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The Most Hilarious Reviews Of Rome’s Worst Hotels
The Most Hilarious Reviews Of Rome’s Worst Hotels

When you think of Italy, images of the Colosseum, the Vatican, impromptu romantic encounters and the phrase, “When in Rome,” probably spring to mind.Unfortunately that’s not the case for everyone.While some TripAdvisor gripes can be put down to “people who have no idea what a budget hotel is in Europe,” other are all too valid.Here’s a comprehensive complaint-down of the three worst hotels in Rome.

Villa Teresa

“Cheap not cheerful: a tale of budget hotels and lessons learnt.”
Villa Teresa is 14 bedroom hotel with classic doubles, shared bathroom doubles and triple rooms complete with a minibar, climate control, Wi-Fi, a laptop safe and a writing desk.However, as almost every single review points out, it’s no where near Rome’s city centre.

“Description of location very misleading.”

Whether they were mislead or stupid booked without checking the location properly remains to be seen. But either way the comments left on Tripadvisor make highly entertaining viewing.

“This hotel is very, very far from downtown. The website says that the city centre is about 15 minutes which is not true! The hotel is in the edge if the city and it takes about about 40-50 minutes to get to towntown (downtown). The buses come in every 20-25 minutes…”

Another guest summed it up more succinctly.

“2 weeks after my body is still recovering from the horrible beds.”

While yet another felt obliged to share a tale of Homeric proportions, describing the Odyssey that was finding the place.“The following day, the arduous journey from our cesspit began and we spent the daytime in the centre of Rome,” the story begins. “On our reluctant return to hotel Villa Theresa our concerns escalated when an unidentified male at the train station followed us around then approached us asking invasive questions.”“Once on the bus for the second leg of our journey,” she continues, “What we believed to be a bus conductor rushed us off the bus in a dark unlit side street, our suspicions intensified then once again another female heroin came to our salvation telling us this man intended to take us the wrong way.”

“Crisis averted for the second time in 40 minutes we were off down the road headed for Villa Teresa.”

“To confirm we were headed in the right direction (we could not to be sure after the evenings events),” the story continues, “We asked a woman on the street if we were on the right track. On closer inspection the woman who was shrouded in darkness appeared to be a woman of the night.”

“The problem of sex for sale became a personal issue once we were propositioned twice by two cars whilst waiting for the bus.”

And even once they arrived their ordeal wasn’t over: “We awoke the next day to find we had been mauled in the night by what we can only assume were bed bugs. A great number of ants enjoyed the remnants of drinks we had the previous evening.”Our final guest, presumably English, had just as bad of a time, summing it up in classic British fashion: “Nowhere to eat after 5 o’clock. You can’t order drinks from the bar. I’ll never return.”

Hotel Tre Stelle

The ideal solution for your stay in Rome, at an affordable price…
Hotel Tre Stelle calls itself, “One of the most popular hotels in Rome!” providing you with, “All the convenience that other three star hotels do not offer.”Surprise surprise: its customers disagree, with 37% rating it terrible, 21% rating it poor, 23% rating it average, 14% rating it very good and just 5% rating it excellent. But the glowing reviews are no fun, so shall we skip to the disgruntled guests?

“Room Tip: There are NO good rooms.”

Although some of our aggrieved Tripadvisor friends warmed up with petty complaints like, “The shower goes hot, cold or not – depending on who else is using it,” and “TV is at least 15 years old, still works and if you like Italian channels is fabulous!” the real issues came out soon after.

“Me and my friends had doubts to lay down on the bed as long as white sheets were grey.”

“All showers were covered in mould,” one review reads, “Bedding on the first room, top cover had holes. First room had no window. All walls were grubby.”This seemed to be a common theme, with another guest commenting, “Bugs and dirt all over the floor, tv doesn’t work, shower door falls off in your hand, sink cracked, mirror cracked, curtains had mould all over them, the mattress was less than an inch thick and as soon as you sat down I’m surprised we didn’t fall through it.”Oh and, “The walls are paper thin so you can literally hear everyone else in other rooms, word for word!”Nice.

