Facebook moving towards world domination?

Facebook is aiming to take over our lives with media app integration

By Rachel King | September 23, 2011

Summary: Facebook is taking over our lives, one status message from one app at a time.If you thought Facebook was everywhere before, brace yourself. We're just scratching the surface of where the social networking is going: world domination.

On Thursday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced the next wave of Facebook's Open Graph platform, which will basically give way to sharing all sorts of actions and information from different apps and services. Even more basically than that, it will enable Facebook members to share just about anything and everything they are doing online. Well, at least everything that is appropriate.

The highlight here is that this is being extended to media and lifestyle apps, such as Netflix, Spotify, The Daily, and Flipboard. Facebook has a whole host of partners, but within a year - you name the app, and these features will probably be available. It's not exactly the kind of music and movie streaming integration people were possibly expecting, such as an extension of Facebook's existing in-program rentals from Warner Bros. and other studios down the road.

But, there's really no escaping Facebook at this point. So if you thought it was annoying when all of those Farmville notifications popped up on your News Feed, just wait. It's going to get so much more crowded. A peculiar side effect might be that with that much more information being posted on a regular basis, Facebook might see more return visits each day as users want to keep tabs more often.

I will admit there were some examples that caught my attention and favor, which I will likely use when available. For example, there will be direct integration of the Foodspotting app, which will post images and restaurant locations directly to one's profile - er, Timeline. Sure, it helps define a person's personality on their Timeline, but in reality, it just helps people show off even more. And isn't that what Facebook is all about anyway?

The good news is that there are a couple ways to avoid this if you're not interested in all of this extra information and options. First, you can still choose to ignore certain items and users who post too often. Come on, we all have someone that we've blocked from the News Feed. Second, you could opt to not participate yourself. None of this stuff is mandatory, so if you see it in an app, just ignore it and move on. Facebook has promised less pop-up notifications and has rewritten them to make them clearer, but time will tell if users really find them less annoying or not.However, for people who do like to share things often - or even just once in a while and are looking for simpler ways to go about it - then this next step for Open Graph really will benefit. Either way, it will change the way people use and view Facebook - for better or worse.

via Facebook aiming to take over our lives with media app integration | Z

Tagged: Castello Dal Pozzo, social media

Life’s little Luxuries

Life's little luxuries - littlesnobthing

Luxury is synonymous with possessing - possessing beautiful, expensive, exclusive things.

"I love luxury. And luxury lies not in richness and ornateness but in the absence of vulgarity. .." Coco Chanel

However, nowadays, for many people luxury is about having time - time for oneself.

"Utility is when you have one telephone, luxury is when you have two, opulence is when you have three - and paradise is when you have none." - Doug Larson

"The ultimate of being successful is the luxury of giving yourself the time to do what you want to do." Leontyne Price

So what is real luxury for you - a good book and a glass of wine on the terrace watching the sun set?

A day in which to do "nothing"?

Have a lovely day - littlesnobthing

A luxurious breakfast - littlesnobthing

Enjoy it - its a Little luxury

Picture from littlesnobthing

Tagged: Castello Dal Pozzo, leisure, luxury

Things to Do Today – Parks and Wilderness

Parks and Wilderness Areas

Get on your hiking boots and have a wander through some of the most lovely wilderness areas in northern Europe.

Wilderness around Lake Maggiore

Around and above the Lake there is a wide variety of wilderness areas, natural Parks and spectacular mountain reserves.
Val Grande: once inhabited solely by shepherds, today represents one of the most wild and uncontaminated areas in Italy;

View from Strette del Cas looking over Val Cavr and Corni di Nibbio

http://www.in-valgrande.it

Park Alpe Veglia and Alpe Devero: in the Ossola mountains, between 1700 and 3500 metres, offer spectacular views of majestic mountains, green pastures, and typical mountain lakes.

