Conan O’Brien may be known for his self depreciating humour, perfectly coiffed hair and late night talk shows, but it appears he is now adding existential philosophy to that list. In a recent interview, O’Brien sat down with Dave Itzkoff of the New York Times to talk about his up and coming new TBS show.

Conan opened up about his three month hiatus (he hasn’t hosted a show since October last year), his “Conan without Borders” travel special and the meaning of life. Or rather: the lack of it…

At the end of what had been an upbeat pow wow about his creative process and personal life, Itzkoff asked how O’Brien wants to “go out,” which led O’Brien into a spiel about the cold realities of the universe—and a conversation he once had with a famous actor that helped him come to terms with it all.

In true Conan style, he did it with charisma that even a Camel-smoking undergrad would struggle not to smile at: “At this point in my career, I could go out with a grand, 21-gun salute, and climb into a rocket and the entire Supreme Court walks out and they jointly press a button, I’m shot up into the air and there’s an explosion and it’s orange and it spells, ‘Good night and God love,'” O’Brien said.

“In this culture? Two years later, it’s going to be, ‘Who’s Conan?’ This is going to sound grim, but eventually, all our graves go unattended.”

It only gets darker from there, with Itzkoff quipping; “You’re right, that does sound grim.” To which Conan responds, “Sorry… I had a great conversation with Albert Brooks once. When I met him for the first time, I was kind of stammering. I said, you make movies, they live on forever. I just do these late-night shows, they get lost, they’re never seen again and who cares?”

“And he looked at me and he said, [Albert Brooks voice] “What are you talking about? None of it matters.” None of it matters? “No, that’s the secret. In 1940, people said Clark Gable is the face of the 20th Century. Who [expletive] thinks about Clark Gable? It doesn’t matter. You’ll be forgotten. I’ll be forgotten. We’ll all be forgotten.”

While many would see this as a depressing thought, it provides Conan with a profound sense of relief: “It’s so funny because you’d think that would depress me,” he said. “I was walking on air after that.”

So next time you’re feeling stressed about something, take a moment to think about it’s significance in the grand scheme of things, and—who knows—it might just take the pressure off.

The post How Conan O’Brien Stays Positive In The Face Of Hopelessness appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

One of the most enduring names in Girard-Perregaux’s watchmaking history is the Laureato and in 2019 it returns with three variations dedicated to the most active purveyors of luxury watches.

The latest changes to the Laureato which was shown off at this year’s SIHH includes a bigger case now measuring in at 44mm in comparison to the previous 42mm. Bigger doesn’t mean heavier though. The Swiss watchmaker employed black PVD treated titanium for the case which allows it to be lighter than the old 42mm model whilst remaining ultra strong. Water resistance is another improvement across the name which now sees all three Laureato models reaching 300m in depth.

Design-wise the trio feature striking sunburst dials with a colour gradation running from dark blue in the centre to deep black around the rim. A blue-stitched black rubber strap marries perfectly in the masculine department of the latest Laureatos.

Laureato Absolute

Ref: 81070-21-491-FH6A
Functions: hours, minutes, central seconds, date
Case: 44mm polished and satin-brushed black PVD-treated titanium
Bezel: octagonal with circular satin-brushed black PVD-treated titanium
Dial: blue gradated into black, sunburst finish and Super-LumiNova markings
Water resistance: 300 metres (30 ATM)
Power reserve: 46 hours
Strap: Black rubber with blue topstitching

Laureato Absolute Chronograph

Ref: 81060-21-491-FH6A
Functions: Hours, minutes, central seconds, date, chronograph
Case: 44mm polished and satin-brushed black PVD-treated titanium
Bezel: circular satin-brushed black PVD-treated
Dial: Two superimposed, hollowed plates: the one on top in gradated shades of blue, with a sunburst finish
Water resistance: 300 metres (30 ATM)
Power reserve: 46 hours
Strap: Black rubber with blue topstitching

Laureato Absolute WW.TC

The post Girard-Perregaux Unveils A New Laureato Absolute appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Part time mad scientist, full time technology entrepreneur, Elon Musk has just expressed an interest in helping reduce Sydney's peak hour traffic, quoting $1 billion on Twitter for a high-speed transit tunnel through the Blue Mountains.

