Pit poppsies, umbrella lassies and more commonly known as the classic girl girls will not be appearing this year’s Australian Grand Prix. After decades of enjoyment Formula 1 have decided that the grid girl concept is outdated and must be shown the door.

Can we please have a moment’s silence for our fallen heroes…

“Over the last year we have looked at a number of areas which we felt needed updating so as to be more in tune with our vision for this great sport,” said FOM managing director Sean Bratches.

“While the practice of employing grid girls has been a staple of Formula 1 Grands Prix for decades, we feel this custom does not resonate with our brand values and clearly is at odds with modern day societal norms.

“We don’t believe the practice is appropriate or relevant to Formula 1 and its fans, old and new, across the world.”

Contrary to popular belief, there’s a number of young female models (and spectators) who really enjoy the grid girl experience. Most have been quick to express their opinions on Twitter.

Those against say aye…

So the inevitable has happened, F1 gridgirls have been banned. Ridiculous that women who say they are “fighting for women’s rights” are saying what others should and shouldn’t do, stopping us from doing a job we love and are proud to do. PC gone mad #Gridgirls

— Rebecca Cooper (@rebeccageldard) January 31, 2018

Banning grid girls is ridiculous. I ENJOY my job & I’m paid well. It’s MY BODY, MY CHOICE to do it. I choose to HAPPILY wear the catsuits & dresses (which covers my body respectfully!!) I don’t need people who aren’t even in this industry to speak on behalf of me, thanks

— Scarlett Rae (@scxrly) January 31, 2018

No one is saying women shouldn’t be allowed to do whatever they want career wise. Literally no one. It is the *concept* of grid girls and what it represents that is the issue. And if you truly don’t understand why it is an issue then, quite frankly, yikes.

— Alice (@countvoncrash) January 31, 2018

#disgusted by @f1 decision to ditch grid girls!!!
When is all this political correct BS going to end!! #gridgirls

— Lottie (@Cx_lottie) January 31, 2018

Those in favour of the motion…

I’m so pleased with F1’s decision to ban #gridgirls. Women should not be used as decoration while men are encouraged to achieve. I want more for myself and my sisters.

— Rachael Anderson (@Rachosaurus123) January 31, 2018

Good riddance, Formula One #GridGirls, and so sad to see all the men bemoaning their demise as some sort of attack on male sexuality or some claptrap like that. One day I hope we’ll look back on the male attitudes of today like we currently look back on those of the 19th century.

— Tim Wakeling (@timwakeling) January 31, 2018

Obviously Tim’s tweet was written whilst his girlfriend held a gun to his head.

It’s been a big few years for Formula 1 as they battle to keep audience numbers. This year we’ll see the introduction of the ‘Halo’ driver protection device which is designed to prevent head injuries which Jules Bianchi suffered in 2014.

The post Formula One Decides Grid Girls Are No Longer Welcome In The Sport appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

As North America is gripped by a freezing winter, the Trump Administration and SuperBowl LII the rest of us down here in sunny Australia are enjoying a balmy Summer.

One winter trend which we’ve seen break over the past few days is the return of the extra large beanie. A style which was often a staple of gang shootings and hiphop music videos has now made a return thanks to two of sport’s greatest. Both LeBron James and Tom Brady this week were spotted sporting the Pharrell Williams of winter headwear, aka Mega Beanie.

Arguably a great way to beat the cold, the oversized beanie will be making a comeback as essential streetwear meets luxe fashion accessory. Ideally worn atop one’s head, the oversize beanie trend should give you an additional 5-7cm of height ensuring you’re the tallest at most parties.

Brands such as Gucci, ACNE and Connolly have all embraced the trend as well as more traditional sportswear brands.

The post LeBron James & Tom Brady Share Man-Love For This Oversized Winter Accessory appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Pause Netflix, tear your eyes off Instagram, and pop open a beer from your latest AmazonFresh haul. It’s time to talk about laziness.