Alpe Veglia Nature Reserve

http://www.parks.it/indice/PR/index.php?reg=1

Park of the Valle del Ticino an effluent of Lake Maggiore, the Park is the natural habitat of a wide range of birds, reptiles and flora;

Covered Boardwalk through Ticino Nature Reserve

http://www.parks.it/parco.ticino.piemontese/gallery.php?categoria=&page=1

Lake Maggiore Park Authorities oversees four protected areas: Lagoni of Mercurago 470 hectars of morenic hilly countryside with mixed woodland, ponds and swamps and some important archeological remains; Fondo Toce Nature Reserve, 360 hectars with an important reed bed, and swathes of riverside vegetation; the Nature Reserve of Dormelletto, 157 hectars of reed beds sheltering a wide range of fauna; Nature Reserve of Bosco Solivo, 340 hectars in Borgo Ticino, surrounding the Motto Solivo hill.

http://www.parchilagomaggiore.it

Parco dei Lagoni in Oleggio Castello has an interesting selection of aquatic flora as well as remains from the Neolithic period testifying to the existence of a civilization from the 5th century B.C..

Dormello This moraine range dominating the lake gave shelter to a small village called Dormello, now disappeared, whose name originally indicated its present-day chief town, Dormelletto. While downhill, near the 18th century church of Madonna della Motta, only a 1st century AD Roman altarpiece was found, in Dormallo Superiore there is a greater presence of Roman artifacts: another altarpiece, Roman brickwork later used on the walls of "Madonna della Fontana", and a bronze spoon lost in the plain towards the Lagoni Park. Thanks to the "Fountain" the place was considered sacred in pre-Christian times. The wallbuilt altarpiece might refer to such worshipping.

Mini Tour Dormello Lagoni Nature Reserve

Fondotoce Reserve: at the mouth of the river Toce, it is characterised by the lake dwellings extending through swamps and cane thickets, a habitat for unusual species of aquatic fauna in a thick and varied flora. Over 130 species of birds choose this area to set their nests and reproduce;

Fondo Toce Reed Beds (foto Oreste Pastore)

Bosco Tenso Oasis: 22 hectares on the banks of the Toce river at Premosello Chiovenda, a protected area where nature offers a variety of bush plants where birds, foxes, squirrels and deer live.The area, which is a WWF environmental oasis, extends for approximately 23 hectares and is populated mainly by oak, hornbeam, ash, lime and enormous sessile oak trees growing alongside spindle tree bushes, hawthorn, honeysuckle and elder tree. The flora that grows alongside the river is also noteworthy.

Bosco Tenso - foto Oreste Pastore

Tagged: Castello Dal Pozzo, Garden, Lake Maggiore, leisure, Piedmont, Travel, Trekking

Things to See Today – Baveno and its Villas

Baveno and its villas

The enchanting little lakeside town of Baveno, next to Stresa, is of Roman origin, and is famous for its mineral water springs and its quarries of pink granite, and as a holiday resort.

The fine lakefront promenade offers a superb view of the Borromean Islands, which can be reached by boats leaving from Baveno harbour. The architectural attractions of the town include the Parish Church of Santi Gervasio and Protasio and the Baptistery, which stand in a broad square accessed from Via Monte Grappa.

Since the mid-19th century many internationally famous personalities have stayed in Baveno, usually as guests in the opulent villas lining the shores of the lake.

Villa Henfrey Branca

Villa Henfrey-Branca. Built between 1870 and 1872 to plans by the English engineer Charles Henfrey, Villa Henfrey-Branca is one of the most original buildings on Lake Maggiore, and was inspired by English castle architecture. Its exposed red brick, its turrets and spires, marble terraces and magnificent English-style garden give the house a fairytale appearance that attracts the attention of every one who strolls along the lakefront promenade. In the grounds there is also a pretty little Protestant church and a small castle built in 1882-1883 along the lines of the castle of Vogogna. Of the many eminent people who stayed here over the years, the most notable must be Queen Victoria of Great Britain, who came with her daughter Beatrice in 1879. Today the descendents of the royal families of Europe still visit the Branca family, who acquired the property after the death of Charles Henfrey.

