All of the devices you own and every app running on those devices is eager for your attention, which can make it difficult to actually get anything done and Windows is no different when it comes to regularly distracting you with pings and pop-ups. Leave the default notification settings in place, and it can get a bit overwhelming.Windows does give you plenty of control over how notifications work, though, including which apps and system events are allowed to bother you and whenthere are even various Do Not Disturb options and modes you can take advantage of. Here's how to set Windows 11 notifications up to suit you.Notification settingsTo get started with notification management, head to Settings from the Start menu, then choose System > Notifications. Right away you'll see a Notifications toggle switch: Turn this off and you won't be bothered by any notifications at all. You can also click on the Notifications heading to choose whether or not these alerts come with sounds attached and appear on the lock screen.Further down the same screen you get a list of all the programs installed on your computer, where you can set the notification options for each individual piece of software. If there's an app you don't want to hear from at all, just turn the relevant toggle switch off. Alternatively, you can take more granular control over what each app can do. The notification settings in Windows. Credit: Lifehacker You can choose whether apps can show notification pop-ups, or have their alerts shown in the notification center (which appears when you click on the time and date in the lower right corner). You can also enable or disable sounds for an app's notifications, and choose the priority of its messages in the notification center: Top, High, or Normal.Enable Allow app to send important notifications when do not disturb is on to give the program permission to interrupt you when Do Not Disturb is active (more on that in a moment)what counts as an "important" notification is down to the developer. Note you can also manage an app's notifications from the notification center, by clicking the three dots on any of its alerts.Do Not Disturb and Focus modesThe familiar Do Not Disturb mode, temporarily blocking notifications, is available on Windows: From the Notifications screen, you can either use the Do not disturb toggle switch to enable or disable it manually, or select Turn on do not disturb automatically, which lets you schedule the feature (and have it turn on automatically if you're gaming).Click Select priority notifications and you're able to take more control over which apps can break through the Do Not Disturb restrictions. By default, reminders and alarms are on, for example, because you probably still want to see thesebut you can disable them if needed. Any app can be added here, and all of its notifications will be allowed (not just the important ones, as covered by the setting mentioned earlier). You can set Do Not Disturb to operate on a schedule. Credit: Lifehacker Back on the Notifications screen, you can use the Focus option as an extension of Do Not Disturb: This lets you configure specific sessions of heads-down, notification-free Windows computing, and in addition to applying all the restrictions that Do Not Disturb puts in place, you can also stop badges and flashes appearing from programs on the taskbar. Focus mode will also put a timer on screen, if you want one.To start a Focus session, choose how long you want it to last for, then click Start focus session. You'll notice it's also available in the notification center, where it's easier to access: Click the time and date in the lower right corner, set your timer, then click Focus. Windows opens up the Clock app, which manages the Focus feature, and your session will get underway.Individual appsAs with Android or iOS on your phone, individual apps on Windows are going to come with their own notification settings you can use in addition to the ones available in Windows. For a truly customized notifications regime, you need to dive into the apps you use regularly, and maybe even into alert settings for individual websites.Take Microsoft Edge, for example: Click the three dots (top right) then Settings, then choose Cookies and site permissions and Notifications to see which websites can and can't bother you. By default, sites will ask permission when they want to show notifications, but you can disable this so you're not even interrupted by any requests to display alerts. Accessing site permissions in Microsoft Edge. Credit: Lifehacker And you can dig down even deeper if you'd like to: Plenty of websites have notification settings of their own. There's not the space here to cover every single site out there, but Slack is one of themif you click your workspace name in the top left corner and then Preferences and Notifications, you can set particular times when Slack isn't allowed to disturb you (independently of the settings in Edge and Windows).The Microsoft Store is another Windows app with its own notification settings to dig into. Click your Microsoft account avatar (at the top), then choose Settings: Turn off the Notifications for app installations toggle switch and you won't be bothered whenever a program is updated through the Microsoft Store.

