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Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Bavarian fairy tale castles and French Carnac Megaliths among new UNESCO World Heritage sites
UNESCO has added several new sites to the World Heritage list after reviewing applications that required extensive research and presentation processes. Among them were several European sites, including the famous fairytale castles of Bavaria's King Ludwig II, the megalithic Carnac stones in northwestern France and the Minoan Palatial centres on the Greek island of Crete. At its meeting in Paris, the World Heritage Commission decided to elevate the German Neuschwanstein Castle, Herrenchiemsee, Linderhof and the royal house at Schachen to World Heritage status. The magnificent castles in Upper Bavaria have been attracting numerous tourists for over 140 years. The buildings of King Ludwig II (1845-1886) attracted over 1.7 million visitors last year alone - including many international guests, particularly from the USA and Asian countries. "The inclusion of the palaces on the World Heritage List is an outstanding honour for these impressive places," said the President of the German UNESCO Commission, Maria Böhmer. "They are all architectural masterpieces and bear witness to the artistic imagination, but also the eccentricity of the fairytale king." Germany previously had 54 UNESCO World Heritage Sites - including the old towns of Stralsund and Wismar, Cologne Cathedral, the Wadden Sea and the Roman border fortifications of the Limes. The French Carnac megaliths and the Greek Minoan Palatial centres are both structures from antiquity. The Carnac Stones are a dense collection of megalithic sites near the South coast of Bretagne, dating from from 4500–3300 BC. The Minoan Palatial centres, including Knossos, Phaistos, Malia, Zakros, Zominthos and Kydonia, were key hubs of the Bronze Age Minoan civilisation, which flourished between 2800 and 1100 BCE. The World Heritage inscription recognises the sites' historical significance, architectural integrity and the existence of a comprehensive protection and management framework. Although the World Heritage title does not bring any financial support, it does ensure further international attention and cultural prestige. World Heritage status is also accompanied by UNESCO requirements that are intended to benefit the local population in particular, who are burdened by the influx of tourists. Among other things, the organisation requires a concept for effective visitor management in order to better control mass tourism. The consequences of disregarding UNESCO guidelines were demonstrated in 2009 in Dresden's Elbe Valley, where a new bridge led to the withdrawal of World Heritage status. The construction of the so-called Waldschlösschenbrücke bridge was considered to be detrimental to the "outstanding universal value" of the cultural landscape. It was the first time that UNESCO had removed a European World Heritage site from the list. Italy has 60 listed sites, the most of any country. Some notable examples include the historic centres of Rome, Florence, and Naples, the archaeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and the Amalfi Coast. Other sites that were added to the World Heritage list this week include three locations used by Cambodia's brutal Khmer Rouge regime as torture and execution sites 50 years ago. The inscription coincided with the 50th anniversary of the rise to power by the communist Khmer Rouge government, which caused the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians through starvation, torture and mass executions during a four-year reign from 1975 to 1979. UNESCO's World Heritage List lists sites considered important to humanity and includes the Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, the Taj Mahal in India and Cambodia's Angkor archaeological complex.
CNET
8 hours ago
- CNET
My Tested Smart Home Checklist for Everyone Heading Out on Vacation
Getting ready for a vacation can be a fun and busy time -- which makes it easy to forget that, much like your houseplants, your smart devices may need a little care before you go. That's good news, because when they're properly set up they'll help take care of your home when you're away and allow you to make remote changes no matter where you are. Here's what I've learned about changing settings for my own smart devices when I head out. I'll go through major devices and the settings I may want to change, as well as how they can help when I won't be home for a while. The changes and tips I recommend are below. Also, here's my one vacation trick everyone forgets. Read more: The best travel gifts | Best DIY home security systems to buy Thermostats A Nest thermostat is an easy way to manage home temperature from near or far. Nest / CNET If you have a smart thermostat, most types will detect that you're away and offer a way to change the thermostat remotely. After all, that's probably why you bought the thing in the first place. It's a nice perk when you're out for a few hours or a workday. For longer periods of time or for thermostats that include a vacation mode, it's a good idea to check the threshold settings and set them to a bit colder and warmer than you would if you were home. Sure, you can adjust the temperature remotely, but the whole idea here is to set it and go. So before you leave, set the temperature ranges on your thermostat as you would for the middle of the day when no one is home so you can save money while keeping your home safe. Read more: Make the Most of Your Smart Thermostat to Save Money and Energy This Summer If you have shades or window coverings, it's best to lower them in your absence. Tyler Lizenby/CNET Lights and shades Ikea smart shades Ry Crist/CNET My parents always left the TV on when we were away so people would think we were home. These days, that's not very effective: Burglars are just as likely to strike in the middle of the day when they won't notice a TV or when constant lights and noise make it very obvious no one is home. Smart switches and schedules can do much more. Read more: Ikea Brings Voice-Activated Smart Shades to the Rest of Us A good rule of thumb is that outdoor lights should be on at night and off during the day, while indoor lights should go on and off in different rooms. If you have smart switches, consider creating a schedule based on time of day that replicates