Villa Fedora

Villa Fedora. Standing in extensive grounds which separate it from the lake, away from the town centre, Villa Fedora is a severely elegant residence built in the first half of the 19th century; today it houses the Chamber of Commerce of the Verbano Cusio Ossola. It takes its name from the celebrated opera by the composer Umberto Giordano, who lived here for twenty years (1904-1924). The Umberto Giordano Festival of classical music, held in Baveno every July, was the brainchild of the maestro.

Villa Barberis

Villa Barberis. Built in the early years of the 20th century, Villa Barberis stands out not only because of its dazzling white colour but also because of the exotic appearance of its original design. It was built by the wish of Alberto Barberis, a cosmopolitan traveller from Vercelli who lived for many years in the East. In fact, the style of his villa recalls the exotic atmosphere of the Thousand and One Nights, typified especially by the minaret in the garden, which also contains specimens of tropical plants. There are many interesting decorative features such as the high relief depictions of the Dome of San Gaudenzio Church in Novara and the bell tower of Sant'Andrea in Vercelli on the curved tympanum, or the pictures of still-lifes and landscapes which Barberis himself painted on the walls of the top floor six-arched loggia.

Villa Durazzo - Lido Palace Hotel

Villa Durazzo (Lido Palace Hotel). An impressive late 19th century mansion, Villa Durazzo was built by the Marquis Durazzo of Genoa on a prime site on the shore, right opposite the Borromean Gulf. Later on the Mayor of Baveno Gerolamo Rossi made the villa into a luxury Belle poque hotel which was to welcome a number of famous guests, such as Sir Winston Churchill, who came here on his honeymoon in 1908 and on other occasions.

Villa Brandolini d'Adda. Built in the 16th century over a former convent, the villa displays a number of fine architectural and decorative features. The garden is the only one of its kind in the world, being divided into four parts: Italian, English, French and Japanese.

Also worth a mention are Villa Carosio, designed by the famous Art Nouveau architect Giuseppe Sommaruga, Villa Claudia, where the celebrated playwright Luigi Illica stayed, and Villa Provana di Collegno-Galtrucco, the scene of numerous meetings of major figures in the political history of Piedmont in the later 19th century.

HOW TO GET THERE
By car: from the A26 exit at Baveno.
FURTHER DETAILS
Ufficio turistico di Baveno
Tel.+ 39 0323 924632
turismo.baveno@reteunitaria.piemonte.vb.it
www.comune.baveno.vb.it

GALLERY

The 2012 Travel Calendar – Part 1

The 2012 travel calendar

Every destination has its best time of year. So, to help you plan your trip, Lonely Planet's Tom Hall has put together a calendar of countries best seen in 2012

So cool: September in Iceland. Photograph: Alamy

January: Georgia

Winter sports fans and city breakers looking for somewhere new should try Georgia. The country is attracting a growing number of independent travellers who are exploring mountains dotted with historic castles and churches, beautiful towns such as Svaneti and Kazbegi, and the Europe-meets-Asia capital Tbilisi. It won't be warm in January but skiers won't mind: the country's main resort, Gudaur, is a good bet for reliable snow and can be reached by road from the capital in two to three hours.
bmi (flybmi.com) flies from Heathrow to Tbilisi with returns from 364 including taxes

February: Oman

This year looks set to be a great one for Oman, the fastest-growing destination in the Middle East, according to several tour operators. The beach resorts of the Musandam Peninsula are an increasingly popular combination with Dubai, while Muscat's star as an alternative Arabian city destination is rising.
Abercrombie & Kent (abercrombiekent.co.uk) has a seven-night Classic Oman itinerary costing around 2,395 per person

March: Panama

Panama City's old town is one of Central America's finest historic areas. Photograph: Alamy