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication.The Jabra Evolve2 65 headphones, which earned an Editors' Choice and an Outstanding rating from PCMag, are currently $203.31 (down from $301). (Note that this is up from yesterday's price of 149.99, their lowest price ever on Amazon, according to price trackers, so the price may go down again. Also, the price seems to be fluctuating slightly depending on location.) Jabra Evolve2 65 UC Wireless Headphones with Link380a $203.31 at Amazon $301.00 Save $97.69 Get Deal Get Deal $203.31 at Amazon $301.00 Save $97.69 They look like a regular pair of on-ear headphones, except for the boom mica three-mic MEMS array with a 100Hz to 8kHz frequency response (meaning your voice will sound clear and background noise wont be an issue) that makes it a solid work headset. Flipping the mic up completely mutes it while bringing it back down unmutes and answers calls. You'll find a three-button control for playback, volume, and call management on the right earcup, which also houses a status LED (or busy light) that glows red when you're on a call.Its 40mm drivers deliver deep bass and crisp highs (with no distortion at max volume) across a 20Hz to 20kHz frequency range. If you like customizing your audio or want more control over your headset, the Jabra Sound+ app lets you adjust EQ settings, disable the busy light, or play white noise to help you tune out distractions. As for noise isolation, it does an OK job, but dont expect it to completely block out loud street soundssirens and honking might still get through. Jabra claims about 37 hours of battery life, but actual mileage will depend on your volume preference and usage.On the connectivity front, this headset works with any VoIP service (is UC-certified) and runs on Bluetooth 5.0, but it only supports SBC, so if you were hoping for AAC or AptX codecs, you're out of luck. That said, it makes up for it with multi-device pairing (it can remember up to eight devices and connect to two at the same time). Plus, you get a USB-A dongle for easy pairing with a computer. Switching between a phone and a computer is mostly seamlessaudio pauses on one when a call comes in on the other. However, playback doesnt always resume automatically, and if youve got a music app open on both devices, the headsets play button can get confused, sometimes toggling between sources instead of stopping the music altogether, as noted in this PCMag review.

OpenAI claims that Chinese startups are persistently trying to copy the technology of American AI companies. Aligned with that, OpenAI says it and partner Microsoft have been banning accounts suspected of distilling its models. The two are trying to identify those behind such efforts and, per The Wall Street Journal, buzzy upstart DeepSeek is among the entities OpenAI is looking into.Distillation refers to the process of bolstering smaller and more efficient AI models by tapping into responses from more advanced ones. The aim is to achieve similar results in certain circumstances by aping larger models reasoning. OpenAI permits business users to distill its models on its platform, as the Journal notes, but under the company's terms of service, users arent allowed to train their own models on the output of its systems. DeepSeek has said that it uses distillation on R1, its most capable model, to train smaller ones.We know [China]-based companies and others are constantly trying to distill the models of leading US AI companies, an OpenAI spokesperson told The Guardian. They added it was critically important for OpenAI to work with the government to best protect the most capable models from efforts by adversaries and competitors to take US technology.The company didnt explicitly mention DeepSeek in its statement, but the Chinese startups open-source chatbot has blown up in recent days. For one thing, it hit the top of the free apps list in Apples App Store. Its success wiped $1 trillion of stock market value from publicly listed tech companies that are neck deep in the AI sector. Its been claimed that DeepSeeks chatbot performs about as well as AI systems from the likes of OpenAI and Google but at a fraction of the cost and with less-powerful chips, undercutting the belief that such technology is very expensive to develop and run.There have been reports that DeepSeek cites OpenAI policies in its outputs. Meanwhile, David Sacks, who is President Donald Trump's AI advisor, claimed there's "substantial evidence" that DeepSeek "distilled the knowledge out of OpenAIs models."Still, all of this concern seems extremely rich from OpenAI, a company that has faced a swathe of lawsuits from authors, comedians, news organizations and others who accused it of using their copyrighted work without consent to train its models. Indeed, the company admitted last year that it would be "impossible to train today's leading AI models without using copyrighted materials." It seems OpenAI would have you believe that what's good for the goose is not good for the gander.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/openai-suddenly-thinks-intellectual-property-theft-is-not-cool-actually-amid-deepseeks-rise-154249605.html?src=rss