This came after independent NSW MP Jeremy Buckingham reached...

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The post Elon Musk Wants To Build A $1 Billion Dollar Tunnel To Solve Sydney’s Traffic Problem appeared first on D'MARGE.

Minimalists like things clean, neat and uncluttered. There's usually a lot of white, open space and room to move for, well, nothing. Basically, it's a style with little or no variation on the colour palette and even less rules pertaining to a strict shape or silhouette.

Offering a less-is-more ap...

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The post How To Look Insanely Cool In Minimalist Menswear appeared first on D'MARGE.

Although Brazil is known for its laid back attitude, when it comes to flirting, you can increase your chances of success by following one simple ‘small talk’ rule. Knowing this trick will not only help you seduce the sultry eyes behind the bar, but it will also help you make new friends, impress old ones and make your quest to understand (and eventually, learn) the Brazilian language (Portuguese) far less confusing.

The rule; use as many diminutivos (diminutives) as possible. But wait; what the heck are those? Diminutives are suffixes you add onto the end of words, to make them smaller or cuter. Still confused? Allow the BBC to explain, “Diminutives are like a form of baby talk Brazilians never grow out of.”

Meteorologist Carine Malagolini from São Paulo then told the BBC; “We use diminutives [a lot], and a lot of times without even noticing. I think that their use came from childhood, because we’d hear and talk like this with our parents. For example, ‘You’d like a bananinha [a little piece of banana]?’.”

So this “small talk” has little to do with your awkward elevator chats back home (“so how’s that weather out there today, huh”); it’s about spicing up your sentences, helping you to come across as more playful, friendly, flirty and—above all—not too abrupt or threatening. As the BBC reporter Ian Walker yesterday revealed, this was one of the first tips his Brazilian friends gave him.

“I’d barely been in Brazil 24 hours when I was let in on a segredinho (a little secret). In a barzinho (a local bar) as the sun went down, a new Brazilian amiguinho (a good friend) I’d met in my Rio de Janeiro hostel had a frosted bottle of Antarctica beer sweating in his hand. Chatting about our night ahead, he poured our drinks and told me, “If you want to speak with a girl tonight, don’t ask her to have a cerveja [a beer]; ask her if she’d like a cervejinha (a little beer) instead. She’ll love it if you use this word.”

“Literally, they (diminutives) make something smaller, effectively softening a word, turning it cute and gentle,” he continues. “While in English diminutives are often seen as a little childish (kitty, doggy, mummy), everyone in Brazil, from politicians to medical doctors, use them without any hint of irony.”

This has implications in terms of flirting too: using ‘cervejinha’ (little beer) instead of ‘cerveja’ (beer), according to Walker, “Implies an innocent and friendly invitation, without any intentions to get drunk late into the night with all that often involves.” It also, according to University of Brasilia linguist Dr Marcos Bagno, invokes the characteristic kindness of the Brazilian spirit.

Aside from that, it’s also impressive simply by distinguishing you from the masses of other tourists who learnt Portuguese from a guide book.

But before you start using them ‘willy nilly,’ be warned; diminutives can also (depending on context) change the meaning of a word. For instance, if someone asks you to wait a minutinho (a little minute), you could be in for a 15 minute plus wait. Likewise, if someone invites you to a festinha (little party), depending on their tone of voice it could be anything from a low key pool party to an open invite warehouse rave.

Diminutives can also help you work out if you have been placed in the “friend zone.” As Walker tells us, “Brazilians also use diminutives… as an indirect way of saying something not entirely flattering.”