The cynics would have you believe modern society is making us fat, apathetic, superficial, and antisocial. In their gloomy projections, we’re marching ever-faster towards a future of being the bloated, screen-addicted humans of WALL-E, guzzling liquified food and whizzing around in hoverchairs.

Well, screw you, cynics, because science has something else to say about the matter. According to a new study, people are spending more time holed up at home, and that might be great news for the environment.

Recent years have seen an exponential rise in online shopping and consumption of streaming video, as well as an increase in the number of employees working from home. All those hours are giving an unexpected boost one of our strained planet’s most precious resources: energy.

As technology advances, the modern lifestyle changes. A decade of American Time Use Surveys revealed that Americans spent an average of eight extra days at home in 2012 compared to 2003. They also spent one less day travelling and one week less in non-residential buildings. The greatest change occurred amongst individuals aged 18-24, who spent 70% more time at home compared to the general population.

When researchers from the University of Texas at Austin and the Rochester Institute of Technology mapped these behavioural changes to energy use, they discovered a surprising phenomenon. Though the homebody boom was increasing residential energy demand, it was decreasing energy usage for transportation and non-residential spaces. The shift resulted in a net 1,700 trillion bTU in energy savings for the United States in 2012, 1.8% of the national total.

“We did expect to see net energy decrease, but we had no idea of the magnitude,” said study author Ashok Sekar. “This work raises awareness of the connection between lifestyle and energy. Now that we know people are spending more time at home, more focus could be put on improving residential energy efficiency.”

While the authors did not identify a specific cause for these lifestyle changes, they believe it’s likely tied to advances in information and communication technology that have led to increased video watching and computer use, and more efficient work-from-home options.

Energy demand has steadily increased around the world over the last several decades. Despite substantial improvements in energy efficiency, overconsumption is a serious environmental and societal challenge that experts are frantic to solve.

So next time you feel guilty about spending a night ordering delivery food and binge-watching HBO, take comfort – you’re not lazy, you’re doing your part to save the planet.

The post Being A Lazy Bastard Could Actually Be Good For The Environment appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

You chose the ring. She said yes. You walked down the aisle, ate cake, and managed not to make a fool of yourself on the dancefloor. Now you’ve sent out your last thank you notes and the honeymoon is over.

Like, really over.

With the dust settled on your epic marital shindig, you’re faced with the actual reality of being married. And for many newlyweds, the hard part is just beginning.

A 2012 study found that “people married for less than a year have lower levels of wellbeing than people in any other year of marriage.” Relationship experts agree – many couples experience a wedding hangover and struggle to adjust to life in the aftermath.

Some call it “the wet cement year”. Those first 365 days are a precarious and delicate time, in which a newly married couple lays the foundation for the rest of their life together. Get mired in the muck of bad habits and poorly chosen priorities, and once the cement hardens, it’ll take extensive construction work to set it right.

So how does a freshly hitched fella survive his first year of marriage with his sanity intact? Read on for the expert advice.

Set Healthy Expectations

Even if you didn’t grow up worshipping Disney princesses, the idea of fairytale romance is so ingrained in society that many newlyweds – yes boys, even you – expect it. The problem is, most of those stories end with the wedding, so we never see Prince Charming get pissed at Snow White for spending too much time with the dwarfs or Belle bickering with the Beast over whose turn it is to take out the bins.

Happily ever after only works in Hollywood. For the rest of us, a happy marriage starts with communication, and lots of it. Come to your marriage knowing that it won’t be as simple as riding off into the sunset. Speak honestly about your goals, expectations, fears, and visions for the future. Unless you married a Ouija board, your partner is not psychic (and neither are you). Open lines of communication are the only way to create a relationship that works for both parties.

Don’t Put Off The Tough Conversations

From debts, to procreation plans, to whose family you’ll see for the holidays, to that really embarrassing thing that happened that one time in Bali, there are certain conversations you’d rather never have. Unfortunately, having them is not only essential, it’s best done ASAP. Ideally you’ve tackled a lot of the Big Conversations even before the ring, but if that opportunity came and went, put on your big boy britches and broach the subjects post-haste. The sooner you get on the same page about what matters most, the better prepared you both will be when issues arise.