Comcast has announced new technology for ultra-low lag Internet on its Xfinity service. According to the company's release, users of select products and software from its partners will experience less delay in situations with bi-directional traffic. The first wave of supported applications include select games from Valve's Steam platform, GeForce Now from NVIDIA, select apps on mixed reality headsets from Meta, and FaceTime on Apple hardware.The reduction in latency comes from the Internet Engineering Task Force's L4S open standard. The tech is complex here's a whitepaper on L4S if you're interested but broadly if a packet traveling between your device and the server experiences congestion, it will report that on arrival, which can improve future packets' journeys.A rep from Comcast told Engadget that the products from Apple, Meta, NVIDIA and Valve are the first to support the tech because they were initial partners for testing this low-latency connectivity. Other developers can choose to take advantage of the open standard technology once Comcast has fully rolled out the low lag option and it will be available to all Xfinity customers then. Atlanta, Chicago, Colorado Springs, Philadelphia, Rockville (Maryland) and San Francisco are among the first cities to receive the low latency tech. Comcast said in its release that it plans to deploy to additional locations in the coming months.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/comcast-unveils-ultra-low-lag-internet-connection-150034901.html?src=rss

Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man's first two episodes are out now here are all of the Marvel references I found.

Multiple users have reported issues with the Google Pixel 9 Pros camera bar, which in the most serious cases is physically separating from the phones chassis and Google doesnt seem too enthusiastic about fixing things.

When disaster strikes, government emergency alert systems offer a simple promise: Residents will get information about nearby dangers and instructions to help them stay safe.As the deadly L.A. wildfires and other major emergencies have shown, alerts rely on a complicated chain of communication between first responders, government administrators, third-party companies, and the public.Sometimes, the chain breaks.After the wind-driven wildfires broke out in Southern California on January 7, evacuation orders for some neighborhoodsincluding the part of Altadena where the majority of deaths occurredcame long after houses were reported on fire. On Tuesday, Los Angeles County officials approved an outside review of how alerts functioned in the Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire in response to residents demands. City officials declined to answer APs questions about a lag in some Palisades Fire alerts, though Fire Capt. Branden Silverman said responding to a fire and determining evacuation needs can take some time.Its an increasingly common issue: After-action reports and investigations revealed issues with alert systems in other California blazes: in the 2017 Tubbs Fire, which killed 22 people in Santa Rosa; the 2018 Camp Fire, which killed 85 people in Paradise; the Woolsey fire, which started the same day and killed three in Malibu; as well as in Colorados 2021 Marshall Fire, which destroyed more than 1,000 homes outside Denver; and in Hawaiis 2023 Lahaina Fire, which decimated that historic town and killed 102.It could take months to know why some evacuation orders lagged in the Los Angeles fires.Several residents who lost homes in the Eaton Fire told the Associated Press they received no notifications about their neighborhoods. For others, the first warning was an urgent text message in the middle of the night.Susan Lee Streets, who signed up for the alert app Nixle, did not get any alerts specific to her west Altadena neighborhood before she and her family left of their own accord around 10 p.m. after losing power and cell reception.If we had even been informed that houses and other structures were burning down, we would have known better what was happening, she said. We almost went to sleep that night with two kids and a dog and two cats in the house.Only after 3 a.m. did an alert hit her phone. Destroyed along with the house are the Christmas ornaments she saved for her children, and countless other family keepsakes.We lost everything, everything, Streets said, breaking into tears.Tricia Wachtendorf, director of the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware, said alerts have to be specific and clear. Research has shown that for them to be effective, people have to hear, understand, believe, personalize, and confirm them before they react.Just because you send the message at 3 a.m. doesnt mean someone is hearing it, Wachtendorf said.The hours between midnight and 3:30 a.m. appear to