“This isn’t just a low star hotel. I think a hostel would of been better.”

Roma Evening Star B&B

“Don’t do it.”
“We had our own bathroom.” And that’s about where the positives stopped for one unfortunate couple, as said bathroom, “Had mould growing around the cistern and around the shower tray.” Not only that but, “The light switch had a selector missing leaving exposed cables in the switch box.”

“It is still quite close to termini station, and the main monuments are walking distance away but sadly the thought of returning to this dive at the end of the day extinguished all excitement and optimism I had for Rome.”

“Next to the bed,” another guest pointed out, “Was a power socket with the switch box missing leaving exposed power cables and a light socket had been previously damaged with a light fitting hanging out of the ceiling.”Oops.

“Comparing this to staying in some 1 and 2 star bunkhouses and terrible camping locations I’ve stayed at in the past, I would not suggest this to even someone who just needs to use it to get their head down for the night. Especially considering they attempted to charge us €240 for the pleasure!”

Further observations included:

  • “Streets smelled of urine.”
  • “There was actually moss growing on the side of the toilet cistern. I could’ve cried, it was that bad.”
  • “A room I wouldn’t make my dog sleep in.”

Moral of the story? When in Rome: book wisely.RELATED: The Most Hilarious Reviews Of London’s Absolute Worst Hotels 

The post The Most Hilarious Reviews Of Rome’s Worst Hotels appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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The Jeep Gladiator Is An Open-Air Ute For Thrill-Seeking Tradies
The Jeep Gladiator Is An Open-Air Ute For Thrill-Seeking Tradies

Forget about the iconic Hummer. In 2018 it’s all about off-roading utes with enough boot space for a Jacuzzi. It sounds like something Dan Bilzerian would dream up, but it’s not.

Last night at the L.A Auto Show Jeep unveiled their brand new Gladiator, a car which wouldn’t look out of place on a wild safari tour or an overzealous hip-hop music video. The vehicle itself is based off the current generation JL Wrangler but built on a new frame complete with upsized axles, brakes and wheels.

In figures the car is 787mm longer than the largest standard Wrangler and 493mm wider between the axles. This makes for a silhouette that is larger in every way to existing model.

Powering all four wheels is the current generation Pentastar 3.6-litre V6 which affords 213kW of power and 353Nm of torque. Drive meanwhile is sent through a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic.

Those after different power units will have to wait till 2020 when the Gladiator will be offered with a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel with 194kW of power and 599Nm of torque.

Functionality-wise the car will be able to tow up to 3,470kg with the Max Towing Package and can drive through water up to 76cm deep.

The Rubicon model will once again be the range-topping variant with Fox aluminium shocks, full-length rock sliders to protect the longer undercarriage, optional steel bumpers and optional 33-inch mud-terrain tyres.

Those keen can expect to see the car locally in early 2020.

The post The Jeep Gladiator Is An Open-Air Ute For Thrill-Seeking Tradies appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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Michael B. Jordan Wore A Tie With A Tuxedo & Made It Look Damn Good
Michael B. Jordan Wore A Tie With A Tuxedo & Made It Look Damn Good

When you’re one of the hottest young actors of this generation you can get away with quite a bit. Messing with the formal black tie dress code is not one of them.

Thankfully that’s not what Michael B. Jordan did when he attended the European premiere of Creed 2 in London in a tuxedo paired with a tie. You read right. The 31-year-old American actor stepped out in an immaculately fitted navy tux with contrasting black features like the lapel, dress shirt and patterned tie.

It’s an insanely slick look which is both rare and surprisingly for some, not fashion mistake. The look is simply an acceptable alternative to the black tie dress code for modern times. That’s not to say you can just walk out in your rental tux paired to a skinny tie. The key here needs to be balance and Jordan pulls that off with both the suit’s muted colour combination and the thickness of the tie.

RELATED: It’s Time You Learnt How To Wear A Tuxedo Like James Bond

Fitted is the magic word here. Cast your eyes over the outfit and you’ll notice the absence of any loose or baggy fabric. Jordan finished off this stella look with polished cocktail dress shoes and a Piaget timepiece hiding under the sleeve.