Prioritize Novelty

Boredom: the silent killer. Getting stuck in a rut of tedious routine has crushed many a once-joyful couple, and after the ultimate high of a wedding, daily life can feel especially dull. Make a conscious effort to generate excitement in your relationship. Research shows the taking risks or experiencing something new together – aka ‘novelty’ – can trigger dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with reward and pleasure in the brain. The more dopamine present in a couple’s brains when they’re together, the stronger their bond will be.

Relationships thrive on novelty – on newness, on thrill, on the ability to continue learning and growing together. To show boredom who’s boss, try traveling, taking a class, reading the same books, playing a sport, learning a new language or skill, or starting a home improvement project together.

Take Nothing For Granted

‘Gratitude’ is a favourite word of hippie wellness gurus, but aside from drinking raw water and expecting miracle health cures from crystals, those guys are onto something. You are now legally bound to your spouse ’til-death-do-you-part, and it’s normal (and wonderful) to get more comfortable in a relationship the longer you’ve been together, but comfort is not an excuse for laziness.

Autopilot is the enemy. Continue to make an effort with your partner, whatever that means for you. Arrange a date night (more on that later), offer to take on a household chore you know they hate, and for the love of Clorox, do not leave the door open when you’re on the toilet. Consider this a form of saying thank you for their inexplicable willingness to yoke themselves to you until the proverbial bucket is kicked.

The flip side of the coin is equally important. When your spouse makes an effort with you, unleash the G-word. Acknowledge what they have done and say a clear thank you. Be on the lookout for the little things in particular. Though they may be small gestures, they are the ultimate symbols of your ongoing love and commitment.

Decide What ‘Equal’ Means To You

This one may puzzle the math nerds out there: equality doesn’t always mean 50-50. Any healthy relationship must build a sense of balance, but what “balance” means is different from couple to couple. Remember: the first year of marriage is the wet cement year. It’s essential to establish routines and roles that work for both spouses.

Let’s try an example. In historically “traditional” family units, husbands were the bread winners while wives managed the home and children. That division of labour still works for some couples. For others, the roles are switched. And for many, the roles look nothing like that. The point is, there’s no rulebook that works for 100% of couples. The roles and routines of your relationship can be anything you want, as long as both partners are content with the arrangement.

It’s also imperative to remember that circumstances can – and almost definitely will – change over time. There may be a period in which you’re swamped with work so your partner picks up the slack at home. Six months later, you’ll be mopping floors and hand washing delicates while they rack up overtime. The balance of your relationship will ebb and flow, and the most important thing is to be conscious of when and how it changes.

Don’t Keep Score, Do Cut Slack

Here’s the thing about those first 12 fragile months: you’re going to f*** up. She’s also going to f*** up. You may even f*** up simultaneously. Every day will not be perfect, and some won’t even be good. Don’t obsess over getting everything “right” or beat yourselves up when you very clearly didn’t. Don’t hold grudges or keep score. Give each other the benefit of the doubt and the freedom to occasionally say the wrong thing as you figure it all out.

Whether or not you’re new to marriage, you’re new to this marriage. There will be a learning curve, and you both need space in which to screw up, learn, apologise, and grow. Go easy on each other and yourself.

Secure Your Own Oxygen Mask

Every airplane passenger knows the spiel. Something something “sudden change in cabin pressure” something something “oxygen masks” something something “bag may not inflate”. And then the most important part: “please secure your own mask before assisting others”.

Not only is that essential in-flight emergency protocol, it should be your motto for life. As much as marriage is about taking care your partner, it’s also about taking care of yourself. It’s impossible to be a loving, supportive, happy spouse if you neglect your own needs or lose yourself in the relationship.