have been particularly challenging for first responders in Los Angeles County, based on an AP review of scanner traffic recordings and data from CalFire, the states chief fire agency; the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA; and the Watch Duty app.Resources were stretched thin, and hurricane-force winds had grounded air support, limiting authorities ability to get a top-down perspective on the flames.Calls reporting burning homes were flooding in as embers blew onto roofs and yards. During one half-hour period, 17 new addresses were relayed to firefighters, even as some crews ran low on fuel.By 12:07 a.m., CalFire records show, dozens of neighborhoods had been ordered to evacuate because of the Eaton Fire, all of them east of Altadenas North Lake Avenue. None of the neighborhoods to the westwhere all of the 17 confirmed fatalities occurred, as first reported by the Los Angeles Timeshad received evacuation warnings or orders, despite house fires being reported there more than an hour earlier.Over the next three hours, fire crews would go from begging for resources on the eastern flank of the blaze to radioing the command center to make sure it knew the fire was spreading west along the foothills near Sunset Ridge.Just before 3:30 a.m., evacuation orders expanded significantly, with residents in 12 areas of Altadena and elsewhere told to leave now.Jodi and Jeff Moreno first heard about the fire from a neighborhood app. But the first official warning only came around 2:30 a.m., when authorities yelled through a bullhorn to evacuate. The couple grabbed their three daughters, their dog, and some important papers, and fled.There were no text alerts until after they were gone.On the neighborhood apps, some people were going, some people were staying. It was a wide variety of responses. We were navigating it on our own, Jodi Moreno said. Its hard for us to gauge where exactly is that fire, where are the embers blowing. . . . Those are things I would rely on people who are monitoring it for information.Desperate for more information, both the Morenos and Streets downloaded the Watch Duty app, which maps evacuation zones and consolidates information from multiple sources into a single stream. Launched in 2021 and today covering 22 states, it became a lifeline for them.The ideal system for warning people is informing them, right? said Nick Russell, vice president for operations at Watch Duty.Theres certainly diligence necessary in the execution of official evacuation warning and orders or shelter in place, whatever the condition might be, he said. But telling people why that discussion is taking place between law enforcement and fire is important. And thats what were doing.The process of issuing evacuation notices starts with firefighters or other personnel on the ground recommending action, Russell said. It then moves up the chain of command to sheriffs, who ultimately put out any order.During major emergencies that communication can be hampered by issues such as limited radio connectivity, wind noise, or other technical problems. Incident command stations may have trouble synthesizing the large amounts of information they are getting from different agencies, something that is critical for understanding the scope of an emergency like a fire.In Los Angeles County, residents who sign up for emergency notifications through the AlertLACounty website are then directed to a list of 57 links to other specific neighborhood or city alert system signups, as well as a general one covering 19 other cities. The city of Los Angeles and the Sheriffs Department also have alert systems.It is not clear how the overlapping systems, which use different software programs, work together, or whether officials coordinate.A 2024 Hazard Mitigation plan directed the citys Emergency Management Department to assess gaps in alert and warning systems in areas with poor cellphone connectivity and then implement a solution to ensure alerts reach people. But that goal was given a medium priority level and a long-term timeline, with completion expected sometime in the next 10 years.Meanwhile the countys Hazard Mitigation Plan, last updated in 2020, did not include a focus on emergency alerts or public notifications. Instead its high-priority goals had to do with educating people about winds impact on wildfire risk and with community wildfire protection.Officials at the Countys Coordinated Joint Information Center declined to comment other than to say that an independent review of evacuations and emergency notifications is planned and the Office of Emergency Management, County Fire Department and Sheriffs Department plan to fully engage with it.Christopher L. Keller, Claudia Lauer, Amy Taxin and Rebecca Boone, Associated Press