If ever there was a winning notion for less is more in men’s style, this would be it.

Michael B. Jordan, we salute you and your gun stylist. And so does Sylvester Stallone after officially announcing the end of the Rocky Balboa character for good last night.

The post Michael B. Jordan Wore A Tie With A Tuxedo & Made It Look Damn Good appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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Basic Workout Skills Our 'Smartwatch Generation' Lacks, According To A Personal Trainer
Basic Workout Skills Our 'Smartwatch Generation' Lacks, According To A Personal Trainer

You know how it is: you rock up to the gym, program yourself a workout, and set up for 45 minutes of open eye meditation, right? Wrong. According to a world class PT you are probably making a bunch of mistakes, primary among them being: obsessing over reps, sacrificing form and not ~feeling~ your body to ensure “max contractions.”Of course, when you’re scrolling Facebook between sets (and Instagram in your minds eye during), it’s hard to build bodily awareness. As they say: ain’t nobody got time for that.When you get home from work the last thing you want to do is work out your mind and your body. Put simply: most of us just want to look good, we don’t care about being agile and athletic. But this comes at a price.As it turns out, building body awareness as you work out helps you build muscle faster, reduces your risk of injury, and can actually provide a deeper sense of calm once the workout is done and dusted.Case in point? Paul Sklar.

Paul is a world class personal trainer, with a background in duathletics and distance running, and more than 25 years experience kicking people’s butts into shape. He’s also the proud co owner of Prescriptive Fitness, and an enviable set of abs. Come to think of it, his whole rig is enviable. How come? Allow us to present exhibit B…

With workouts like these, Paul, keeps himself more shredded than most trainers half his age. But the key to his success, he told us in an interview, begins with approaching your workout intelligently.For example, when it comes to workouts like the chest workout pictured above, Paul says you must, “Be aware of your shoulder position.”

“The weight should not fall behind the shoulders, but rather in between mid pec and armpit. Make sure you are not using your shoulders to move the weight and don’t try to go deeper than your mobility allows.”

Paul also gave us some advice on dips—an exercise that has caught many a casual athlete out (hands up if you’ve ever put your neck into spasm competing with a mate).

“Position the dip bars for your anatomy,” Paul says, “Which is normally about shoulder width.”

“They can be angled to avoid pain or discomfort. Keep the chest and triceps engaged throughout and concentrate on pulling the shoulder blades gently together to open the pecs and avoid the shoulder.”

In addition to good technique, Paul told us that being aware of your “max contractions” for “every rep you do” is crucial to strength building. In fact, until you can no longer perform with good form or “lose” the contraction, Paul says that every rep should involve your “max contraction” (once you reach the point you are too tired to perform it, stop).So stop focussing on a certain number of reps, and learn to listen to your body: if you can continue reaching your “max contraction” with good form, keep going (and vice versa).

“The biggest mistake (people make) is assuming you always have to lift heavy to grow your muscles. The second biggest mistake is counting reps rather than DOING reps.”

Oh and one last suggestion: don’t skip leg day. Or better yet—make every day leg day…

RELATED: Chris Hemsworth’s Insane Workouts Will Leave You A Quivering Mess

The post Basic Workout Skills Our 'Smartwatch Generation' Lacks, According To A Personal Trainer appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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New Porsche 911 Lands With Extra Power & A Futuristic Twist
New Porsche 911 Lands With Extra Power & A Futuristic Twist

Brace yourselves, Stuttgart junkies. The brand new Porsche 911 (type 992) has officially arrived and it’s faster, wider, more powerful and more digital than ever.

After endless spy shots trickling from the Nurburgring and other parts of the world, the new 911 was finally unveiled today at this year’s L.A Auto Show.

The iconic sports car now enters its eighth generation and with that milestone comes a host of modern appointments to a classic silhouette.

First on the menu: speed.

Porsche have enlisted their new generation flat-six turbocharged engines that are their most powerful units to date. The new 911 Carrera S model will pack 331kW, 22kW increase over its predecessor, thanks to an improved injection process mated to a new turbocharger layout and charge air cooling system.  Power will be delivered to the ground via Porsche’s latest eight-speed dual-clutch transmission as standard.