Central America's star turn over the past few years has been Costa Rica, but Panama has all the qualities to rival it. The country boasts brilliant beaches, the world's most famous canal and unspoilt rainforest. Best of all, the continuing renovation of Casco Viejo, Panama City's old town, is boosting the profile of one of the region's finest historic areas.
Journey Latin America's 12-day Panama trip starts at 2,470 per person (journeylatinamerica.co.uk)

April: Titanic tours

The centenary of the sinking of the Titanic is big news for cruise operators capitalising on interest in the doomed liner. While there are cruises recreating the exact voyage (but with a happier ending), there are other Titanic-themed voyages taking place to coincide with the anniversary in April. Landlubbers can overdose on Titanic heritage in Belfast, the city where it was built, and Southampton, from where it set sail.
Cruise & Maritime Voyages (cruiseandmaritime.com) has a seven-night "British Maritime Heritage" cruise, departing on 10 April from Tilbury and visiting Cherbourg, Cobh, Belfast and Liverpool. Prices from 499pp

May: France

The birthdates of saints aren't normally a good reason for a holiday, but following Joan of Arc around France, 600 years on from her arrival into the world, is just that. Joan blazed a trail across France from her birthplace in Domr my-la-Pucelle to Rouen, where she was burnt at the stake aged 19. Orl ans, the site of her most famous victory, stages a week-long series of festivities in her honour (orleans.fr/fetes-de-jeanne-darc-2011/).
The January 2012 edition of France magazine ( 3.99; francemag.com) has a guide to Joan's France written by Sophie Jackson

June: Germany

Germany remains Europe's most underrated destination, and its cities are at their best in the early summer sunshine. Art fans should head to Nuremberg for the Early D rer exhibition (der-fruehe-duerer.gnm.de), the largest collection of works by the German Renaissance artist for 40 years. You can even bring the kids back a Playmobil model of D rer.
Kirker Holidays (kirkerholidays.com) offers a four-night escorted trip to Nuremberg to see the exhibition, including a visit to D rer's house and a guided city tour, from 998pp

Article taken from The Observer, Sunday 1 January 2012 written by Tom Hall

Tagged: Castello Dal Pozzo, Hotel, Italy, Things to do, Things to see, Travel

The 2012 Travel Calendar – Part 2

Continuing the 2012 Travel Calendar as suggested by Tom Hall from Lonely Planets for the Observer Part 1 was published in yesterday's Blog

July: Ukraine

Discover Ukraine's coastline this summer. Photograph: Alamy

Europe's football championships finish with fireworks in Kiev on 1 July, leaving the rest of the summer to discover Europe's largest country. Apart from the big-city delights of the capital there's Lviv, a central European stunner that's been turning heads for a few years, and all the fun of the seaside in the Crimea. Ukraine remains an inexpensive destination - especially away from Kiev - but book ahead if you want to be by the coast in the high summer.
Ukraine Travel (ukraine.co.uk), specialists in the country, offers direct flights to Kiev from Manchester for 225 including taxes, and can also help with rail tickets and hotels

August: New York City

Such is the pace of change that, like Paris and London, New York is somewhere best visited regularly. If you haven't been in the past year you won't have had the chance to admire the new 9/11 memorial, explore the latest section of the High Line or take a superhero walking tour (viator.com). The Big Apple bakes in summer, but you can at least stay in a cool spot at the new Bowery House. Many of the cabin-style rooms are small with funky shared bathrooms, making this a great deal in a hip part of New York.
Bunks in shared rooms start at 31 with single cabin rooms from 51 (theboweryhouse.com)

September: Iceland

It's a good year for getting to Iceland without breaking the bank. EasyJet (easyjet.co.uk) will start flying from Luton to Reykjavik from 59 return at the end of March. In addition to this and established airlines such as Iceland Express, a new carrier, Wow Air (wowair.is), is advertising flights from the Icelandic capital to Stansted.