President Donald Trump on Wednesday will sign the Laken Riley Act into law as his administrations first piece of legislation. It mandates the detention and potential deportation of people in the U.S. illegally who are accused of theft and violent crimes before theyve actually been convicted.The measure swiftly passed the Republican-controlled Congress with some Democratic support, despite immigrants rights advocates decrying it as extreme enough to possibly trigger mass roundups of people for offenses as minor as shoplifting.Trump has made a promised crackdown on illegal immigration unprecedented in the nations history a centerpiece of his political career, however, and is now suggesting the law might only be the beginning.This shows the potential for additional enforcement bills that will help us crack down on criminal aliens and totally restore the rule of law in our country, the president said at a conference of House Republicans held at his Doral golf club in Florida.The law is named for Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who went out for a run in February 2024 and was killed by Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan national in the U.S. illegally. Ibarra was found guilty in November and sentenced to life without parole.To have a bill of such importance named after her is a great, a great tribute, Trump said. This new form of crime, criminal, illegal aliens, itsits massive, the numbers are massive and you add that to the crime we already had.The speed at which the act cleared Congressand the fact that Trump is preparing to triumphantly sign it at the White House surrounded by lawmakers and other supportive, invited guests just nine days after taking officeadds to its potent political symbolism for conservatives. Critics say the measure is using a tragedy to effectively unleash chaos and cruelty while doing little to fight crime or fix an antiquated federal immigration system that hasnt been overhauled in decades.Under the Laken Riley Act, federal officials are required to detain any immigrant arrested or charged with crimes like theft or assaulting a police officer, or offenses that injure or kill someone. It further gives legal standing to state attorneys general to sue the U.S. government for harm caused by federal immigration decisionspotentially allowing the leaders of conservative states to help dictate immigration policy set by Washington.Ibarra had been arrested for illegal entry in September 2022 near El Paso, Texas, amid an unprecedented surge in migration, and released to pursue his case in immigration court. Federal officials say he was arrested by New York police in August 2023 for child endangerment and released. Police say he was also suspected of theft in Georgia in October 2023all of which occurred before Rileys killing.This is the right thing to do, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said after the act cleared the House. Its always good when the right thing is also the popular thing.Some Democrats, however, have questioned the acts constitutionality. Immigrant advocates are bracing for mass detentions that they say will trigger subsequent, costly construction of immigration lockup facilities to house the people arrested.They dont just get to celebrate. They get to use this for their mass deportation agenda, Naureen Shah, deputy director of government affairs in the equality division of the American Civil Liberties Union, said of the acts supporters.The ALCU says the act can allow people to be mandatorily locked uppotentially for yearsbecause at some point in their lives, perhaps decades ago, they were accused of nonviolent offenses.Hannah Flamm, interim senior director of policy at the International Refugee Assistance Project, said the law violates immigrants basic rights by allowing for detaining people who havent been charged with, much less convicted of, wrongdoing. Still, she said, The latent fear from the election cycle of looking soft on crime snowballed into aiding and abetting Trumps total conflation of immigration with crime.Flamm said the act is likely to be challenged in court on its parameters directing mandatory detentions, as well as its granting legal standing to state attorneys general in immigration cases and policy. But she also predicted that a need to pay for more immigration detention centers will give advocates a chance to challenge how federal funds are appropriated to cover those costs.I think it is pivotal to understand: This bill, framed as connected to a tragic death, is pretext to fortify a mass deportation system, Flamm said.The signing of the Laken Riley Act follows a flurry of first-week executive orders by Trump that are designed to better seal off the U.S.-Mexico border and eventually move to deport millions of immigrants without permanent U.S. legal status. The new administration has also canceled refugee resettlement and says it may attempt to prosecute local law enforcement officials who do not enforce his new immigration policies.Were tracking down the illegal alien criminals and were detaining them and were throwing them the hell out of our country, Trump said. We have no apologies, and were moving forward very fast.Will Weissert, Associated Press