Forget what you’ve heard about soulmates being two halves of a mystical marital whole. Marriage is two wholes choosing to navigate a life together, and sometimes that will mean enjoying life apart. There’s no shame in needing a quiet night in or a camping trip with the boys. When you’ve recharged and reconnected with yourself outside of your relationship, you’ll feel reenergised within your relationship.

Do Not Underestimate Date Night

Look, just trust us on this one. A part of you recoils every time you hear the words “date night”, but making them a regular fixture in your routine is key to keeping marital bliss blissful.

Surviving the first year of marriage – and every year after that – doesn’t take sorcery. It takes effort, yes, but it also takes fun. Ideally, a lot of it. Continuing to date is exactly what keeps the magic alive and the sparks flying. Make it a priority to make each other feel special on a regular basis, and enjoy the ongoing reminder of why you fell for each other in the first place.

The post How To Survive Your First Year Of Marriage, According To Divorced Experts appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

There are no doors, there are no windows, and commentators have said it looks like toaster with a funny hat – but this odd little box could be the future of driverless delivery.

A new startup called Nuro today brought its flagship product out of stealth mode. Like Aurora, Waymo, and others, it’s hoping to be instrumental in bringing self-driving vehicles to a road near you. But unlike its competitors, Nuro has no intention of ever transporting human passengers.

Instead, Nuro is focused on what it calls ‘last-mile’ deliveries. The lightweight vehicle is designed to make local, low-speed commercial drop-offs, bringing things like groceries, dry cleaning, or flowers to buyers with almost no need for human intervention.

Developing A Delivery Droid

At first glance, Nuro may seem like an unusual choice. Why commercial deliveries? Why not tackle something that seems more impactful, like trucking or taxis?

In fact, the Silicon Valley startup had multiple reasons for setting its sights on the delivery market. First, it has the potential to change the lives of a significant number of people. Second, it posed an intriguing technical challenge. Third, it could be executed within three to five years.

Most importantly, co-founders Dave Ferguson and Jiajun Zhu saw a genuine need for their product. Consumers are placing more online orders than ever before. Simultaneously, they expect shorter delivery windows than ever before. Automating these services could help shoulder the sharp increase in last-mile deliveries generated by the e-commerce boom. It could also reduce traffic accidents, and help local businesses stay competitive against giants like Amazon.

“We started Nuro to make products that will have a massive impact on the things we do every day,” said Ferguson. “Our world-class software, hardware, and product teams have spent the past 18 months applying their expertise to deliver on this mission. The result is a self-driving vehicle designed to run your errands for you. It is poised to change the way that businesses interact with their local customers.”

Tech & Specs

Nuro’s debut vehicle clocks in at 3.5 feet wide and just 1,500 pounds – about the length of a Smart car with the height of a standard sedan (though half as wide). No human passengers means no need for doors or windows, but it does include a “windscreen” so as not to alarm other drivers. Likewise you’ll find no seats, airbags, pedals, gear shifts or a steering wheel, though you will find a fully electric motor.

The bulk of Nuro’s small body is devoted to storage space for cargo. Each transport pod will come with a modular interior that can carry about 250 pounds. Retailers will be able to customise the interior according to their needs. A grocer, for instance, could add shelves and refrigeration, while a dry cleaner could opt for hanging racks.

Up top, you’ll find the suite of self-driving sensors Nuro uses to navigate. The “hat” or “handle” sprouting from the roof boasts cameras, radars, and a spinning LiDAR unit to create 3D, high-definition images.

The Brains Behind The Bot

Dave Ferguson and Jiajun Zhu both come with A-list pedigrees. Ferguson got his start at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute, where he helped build the car that won the 2007 Darpa Urban Challenge, then joined Google’s self-driving car team in 2011. Zhu was a founding member of the Google project. Together they left the company in 2016 to found their own venture.

“We aspire to lead a new wave of robotics applications that make life easier for everyone and give us more time to do things we love,” said Zhu. “We are living in extraordinary times where advancements in robotics, AI and computer vision are making it possible to imagine products and services that could not have existed just 10 years ago.”