October: Milan and the Lakes

Milan's delights for a city break need little introduction, but a shake-up of any big city's hotel scene is a welcome thing. Self-styled "eco-chic" hotel E.c.ho wears its green credentials on its sleeve. Look for 125m of solar panelling, sustainably sourced decor materials and a seasonally focused menu. The courtyard garden is home to a Renaissance chapel by Donato Bramante, who designed St Peter's Basilica in Rome. Rooms at E.c.ho start at 163 per night (starhotels.com). Flights to Milan are available from around the UK - see skyscanner.net

Whilst in Milan take the time to visit the Lakes. A mere one hour's drive from Milan, 30km from Malpensa airport (BA, EasyJet, Alitalia flights from UK). October is usually mild, autumnal and full of colour. Visit the Borromeo Islands, do some great winter shopping, enjoy some splendid Piemontese food.

Aerial View of Castello Dal Pozzo and the Palazzo Hotel

Stay at #Castello Dal Pozzo, Oleggio Castello, at the southern end of Lake Maggiore.
A Romantic Escape for 2 starts from 244 in a double deluxe with candlelit dinner, breakfast and bottle of bubbly in your room.

November: Norway

Keep your fingers crossed for a clear night ... Photograph: Alamy

This is predicted to be the best year yet for spotting the northern lights, so if you've been promising yourself a trip, then this is the time to do it. November is as good as any other part of winter to go: all you need to do is keep your fingers crossed for clear skies and a light show. There's nothing to stop you making your own way via Bodo in Norway or beyond on a flight with Norwegian (norwegian.no).
The Aurora Zone (theaurorazone.com) has four-night trips from 1,445 using snowmobiles, huskies and local guides

December: Cambodia

Cambodia is so much more than the magnificent temples at Angkor, as a bunch of funky new openings is busy proving. As well as luxury resorts, such as Shinta Mani and Song Saa, The Plantation (theplantation.asia, rooms from 41) has just opened in Phnom Penh in 1940s colonial-style buildings set in tropical gardens. About Asia Travel (aboutasiatravel.com) can arrange cross-country packages, including private-jet transfers and sightseeing tours.

Tagged: Castello Dal Pozzo, Hotel, Italy, Lake Maggiore, leisure, Piedmont, Things to do, Things to see, Travel

Unusual Hotels – Hippo Point, Kenya

The 40mt tower is the perfect Hippo Watching Sanctuary

Hippo Point Wildlife Sanctuary on Lake Naivasha in Kenya is the ultimate resort for Hippo Watching.

This delicate 115 foot (40m) Kenyan Cypress-clad pagoda stands 50 ft (12m) wide at its base and offers 4 double rooms and a single inside the nine storey construction. Nestling within the surrounding yellow acacia ‘fever’ trees that surround much of Lake Naivasha, the design is completely accepted by wildlife, fooling short sighted hippopotami to think that the Tower is part and parcel of the landscape, a towering yellow acacia itself.

Hippos at Play

Background
Completed in 1993, Hippo Point is the eccentric folly of Dodo Cunningham-Reid, who wanted to build something special in Kenya for herself and others to enjoy.

Drawing Room of the Wild life Lodge

Bedroom in the Wild Life Lodge

The Lodge
Originally planned as a weekend escape for Dodo and husband Michael when visiting their 600 acre Nderit estate, there is impressive attention to detail. The top of the tower provides a 360 degree observation lookout, while a floor below is a minaret-style meditation room, furnished with big cushions and a surround view. The middle tiers of the tower offer bedrooms with crisp Russian linens and covered verandas. Down spiral stairs and you reach a mahogany paneled lounge and drawing room, spectacularly original, yet luxuriously functional.

A local architect provided the plans for the necessary steel structure and concrete foundations and Dodo used local materials and craftsmen to hide the technical aspects of the inner skeleton with cedar floors and carved furnishings.

Lake Naivasha with flamingoes

From $550 a night all inclusive. Book on www.unusualhotelsoftheworld.com

Tagged: Castello Dal Pozzo, Things to do, Things to see, Travel, Unusual hotels