“The most famous example of this,” he continues, “Is bonitinho/a, which comes from bonito/a, meaning ‘beautiful’. At first I assumed this was a compliment, and, depending on the situation, it can be. But in the Brazilian lexicon it’s also transformed to refer to someone who’s maybe not the best looking in the room but has their own charm. It could be the way a woman says ‘He’s a good guy, but I’m not interested’, or ‘Cute, but in the dreaded little-brother kind of way’. Ouch.”

The post The Small Talk Rule You Need To Master Before Flirting In Brazil  appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Long heralded as the watchmaker for ‘manly men’, Panerai have since been playing to a different tune to branch out a bit. First it was the smaller and slimmer cases in their signature crown-shield design, and in 2019 it’s an eco-friendly approach as the first luxury watch to ever feature EcoTitanium construction – aviation-grade recycled titanium that’s been sourced directly from the scrap yards of major aircraft manufacturers.

This innovative and environmentally-friendly pairing also sees the ambassadorial backing of Mike Horn, one of the world’s greatest explorers who’s known for completing a solo journey around the equator without motorised transport.

The new Panerai Submersible Mike Horn Edition watches which debuted at SIHH come in two variations. The standard variant boasts a light, strong and resistant black strap that’s made from recycled PET (plastic) to minimise the effects on the environment. This green initiative also extends to packaging which is also recycled. On the face it features green Luminescent markings on the dial and bezel.

PAM00984 (Black Strap) Specifications

Movement: In-house automatic mechanical, P. 9010 calibre
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, calculation of immersion time
Case: 47mm EcoTitanium including EcoTitanium caseback and crown protector
Dial: Black
Power reserve: 72 hours
Water resistance: 300m
Strap: Black recycled PET

PAM00985 (Blue Strap) Specifications

Movement: In-house automatic mechanical, P. 9010 calibre
Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, date, calculation of immersion time
Case: 47mm EcoTitanium including EcoTitanium caseback and crown protector
Dial: Black
Power reserve: 72 hours
Water resistance: 300m
Strap: Blue recycled PET

The post Panerai's Latest Watch Is Made Out Of Recycled Aircraft Titanium appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

It’s been less than three days since Gillette launched an advertising campaign encouraging “positive masculinity.”

The two minute video already has 6,421,072 views, and features news clips of reporting on the #MeToo movement, as well as sexist film scenes, an awkward boardroom interaction and boys fighting, with a voice over saying: “Bullying, the MeToo movement against sexual harassment, toxic masculinity, is this the best a man can get?” In response, they have been bombarded with both praise and abuse.

Those that like the video argue that it is possible to have a positive impact on society at the same time as making money (see Duncan Fisher, head of policy and innovation for the Family Initiative’s comment: “Obviously this is an advert created by an agency to sell razors but it represents an attempt to change the dialogue”). Others, however, disagree not just with the company cashing in on the movement, but the message itself, saying that it is wrong to broadly condemn hyper masculinity.

I wonder how the “toxic men” who stormed the shores of Normandy to liberate the world from pure evil would feel about the moralizing of @Gillette / @ProcterGamble. The folks who do not understand why people are upset at the obnoxious virtue signalling are blind to the TOXIC

— Gad Saad (@GadSaad) 15 January 2019

This idea has been repeated underneath the video across all of Gillette’s social media platforms. From Instagram; “MaScULinItY iS BaD “……say that to the men who stormed the beaches on D-Day and beat that nazis ….without masculine men , weak people like you would have became lamp shades and paper weights,” to Youtube; “There is no ‘TOXIC MASCULINITY!’ Only TOXIC brands,” the add seems to have upset a lot of men.

However, as one insightful Twitter comment points out, they are missing the point.

I was raised to always try and be better, to treat women with respect, and to know that we are equals.
I don’t see any problem with having an ad that suggests we should expect more from the men out there who aren’t living up to that standard.

— Samuel Decker Thompson (@SamuelDeckerT) 15 January 2019

As Mr Thompson points out, getting rid of sexual harassment and bullying does not equate to getting rid of hyper masculinity; it means channelling it in a more positive way. Much like the aggrieved Youtube commenters’ heroes saw something wrong with the world and channelled their energy into fighting it, the add—if you actually watch it—encourages us all to do the same.