Since founding Nuro, they’ve attracted talent from the likes of Google, Waymo, Apple, Uber, Tesla, and GM. Members of the team come from top-notch universities like MIT and Oxford, and have won numerous prestigious competitions including DARPA Urban Challenge, DARPA Robotics Challenge, and ImageNet.

What’s Next For Nuro?

Nuro has raised US$92 million so far, but that doesn’t mean the project is on easy street. There is work to be done and there are challenges yet to be met, any one of which could potentially tank the project.

Like any startup, Nuro must find a profitiable and sustainable business model. Ferguson and Zhu must also devise a solution for preventing delivery theft, and iron out every one of the small functional details (how, for instance, will someone know their goods have arrived if there’s no driver to ring their doorbell?).

Nuro must also clear a series of legal hurdles. The company currently has a permit from the California DMV and will begin testing on public roads later this year. It will need permission from the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, however, before it can operate in states that prohibit completely human-free driving.

The Nuro team is hopeful that bringing their vision to life will be easier than full-scale driverless cars. They are smaller, slower, safer and will never transport delicate human cargo – with luck, that will mean fewer issues convincing regulators to give the diminutive delivery pod their stamp of approval.

Check out the prototype in action below.

The post Two Ex-Googlers Built A Self-Driving Car That Will Never Carry A Human Passenger appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

So, your home is a bit crap? Let us express our condolences and offer some advice.Maybe it’s a mouldy bathroom, chipped paintwork, frayed and stained carpet (seriously, what is that brown stuff?), or maybe it’s the faded and bumpy lino floors that probably looked good in the 80s but now just make you sad and trip you up. Whatever the issues, there are some simple solutions to spruce up your house and make a rundown piece of shite look livable and cool.Here’s some of our fave hacks:RELATED: How To Turn A Lifeless Courtyard Into A Bachelor’s Sanctuary 

The post How To Make A Run Down Home Look Livable And Cool appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

For those business class flyers in the know, you would remember flying from Australia to Europe was always a ‘baller’ affair with the Emirates A380, that was until you needed to land in Geneva, Milan or any smaller cities which were serviced by their Boeing 777 fleet. Yeah I know, first world problems. Emirates older 777 fit-out was dated and didn’t cut it compared to the Emirates A380 experience.

Enter the new Emirates Boeing 777-300ER fleet…

On last week’s recent trip to the SIHH watch fair in Geneva we lucked out and scored the all-new Emirates 777 business class. Let’s just say it’s a massive improvement both in design and privacy.

Yes, they have continued to use the 2-3-2 cabin layout, however it no longer feels cramped and dated. Rather, each seat offers large privacy screens to ensure you don’t need to deal with your neighbours bad habits (or germs). Seats pillars are also higher which give a snug cockpit feel.

Given increased privacy the cabin crew are working harder to reach over passengers. I was in seats 11A & 10A and spent most my time during service passing trays and plates back to the flight attendants. No big deal, but I did find myself apologising like a peanut to the nice Swiss gentleman next to me.

Emirates say the interior of their Boeing 777 fleet has been inspired by the modern sports car which is very apparent. The leather upholstery is reminiscent of a Bentley Bentayga with its plush feel, diamond stitching and soft beige colour. It’s actually one of the best looking business class seats both in terms of design and comfort and makes their A380 seats seem second class in comparison.

The material and finishing touches of the seats remain true to Emirates (the woodgrain stays) with the addition of more storage space, chrome reading lights, better access to charge your phone, headphones and anything else you’re carrying onboard.

Entertainment screen are now massive and according to Emirates are the largest aboard any plane operating commercially. The downside with these extra large screens is you tend to watch your neighbours screen rather than your own. In my case it was Kingsman 2 for the 50th time.