Promotion: a new fashion course at Loughborough University sets out to explore the most pressing issues facing the modern fashion industry.Students enrolling on the BA Fashion Design and Technology programme get to grips with challenges consuming the fashion industry and the quest to find substantive solutions. Themes include sustainability, digital wearables and the shift to sportswear.The course explores how breakthrough technologies are recalibrating the norms around design and manufacturing encompassing faster processes.The course teaches students both craftsmanship and digital design skillsAs well as learning about cutting-edge technology, students also delve into traditional craft methods to reflect on how clothes are made and worn in contemporary culture.Students have a chance to think conceptually as well as gain hands-on experience with traditional craft methods and new technology in three years full-time, or four years with a placement year."Our goal is to equip students with a forward-thinking approach to fashion, where innovation meets craftsmanship," said programme director Jenny Prendergast."We want our graduates to be at the forefront of the fashion industry, prepared to tackle tomorrow's design challenges with creativity, critical thinking, and cutting-edge skills."Students receive training in garment constructionThe course, which was developed together with fashion industry professionals, provides students with both grounding in traditional design techniques and practical experience of "state-of-the-art" fashion technologies.It takes a future-facing approach and encourages students to use creative solutions to solve today's design challenges, while also receiving in-depth training in traditional techniques and garment construction.Read: Ten textile design projects by students at Loughborough UniversityThe BA Fashion Design and Technology programme also teaches students about virtual prototyping, digital fashion trends and sustainable practices.To ensure its graduates enter the fashion job market with a competitive edge, the course also provides opportunities for students to intern, work on projects, and collaborate with leading global fashion brands.The BA Fashion and Technology will offer possibilities for internships at global brandsLoughborough University focuses on preparing the course's students to work in the ever-evolving fashion industry by taking a holistic approach to fashion education and training them in sustainability, digital design and craftsmanship."By combining the university's heritage of excellence with cutting-edge advancements, the BA Fashion Design and Technology programme is set to produce a new generation of designers who will shape the future of fashion," the university said.Loughborough University is a leading UK university and is ranked 6th in The UK Complete University Guide 2025, 10th in the Guardian University League Table 2024 and 10th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024.To find out more about Loughborough University and the BA Fashion and Technology programme, visit its website here.Partnership contentThis article was written by Dezeen for Loughborough University as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.The post Loughborough University's BA Fashion Design and Technology programme explores the ever-evolving fashion industry appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen Showroom: French design brand Edition 1.6.9 has worked with interior architect and designer Sandra Benhamou on a series of rugs with landscape-informed patterns.Tellus Mater rugs are made from a combination of wool, linen, merino, hemp, natural silk and bamboo fibres that are hand-crafted into striped, patch-like patterns evoking the appearance of topographical landscapes.Sandra Benhamou designed the collection in reference to landscapes as viewed from the airDifferent weaving styles including hand knotting, flat weave, boucl and sumac result in variations in the pile height and texture, which gives each rug a unique, organic aesthetic."The Tellus Mater collection evokes an intimate geography, blending territories and soils, zooming in and out on living memories of a desert, a stone quarry, a piece of marble, a stretch of sand, an aerial view, a journey, a landscape relief," said Edition 1.6.9.The rugs are characterised by neutral colourways"Sandra Benhamou has traced fault lines, crafted textures, and sought harmony, composing each rug as one would paint a canvas," the brand continued.The rugs come in various neutral colourways, from warm sandy and brown tones to patterns that combine darker charcoals and greys.Product details:Product: Tellus Mater rugsDesigner: Sandra BenhamouBrand: Edition 1.6.9Contact: london@edition169.comMaterial: linen, silk, wool, bamboo silk, hemp, mohairDimensions: 2500 millimetres x 3500 millimetres standard size (custom sizes available upon request)Dezeen ShowroomDezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.The post Tellus Mater rugs by Sandra Benhamou for Edition 1.6.9 appeared first on Dezeen.