This combination is enough to see the 911 Carrera 4S with all-wheel-drive send the 0-100km/h sprint in just 3.6 seconds whilst the rear-wheel-drive Carrera S will do it in 3.7 seconds. That’s faster than their outgoing models by 0.4 seconds in both cases.

Customers who want to go even quicker can tick the optional Sport Chrono Package which shaves off another 0.2 seconds, though by this stage we’ll just recommend you wait for the GT2 and GT3 variants.

The top speed of the new 911s are 308km/h for the Carrera S and 306 km/h 4S, respectively. And for those who care about the environment, there’s no hybrid drivetrain but there is a claimed fuel consumption of 8.9 l/100 km for the S and 9.0 l/100 km for the 4S.

And finally for dessert, we have the brand new 911 design language.

The quintessential 911 DNA remains but what changes in the new model is a clear nod to the future – more specifically, the demands of the future customer.

The exterior now features wider wheel housings on all corners to accommodate massive 20-inch wheels up front and 21-inch wheels in the rear (a new car trend we spoke about this week). This also means the body is now 45mm wider.

There’s also cool new appointments like recessed door handles help the new 911 look more streamlined whilst a redesigned front end and rear taillight bar make for a beautiful display at dusk.

The 911 headlight shape can never be messed with too much so the designers instead installed cool matrix LED headlights which should be able to blind deer from 5km away.

And apart from the front and rear sections, the entire outer skin is now made from aluminium.

The interior of the Porsche 911 992 now features a completely new look thanks to a big 10.9-inch touchscreen monitor, intelligent control and chassis elements as well as innovative ‘assistance systems’ to ensure this classic sports car is ready for the digital world.

What’s an assistance system? The Porsche Wet Mode which makes driving on wet roads safer by detecting water on the road alongside optional Night Vision Assist with thermal imaging camera (we’re thinking Predator), as well as more real-time connectivity than you can poke a USB stick at.

Pricing-wise, the new 911 Carrera S will retail in Australia from $265,000 whilst the 911 Carrera 4S will go from from $281,100. Arrival will be the second quarter of 2019.

The post New Porsche 911 Lands With Extra Power & A Futuristic Twist appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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A Woman Reveals How An Open Relationship Broke Her Man
A Woman Reveals How An Open Relationship Broke Her Man

Depending on your mood, the thought of opening up your relationship could either inspire Tinder-scrolling excitement or stomach-turning terror. The best and worst of your human instincts brought out, only to be shut down by the thought of everything that could go wrong.Most couple’s reach this point and pull the handbrake: either by sticking to their monogamous ways, or by breaking up and going solo. A growing minority, however, have decided that these two lifestyles don’t have to be mutually exclusive—and neither do they.In other words: they start an open relationship. And although the stereotype is “the road to hell is paved with good intentions,” online forums like this (and this) Reddit thread prove that “ethical non monogamy” is not always a complete disaster.

“I came to non-monogamy for the unrestricted number of concurrent sex partners, but I stayed for the radical honesty.”

One Reddit thread posed the question, “Non-monogamous redditors who used to be strictly monogamous, what changed your mind about sharing your partner?”Responses ranged from critiques of conventional relationships; “Every monogamous relationship I had been in often required me to avoid expressing my feelings and desires for fear of angering or offending my partners,” to promotions of the “open” attitude; “With nonmonogamy, radical honesty comes part and parcel.”People in open relationships explained how, “You have to be completely honest and vulnerable if you want to explain why you want to see someone else,” claiming, “It forces you to be completely transparent with your wants while being absolutely receptive to your partners.”

“Many people feel trapped by the unspoken understanding in many modern relationships that making the other person feel good is more important than expressing yourself. It’s unnecessary martyrdom, and it leads to resentment.”

They were also quick to point out that radical honesty isn’t just “speaking your mind” and “telling it like it is.” According to them, “Those are the catchphrases of abusive assholes,” and real honesty is, “Expressing yourself while simultaneously feeling empathy for the listener and fully expecting to get feedback that may upset you.”