In short…

 What we love about the new Emirates 777 fit out

• More privacy (window seats are the best)
• Bigger entertainment screens
• Full flat bed & very comfortable
• Well thought out storage and design elements
• Close proximity of power / headphone points (not miles away like on their A380)
• Seat / TV controls – all in one place much like a modern car
• Window shade controls

What didn’t float our boat

• Flight attendants access to window / middle seat passengers
• No cool bar like the A380 to throw out the vibe and meet chicks (jokes)
• Neighbours entertainment screen often distracts

Our recommendation would be to score the smaller business class cabin upfront – it has only 2 rows which could prove to be a quieter affair. We assume this cabin is reserved for more frequent Emirates flyers.

As previously mentioned you will be able to sample the updated Emirates Boeing 777 on selected routes to Europe from Australia.

The post Emirates New 777 Business Review – Wow. Just Wow. appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

While the actual value of cryptocurrencies continues to fluctuate, the desire to get rich off decentralised digital money remains at an all-time high.

Sadly we didn’t all have the foresight of 50 Cent, leaving many of us scrambling to figure out what the hell blockchain is so we can start popping bottles and buying F1 cars. For a less law-abiding sort, the current crypto boom means something else entirely: an opportunity to make bank screwing over unsuspecting YouTube viewers.

Antivirus software provider Trend Micro revealed last week that YouTube was displaying malicious ads containing code that covertly leached off visitors’ processing power to generate the cryptocurrency Monero on behalf of anonymous hackers. The problem was discovered after users began complaining on social media that YouTube ads were triggering their anti-virus software.

The bulk of the ads appeared on Wednesday and affected victims in a handful of countries including Japan, France, Taiwan, Italy and Spain.

An independent security researcher, Troy Mursch, told Ars Technica that YouTube was likely targeted because “users are typically on the site for an extended period of time. This is a prime target for cryptojacking malware, because the longer the users are mining for cryptocurrency the more money is made.”

‘Cryptojacking’ is a relatively new malware issue, but one we surely haven’t heard the last of. In this instance, hackers used a JavaScript code from Coinhive, a popular cryptocurrency miner originally intended to help websites generate extra revenue by harnessing the processing power of visitors’ PCs to mine Monero. As long as the site owner was upfront about using Coinhive and didn’t monopolise too much of any one person’s CPU, it was considered a relatively ethical way to bolster income.

However, Coinhive quickly transformed from an above-board way to monetise internet traffic into a hacking tool for cybercriminals. Attackers have secretly installed the code on thousands of websites to siphon users’ processing power for mining Monero, and many anti-virus providers – including Trend Micro – now consider Coinhive one of the most pervasive malware threats facing the modern internet.

Google, YouTube’s parent company, confirmed the cryptojacking threat and released an official statement about the attack:

“Mining cryptocurrency through ads is a relatively new form of abuse that violates our policies and one that we’ve been monitoring actively. We enforce our policies through a multi-layered detection system across our platforms which we update as new threats emerge. In this case, the ads were blocked in less than two hours and the malicious actors were quickly removed from our platforms.”

For its part, Coinhive has said it has banned the account that was using its miner in the YouTube ad scheme, but with the crypto frenzy only growing, expend the trend for mining by malware to continue growing with it.

The post Hackers Have Been Hijacking YouTube Ads To Mine Cryptocurrency appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

It’s been a big six months for Breitling. They were purchased by CVC Capital Partners, ending the family ownership of the Swiss brand. Pretty soon afterwards the brand employed a new management team which included former IWC boss, Georges Kern.

This may not mean much to the common man, but it means big things for the brand. Georges is the type of man who always gets what he wants. In this case, it was a new direction for Breitling.

The details…

The Navitimer 8 is a 43mm chronograph designed with pilots in mind. It remains true to the Navitimer family design and gives a slight nod to Breitling’s heritage pieces. It comes with Breitling’s certified B01 in-house movement and has a 70-hour power reserve. It will be available in May/June 2018 for roughly AU$10,000.

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The post Breitling's Navitimer 8 Is A Bold New Direction For The Swiss Watchmaker appeared first on DMARGE Australia.