is a real game-changer. Not only will it be the most powerful Transit in Ford's range (making 198kW and 430Nm of torque), but its ability to charge and run power tools on the go as well as its big, Tesla-style tablet centre console makes it extremely convenient. Also like a Tesla, it can also be set up to run the air conditioning whilst it's on charge so that when you start your shift in the morning, you'll have a perfectly cool or warm car ready to go – a big plus for fleet buyers.

Oh, and because it's electric, it'll be able to haul ass like nobody's business. Imagine being able to chop a Golf GTI or Falcon Ute at lights in a bloody Transit van... Mad. But it's not just the car itself that's cool. Ford choosing a commercial vehicle to be the first EV they'll launch Down Under – as well as their plans to support buyers transitioning to EV ownership – might help this notoriously electric-sceptic country to finally start taking EVs seriously, which is a seriously good thing.

[caption id="attachment_303607" align="alignnone" width="920"] No inverter necessary... Image: Ford[/caption]

As we've previously written here at DMARGE, if we really want to make an impact in regards to global emissions – as well as see EV technology become mainstream – we need commercial vehicles to go electric. Even if we all start driving EVs or ditching cars for public transport, we'll still need trucks and vans.

The events of the last eighteen months have certainly hammered this point home. Lockdowns during COVID-19 might have seen fewer passenger cars take to the roads but the number of delivery vans driving around our cities has absolutely skyrocketed, as we've had everything from groceries to gowns home delivered.

We might not think of the Transit as being 'iconic' like, say, the Porsche 911, Fiat 500 or the Toyota Corolla, but the reality is that the Transit is one of Ford's most successful and enduring nameplates. They've sold over eight million of the things since 1965, making it the second-best-selling van of all time, behind only the Volkswagen Transporter. The E-Transit might not be as glamorous as a Tesla Model S, Porsche Taycan or even a Nissan Leaf, but for a marquee vehicle; a statement of intent, it makes a lot of sense for Ford.

Unlike some other brands, Ford hasn't been afraid to take advantage of its best-known nameplates in the journey towards electrification. The E-Transit is evidence of this, as is the brand's other two battery electric vehicles (BEVs) – the Mustang Mach-E sports SUV and the F-150 Lightning pickup.

Indeed, Darren Palmer, General Manager Battery Electric Vehicles for Ford globally, has told media that Ford wants to "hold the hand" of potential EV customers, leveraging their status as a familiar, heritage brand with well-established sales, servicing and distribution networks. They want to make it as easy as possible for drivers to warm up to the idea of EVs. Fleet buyers already love the Transit, so getting them into E-Transits should be a cinch. In that sense, picking the E-Transit as Ford Australia's electric flagbearer is a masterstroke.

Because that's what's really cool about the E-Transit – if it can help normalise EVs on Australian roads, both in terms of sheer numbers and therefore presence but also in terms of dispelling the old myth about practicality – it will do wonders for the car market here.

[caption id="attachment_303725" align="alignnone" width="920"] The Ford F-150 Lightning. The F-Series is Ford's best-selling model of all time as well as the most popular car in America, so making an electric version of the hardy pickup must have been a no-brainer. Image: TechRadar[/caption]

The disappointing news that came alongside the E-Transit's announcement was the news that Ford has no plans to bring the Mustang Mach-E sports SUV or F-150 Lightning Down Under. The F-Series isn't made in right-hand drive, and while the Mach-E is, Ford Australia CEO Andrew Birkic was quick to point out that the global demand for the Mach-E means it's "sold out" virtually everywhere.

The latter revelation is a bit of a disappointment. The E-Transit is one thing, but in ute-mad Australia, we can only imagine that an electric pickup with a similarly iconic nameplate would sell like hotcakes, both among commercial as well as private buyers.

That doesn't mean electric utes aren't on the horizon for Aussie drivers. Rivian (who Ford recently poured a US$500 million investment into, coincidentally) is planning to bring their all-electric R1T pickup Down Under. Tesla is also taking Australian orders/deposits on their futuristic Cybertruck, too.

Check out the Rivian R1T's unique 'gear tunnel' feature below.

Another brand with a plan to bring an electric van Down Under as its first vehicle is China's BYD with their T3, a similar-sized vehicle to the E-Transit. As for other electric vans on the market, Renault currently offers an EV version of their Kangoo small van in Australia, although it hasn't been a big seller (admittedly, Renault has a very small market share here).

It's not just vans and utes joining the EV revolution, either. A local firm, SEA Electric, has started mass production of electric trucks from Hino semi-knock-down kits, The Driven reports (a return to local manufacturing – what a win!) Mitsubishi delivery trucks are now in service with Australia Post, and a firm called Janus Electric is planning to trial electric trucks with swappable batteries between Sydney and Brisbane, The Guardian reports.

All we can hope is that the E-Transit helps kick off an EV commercial vehicle craze that'll bleed into passenger vehicles and make it easier for Aussies of all stripes to drive EVs. Until then, we're just keen to see just how quick the E-Transit is, especially when hauling a bunch of tradies. It'll make traffic stops more interesting, that's for sure...

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Table of contents

Advantages Of Stubble

Owning The 5 O’clock Shadow

Skincare For Facial Hair

Going Rugged

Bearded Wise Man Says…