“It’s very hard, and I don’t pretend to have mastered it. But, you guys, it is so freeing!”

More detailed tips included, “Regarding the particulars, we are both interested in short term sex only, neither of us are looking for an actual side relationship. We always use condoms with outside partners. We always talk about what we are planning before we do it to make sure the other partner is okay with it, and we can ‘veto’ people if we so choose.”

“We also make it a point to keep approximate parity in the number of partners,” one user said, because they found, “It is much easier for a woman to find someone interested in casual sex, so I let her know I would probably feel pretty resentful if this situation were to become too skewed.”Which brings us to today’s Reddit thread, where one woman explains how her fiance’s open relationship suggestion spectacularly back-fired, posing the question: “Fiancé (27m) wanted to try an open relationships, not my first choice but I agreed. Now he’s throwing a tantrum that my “bodycount” is 20x his and wants to add rules. Is it time to just cut my losses and move on?”

“I’ve been with my fiancé for 4 years, I love him and used to respect him but his recent fixation on this dumb subject has really hurt my respect.”

She goes on to explain how her fiance found out his friend had slept with 100 women prior to getting engaged, which inspired him to propose an open relationship. “At first I was disgusted by the thought,” she says, “But I agreed after he threw a major meltdown.”“So I started going out with friends,” she continued. “The first few guys I was so nervous because I’d (only) been with 2 guys (including my fiancé) prior. But after I got over the nerves I realized when there’s no pressure to start a relationship, I’m really good at picking up dudes and sending vibes that I’m DTF.”

“I’ve been with 42 guys in the past year. I never thought it would happen but I’ve enjoyed myself immensely. But honestly I’d be ready to stop.”

Meanwhile her fiance lacked the social wherewithal to make his open relationship dreams a reality, notching up just, “Two really bad hookups from dating apps,” so when they had the “where are we” discussion, he had another meltdown, repeating, “You’ve slept with 20 times the number I have? 20 TIMES!?”In response she suggested they go back to monogamy. Her fiance refused, but now wants to impose a “rule” that she take a break “until he gets to 10.” Then from that point onwards, he suggested she go out and meet someone new “every five new girls he sleeps with.”“To me this is goddamn ridiculous,” the woman explains; “Part of the fun of this was the independence and not checking in… Now he literally wants me to keep a log and then when he hits like an achievement then I can do my thing. How shifty is that?”

“In all honesty, I don’t want a relationship where we have to compare numbers, let alone f*ck other people. I want a normal life with kids and a house and dog. What are we supposed to say: I watch the the kids until you f*ck five women then it’s my night?!”

Veracity of this story aside (remember: this is Reddit), it raises a number of important questions anyone considering an open relationship will need to deal with: how do you deal with uneven desires (and success rates)? Luckily for anyone in this situation, other Redditors had some helpful suggestions (and real life examples).“We discussed this all for a while before we put it into action so we could set these expectations and work on some issues in our relationship first. We probably just kept it as just something we were considering for about 8 months, and have been active about the last year. So far, it’s worked out well for both of us.

“Even if we chose to stop doing this, I feel like our communication as a couple has greatly improved.”

And then there were others who were going through the same thing, and handling it just as badly: “I always thought that I would be the one who had an easier time with the other person sleeping around, (so when) my girlfriend suggested an open relationship… I leapt at the chance. But (straightaway) she has slept with the same guy twice, and (now) I am really finding it hard to deal with.”

“I spent the next few days wanting to break it off (the open part), but feeling like I needed to ‘get my own back’ first, which I know is really unhealthy.”

Moral of the story: open relationships can be as tricky as they are rewarding. So suggest it at your own risk. But for now, can we all just take a moment to consider the real problem: the sheer selfishness of everyone involved in an open relationship.

RELATED: What It’s Like To Date A 50 Year Old Woman, When You’re A 25 Year Old Man

The post An Open Relationship Broke Me… appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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Intermittent Fasting Isn't Superior To Normal Diets, Say German Scientists
Intermittent Fasting Isn't Superior To Normal Diets, Say German Scientists

Is this the end of the hottest dieting trend of 2018? These ballsy German scientists think so.