what you'd typically do while home. You can also set smart light bulbs to power on and off intermittently. If you have automated or smart window shades, consider setting them to stay down while you're away. Keeping lights on might deter crime but leaving your shades open could turn your living room into a window display for a burglar. Door locks Lockly's new smart locks include a lot of Apple compatibility and an option for face recognition. Lockly Locking your door before a vacation is a no-brainer. But what happens if you forgot to lock the door or if you need to let a petsitter or plant caretaker in while you're gone? Hiding a key is old-fashioned, messy and comes with risks. We highly recommend a smart lock instead. Smart locks are easy to install and when connected with Wi-Fi allow you to control them from anywhere. You can create a couple of passes for neighbors or petsitters before you go, assigning them digital phone keys or temporary keypad numbers that will expire when you return. Plus, you can check access history to see exactly what's happening at the front door while you're away. Garage doors Smart garages allow you to secure them from anywhere. Genie Your garage is a popular access point for intruders, so keep the side doors and any garage windows secured. However, you can easily go a step further and install a smart garage controller, either a retrofit for your current garage door motor or a new smart motor. Smart garages let you check their status at any time, get updates if anything changes and remotely open or close the garage if someone really needs access (like for packages that you're expecting while you're on vacation). Cameras, doorbells and security systems The Ring Alarm Pro is our top pick for DIY smart home security. Hobie Crase/CNET You have plenty of choices for DIY smart home security systems and professionally monitored services. While they do most of the work for you once they're out of the box, it's important to give them a quick status check before you leave. Security settings will differ depending on what products you have. Regardless of brand, make sure all the integrated motion sensors, cameras, locks and doorbells have fresh or fully charged batteries and notifications correctly enabled to reach the right emergency contacts. Read more: Our review of the Ring Video Doorbell 4 For cameras and smart doorbells, be sure the lens is free of dirt, cobwebs or decor that might obstruct the view. If you've turned down motion sensitivity or set your camera to ignore motion in some areas around your home, now is a good time to put those features back to maximum vigilance. Finally, ensure all notification settings are set to notify the appropriate people at the appropriate times. Environment detectors Kangaroo includes a climate sensor, aka leak detector, in its expanded eight-piece home monitoring kit. Kangaroo Leak, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors offer peace of mind every day, and even more so when you're out of town. Making sure all these have fresh batteries, a solid Wi-Fi connection, updated apps or firmware, and correct notification settings is worth a few minutes of your time before you hit the road. Read more: Smoke detector placement guide If your detectors aren't connected to a live monitoring service, it's even more important to get a notification sent to the right mobile device. That way, you can ask a friend or neighbor to check out any suspicious alerts. Smart speakers may even be able to send you alerts if they hear the sound of a siren or alarm. But that's just the start of what smart home sensors can do. Arlo's all-in-one security sensors, for example, can monitor ambient light, air temperature (in case it drops unexpectedly) and loud noises like a smoke alarm. And leak detectors from all kinds of systems can watch for pipe leaks in crawl spaces, under sinks and in other vulnerable spots. Robot vacuums and other small appliances The iRobot Roomba S9 is our favorite robot helper. iRobot There are several robot vacuum cleaners out there with some version of a scheduling option. If that's a feature you use often, turn it off while you're away. If no one's home to make messes, the vacuum doesn't need to run. Plus, if you've enhanced the sensitivity of the motion detector portion of your security system, a robot vacuum could trigger false alarms. Read more: Our review of the iRobot Roomba S9 Plus vs. Neato Botvac D7 Connected You'll save battery life and wear and tear on your vacuum by making sure it isn't running when it doesn't need to. The same goes for other small appliances that might run on a smart schedule or with smart switches. Run through your list of managed devices to be sure everything is on or off accordingly. The human element Yes, smart homes are cool. They can do a lot for you on a daily basis and they keep you connected to home when you're hundreds of miles away. Still, smart homes aren't perfect, and it's a good idea to have one or two trusted (and tech-savvy) humans keeping an eye on things. Consider hiring a well-rated petsitter in addition to pet tech or finding a reliable plant sitter who can also make sure everything is working properly when they stop by to water your greens. And for a complete look at how you can improve your home security with a single purchase, take a look at our best indoor security cameras, the top wireless cam for easy placement and the best cameras with lights to help deter trespassers.
Bloomberg
8 hours ago
- Bloomberg
With National Parks in Danger, Travel Companies Are Filling the Gaps
Hey, sun seekers, it's Nikki Ekstein —travel editor and the current reigning cheerleader of the ' hot Caribbean summer.' This weekend, I'm off to Turks & Caicos, a choice I normally wouldn't have thought prudent in mid-July—but then I saw the flight prices and compared the destination's average temperatures to those of Greece and the Hamptons. Turns out, wind-swept Caribbean islands are typically cooler than both of those other summer hot spots. While climate change is transforming our summer vacation patterns in many ways—like Scandinavian 'coolcations' —these shifts are simply intended to keep us more comfortable as luxury travelers. But a trend playing out here in the US shows the inverse is true too: With our growing appetite for national parks, the destinations themselves are increasingly relying on travelers to help protect them.