I was promised a tone deaf ad that insulted men and all I saw was an ad with a message that many can relate to. Thanks for letting me down, internet.

People are so incapable of nuanced thought it hurts.

— eric (@ericmangun) 15 January 2019

“This commercial isn’t anti-male. It’s pro-humanity,” wrote Bernice King, daughter of the late civil rights legend Martin Luther King. “And it demonstrates that character can step up to change conditions.”

As reported by The Guardian, Duncan Fisher, head of policy and innovation for the Family Initiative, also welcomed Gillette’s revolutionary shift: “There are a lot of men who want to stand up for a different type of masculinity, but for many there has not been a way for men to express that, we just need to give them a voice.”

Others took a different tack, calling out those criticising the add in typical Twitter style…

I mean, it appears that Gillette isn’t a good product for sensitive skin after all.

— HamberderHat (@Popehat) 15 January 2019

I love how triggered everyone is by this ad. Apparently big tough men and the women that apparently only love tough guys getting all bent out of shape by a commercial. The irony is thick with this lot.

— Magnus Linusson (@infinitemagnus1) 15 January 2019

Gillette themselves also chimed in, claiming the add was no hollow gesture:

We appreciate that, Melody. We hope to inspire men to be their best, and we are starting with our own actions. This includes how we portray men in marketing and a commitment to donate $1M per year for the next 3 years to orgs that help men and boys achieve their personal best.

— Gillette (@Gillette) 15 January 2019

But switched on commenters pointed out that, if all goes to plan, the add could make them more money than they donate.

y’all said the same thing about Nike after the Kaepernick deal. they’re going to do better after this

— Don’t Worry (@Thereisaproblem) 15 January 2019

The post This Comment On Gillette's Controversial New Ad Reveals Why Men Don't Understand Masculinity appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

The German capital of cool, Berlin is one of the most unpredictable, design driven cities in the world.

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, which signified Communist reign, Berlin has moved on from a society of uniformed 'sameness' to a thriving creative hub full of individualists. Fashion, film a...

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It was only last year that Swiss watchmaker Ulysse Nardin unveiled their bold new engineering feat known as the Freak Vision.

It was a truly unique timepiece which heralded the first automatic movement to ever be implemented into the Freak collection complete with silicon components, but there was just one problem – the cost of innovation came in at an eye-watering AU$137,600 a piece.

One year on and we have the latest Freak X, a brand new model which borrows the blueprint of the Freak Vision and packs it neatly into a slightly more affordable package.

The defining feature of the Freak X is its unconventional tourbillon movement which utilises the escapement as part of the display. Ulysee Nardin call this the “baguette” movement which is essentially a carousel which turns once on itself every sixty minutes to indicate the hour. The central bridge acts as the minute hand.

The revised watch also now features a crown for time adjustment as opposed to last year’s Vision which relied on the bezel to set time.

In a nutshell, the Freak X is simpler, cleaner and bolder thanks to the omission of traditional hands, a dial and a smaller casing.

Ulysse Nardin will offer four variants of the model: a full titanium with PVD finish, a titanium with black DLC finish, a rose gold-titanium with black DLC finish and a Carbonium (carbon) matte finish paired with titanium with black DLC.

Specifications

Case: 43mm in titanium, titanium with PVD finish, rose gold, or matte-finish Carbonium
Dial Color: Black
Functions: Hours, minutes
Power reserve: 72 hours
Water Resistance: 50 meters
Strap: Calfskin or alligator strap

Australian Pricing

Freak X Ti Blue : $31,050 AUD
Freak X Ti Black : $31,050 AUD
Freak X Rose Gold : $44,350 AUD
Freak X Carbonium : $35,500 AUD

The post Ulysse Nardin Unveils An Affordable Tourbillon Watch With No Hands Or Dial appeared first on DMARGE Australia.