As part of the largest study into intermittent fasting to date, researchers from the German Cancer Research Centre (DKFZ) and Heidelberg University Hospital conducted a study called HELENA. This collaborative study found that intermittent fasting isn’t superior to conventional calorie restriction diets in any way.

“There are in fact only a few smaller studies on intermittent fasting so far, but they have come up with strikingly positive effects for metabolic health,” says DKFZ’s Ruth Schübel. “This made us curious and we intended to find out whether these effects can also be proven in a larger patient group and over a prolonged period.”

As such, Schübel and his team examined 150 overweight and obese study participants over one year as part of the HELENA study. But before we get into the specifics of the procedure, intermittent fasting is essentially a diet program which sees participants feasting within an eight hour window and then fasting for the following sixteen hours. These times can vary but the ’16:8′ diet is essentially the most popular one alongside the ‘5:2’ variant.

The purported result is often weight loss without the yo-you effect and a change in metabolism leading to health benefits. The German Nutrition Society (DGE) however disputes this. They have warned the public that intermittent fasting isn’t suitable for long-term weight regulation and add that there isn’t enough data to evaluate the long-term effects of the diet.

Enter the latest grand study. The subjects were split into three groups. Group one followed a conventional calorie restriction diet that saw their daily calorie intake reduced by 20 percent. Group two followed the 5:2 intermittent fasting plan which also saw their calorie intake reduced by 20 percent over a full week. The third group known as the control group didn’t follow a specific diet plan but were ordered to consume a balanced diet in accordance to the DGE’s recommendations.

RELATED: Everything You Need To Know About Intermittent Fasting In 5 Minutes

Once the diet period ended, the researchers continued to track each participant’s weight and health status for the next 38 weeks.

The result?

Both diet models had shown the same level of improvements in health status – i.e. intermittent fasting is nothing special.

“In participants of both group, body weight and, along with it, visceral fat, or unhealthy belly fat, were lost and extra fat in the liver reduced,” Schübel reported.

As an added bonus, the study also returned results showing that there was no difference in the metabolic values, biomarkers or gene activities between the two diets. To put it bluntly, the HELENA study debunks the euphoric expectations of intermittent fasting.

“In addition, for some people it seems to be easier to be very disciplined on two days instead of counting calories and limiting food every day,” explained Tilman Kühn, leading scientist of the trial. “But in order to keep the new body weight, people must also permanently switch to a balanced diet following DGE recommendations,” he added.

What does this mean exactly? It doesn’t matter so much what diet you follow as long as you pick one method and stick with it long term to see the benefits.

“The same evidence is also suggested in a current study comparing low-carb and low-fat diets, that is, reducing carbohydrates versus reducing fat intake while otherwise having a balanced diet,” said Kühn. This study showed that the subjects also returned similar results on two different dieting methods.

Now that your bubble has been burst, the scientists say that it’s time to accept that any form of reliable dieting can be good for the body. Just don’t think that yours is better than someone else’s.

The post Intermittent Fasting Isn't Superior To Normal Diets, Say German Scientists appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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Apple Just Lost Its Status As The World's Most Valuable Company
Apple Just Lost Its Status As The World's Most Valuable Company

For the first time in eight years, Apple yesterday gave up its crown as the world’s most valuable company on the trading desks.

This came after several weeks’ decline in the tech monolith’s shares, which has removed about $US300 billion ($AU415 billion) in “market capitalisation” from the company, which peaked at a record $US1.1 trillion in early October.

While Apple’s shares dropped to $812.60 billion, Microsoft’s (briefly) surged to a valuation of $812.93 billion, making Bill Gates the founder of the world’s most valuable company, even if it was only for a couple of minutes.

“Apple’s market cap hovered around $US828.7 billion as of 5:15 p.m. in New York, while Microsoft’s stood at $US817.3 billion, although the two spent much of Monday afternoon jockeying for the top seat in intraday action. Shares of Apple rose 0.9 per cent, erasing an earlier decline, while Microsoft climbed 3.2 per cent,” (Sydney Morning Herald).

This is the first time since 2013 (when Apple outgrew Exxon Mobil) that any company has topped the late Steve Jobs’ brainchild (Microsoft and Apple are now trading back and forth for the title).

Apple and Microsoft, founded within a year of each other in the mid 1970’s, have been competing in the same IT space for over 40 years.

As reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, “Microsoft dominated in the dot-com era but subsequently lost ground as the Cupertino, California-based Apple launched such iconic products as the iPod and especially the iPhone, which would grow to become its most important product line.”

“Yet now, that very product is among the (main) challenges facing Apple, with concerns over weak iPhone demand pressuring shares to fall more than 25 per cent from record levels.”

However, as the SMH continued, “Microsoft isn’t immune to weakness in the technology sector (either).” Although it hasn’t been affected as badly, it has still fallen, “About 8 percent from its own all-time high in October as investors take to its enterprise-oriented business, as well as the success of its cloud-computing division.”

As reported by The Verge, “Microsoft failed spectacularly in the mobile era with its Windows Phone efforts, but the company has shown it’s resilient.”

“Microsoft is now focused on cross-platform technologies, the cloud, artificial intelligence, and is aiming to secure the future of quantum computing and mixed reality computing.”

Meanwhile, analysts expect Apple to transition to a business model based more on services than unit sales, which could either see it soar ahead again—or dethrone it from its ‘top dog’ status in an even more dramatic fashion.

RELATED: Everything You Need To Know About The New Apple Macbook Air 

The post Apple Just Lost Its Status As The World's Most Valuable Company appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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You Haven’t Been To Sydney Unless You’ve Smashed At These Cool Burger Joints
You Haven’t Been To Sydney Unless You’ve Smashed At These Cool Burger Joints

While Melbourne has become famous for its café culture and obscure hip laneway eateries, Sydney is still known for sandstone institutions with big water views (and even bigger bills).

But to focus on that would be to ignore the Harbour City’s tastiest secret: epic burger joints.

Sure, in recent years, Sydney’s burger ‘market’ has become over saturated (and not just with trans fats). Back in the day all you had was Mary’s, Dan’s Hong’s Lotus cheeseburger and Chur Burger.

Now there are imitations and innovations of the classic American Burger™ as far as the eye can see (and the stomach rumble).

But before you go get lost in a mountain of Big Macs and Ben Bry’s (not that there’s anything wrong with either of those), we thought we’d come up with a list of the best burger joints in Sydney, to satisfy each and every craving.

Want something delicious, cheap and nasty? We’ve got you covered. After something a little more fancy? All good too. Or maybe you want a burger with a view? This list has got that as well, so do yourself a favour and add it to the bucket list for your next late lunch, or night out.

Bonditony’s Burger Joint

Shop 1/144 Glenayr Av, Bondi Beach

Where else in Sydney can you order a Trippin’ Zeahorse burger with a Negroni on the side? No prizes for guessing where this culinary masterpiece is located. At Bonditony’s Burger Joint, in the heart of the Eastern Suburbs (and by ‘heart’, we mean the beach), eating a burger is more than just a foodie experience—it’s also about rock n’ roll. With a background in the music biz, Tony came up with the idea to open a family friendly, punk rocky, down-to-earth burger joint in 2015—and the rest is history.

BL Burgers

1/151 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, 2010

Image credit: Broadsheet

You’re strolling down Oxford Street, having worked up an appetite at the local watering holes. After last weekend’s antics in The Cross you’re not sure you can stomach another World Bar teapot cocktail, greasy pepperoni pizza or ill-advised kebab. So now there’s only one place left to turn: BL Burgers. From the ‘classic cheese’ to ‘BL veg’ and ‘blame Canada’ offerings there’s enough variety here to satisfy you and your vegan Surrey Hills bae (if you’re here on your own, treat yourself to the shoe-string fries—just for good measure).

Icebergs Terrace

One Notts Avenue, Bondi Beach, 7053, 2026

The ultimate summer spot for you to enjoy the best view of the Pacific Ocean (this side of the bridge, anyway), Bondi’s Icebergs Terrace also makes one mean burger. And if you’re still peckish after, there’s also Insalata, freshly shucked oysters and crispy fish sangers (along with a full cabinet of drinks), and much more on offer.

Macelleria

73/75 Enmore Rd, Newtown, 2042

Photo credit: Smudge Eats

Forget it being the coolest place to party in Sydney since the lock out laws; Newtown has more to offer than Goon sack scolling undergrads and hipster cafes. Whether you’re after a bacon and egg roll or something a little more serious, with its ‘open diner’ vibe and quality feeds Macelleria is the pick of the bunch.

Chur Burger

48 Albion St, Surry Hills, 2010

Surrey Hills’ finest ‘dude food’ establishment, Chur Burger is your go-to for OG beef burgers, marinated grilled chicken, lamb, fish and heaps more. Adding to the quality (but not pretentious) aesthetic are this joint’s famous spiked milkshakes, which combine flavours like “apple crumble” and “fireball whisky.” Basically, no night time escapade through the foodie capital of Sydney is complete without a trip to Chur.

Ume Burger

Wulugul Walk, Barangaroo, 2000

Image credit: Broadsheet

Ume Burger is Bar Ume’s fun-loving Barangaroo brother. With a slightly more “burger shop” vibe than Surrey Hills’ Bar Ume, Ume Burger is a classic in and out burger joint. That said, it is located in waterfront Barangaroo, and crafted by Amber Road Design, so to say it’s downmarket would be to go too far. Although they serve four mouth watering signature burgers (along with a Menchi version with crumbed pork belly, shredded cabbage, mustard, Japanese BBQ sauce and yuzu-kosho mayo) the place has become known for their pink, help-yourself soft-serve machine, which changes flavour each time you visit.

Rockpool Bar & Grill

66 Hunter St, Sydney

Internationally acclaimed chef Neil Perry offers Modern Australian cuisine in an ornate art deco room with a cocktail bar, which is the perfect venue for a pre or post lunch or dinner drink or casual bite to eat. With a no bookings policy, an excellent bar menu and a cocktail and wine list second to none, Rockpool Bar & Grill is ideal for life’s impromptu moments.

Superior Burger

Shop 5, 30 Bulls Rd, Wakeley, 2176

After 8 years bettering Sydney’s burger experience through its big brother, Pub Life Kitchen, Superior Burger launched in 2016 with a mission to serve humble burgers delivered with restaurant depth and principles. There’s also Nashville hot chicken, beer battered potato scallops and fish tacos.

Royal Stacks

Level 3/1 Anderson St, Chatswood, 2067

Photo credit: Concrete Playground

After refining his skills with Melbourne establishments like Grand Trailer Park Taverna and Royal Stacks Brunswick, burger nerd Dani Zeini brought his mouth-watering patties to Sydney in 2016—and Chatswood burger lovers haven’t gone hungry since. As per all their outlets, Royal Stacks has a singular focus: burgers. And lots of ’em. Choices range from the classic Single Stack (beef patty with tomato, lettuce, pickles, cheddar and special sauce), to options like the Prince Harry (which adds horseradish, shallots and gherkin mayo), and The King (which chucks a huge mac ‘n’ cheese croquette into the works) for when you’re feeling, as the Instagram kids say, ‘extra’.

Burger Project

Grosvenor Place Piazza, 225 George Street, Sydney CBD

If slow food values with fast food service is your jam (relish?), then you’ll feel right at home in any of the Burger Project’s Sydney outlets. With offerings in Martin Place, Broadway and Circular Quay, Burger Project is the step up from Maccas that every young man must one day take. With a bright aesthetic and immediately satisfying, crunchy fare, the Burger Project is truly a burger joint worth getting your chin greasy for.

RELATED: Neil Perry Reveals The Secret To Cooking A Mouth Watering Burger 

The post You Haven’t Been To Sydney Unless You’ve Smashed At These Cool Burger Joints appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

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