All posts tagged: Annoying

This headphone feature fixes the most annoying Bluetooth problem I had

This headphone feature fixes the most annoying Bluetooth problem I had

Published by skeptic

Some people connect headphones to a single device, like your smartphone while you commute or your laptop for video calls from the home office. But sometimes, you want to go back and forth between the two devices, which might require unpairing from one and pairing to the other. But what happens if you’re watching a video on your laptop, listening through your headphones, but a call comes through on your phone? You want to be able to answer it seamlessly using the same headphones. Isn’t it annoying if you can’t? Bluetooth multi-point connectivity is the simple headphone feature that solves this issue. Thankfully, it’s available in most wireless headphones nowadays, though you may still find some older model or cheaper Bluetooth headphones without it. This feature isn’t one you should overlook, though. It makes a bigger difference than you realize. Related You Shouldn’t Buy Headphones if They Lack This Vital Function With so many devices, maintaining a connection is important. How multipoint connectivity works Switch back and forth Bluetooth multipoint is the ability for headphones …

This simple email trick saves me from annoying marketing spam (and it’s free to do)

This simple email trick saves me from annoying marketing spam (and it’s free to do)

Published by skeptic

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. As a Gen-Z shopping editor, I spend most of my dollars online. I’m always looking for easy ways to save with promo codes, sign-ups, memberships, and more.  I’ve also written full guides on how I’ve saved over $500 using services like Rakuten. But most importantly, after covering numerous sale events like Black Friday and Prime Day, I’ve learned how to avoid the deluge of spam that usually follows signing up for coupons or free shipping.  Also: 3 money-saving tricks I use every time I shop online – and you should too That’s why I’m sharing one of my favorite email tips that helps put marketing, ads, promotions, and other salesy emails in your rearview. This first tip is so obvious, you’ve probably never thought twice about it before. I’ve been using this shopping tip for almost a decade, and it’s still as functional as ever. Plus, it’s totally free.  How I decrease marketing clutter in my inbox So, you want to know the easiest way to …

The solution to creeping technofacism? Be annoying

The solution to creeping technofacism? Be annoying

Published by Sam Flores

It began as a way to tell a better story. A small, semi-transparent rectangle floating in midair above home plate, first rolled out by ESPN in 2001, showed something approaching the strike zone of a Major League Baseball player. As a flat, rigid representation of a fluctuating and notional three-dimensional space, it wasn’t perfect. But it gave viewers some sense of what players, pitchers and umpires were figuring out in real time: What counts as a ball and a strike in the most subjective of all spectator sports? Armed with footage of strike calls that sailed wide of the supposed mark, supplemented by cameras wedged into the masks of umps and catchers, commentators had proof of umpires’ tendencies to expand or contract the plate. To be sure, it was an improvement. Compared to the cheesy comet-tails that NBC began editing into slo-mo pitch replays in the ‘80s, ESPN’s ghostly “K-Zone” felt deadly serious: a technological marvel for an objective, computer-assisted age. Anyone reading this on an internet-connected device in 2026 already knows the trajectory of …

This tool makes the internet way less annoying

This $16 tool makes the internet way less annoying

Published by skeptic

TL;DR: From phones to laptops, this lifetime subscription to the AdGuard Family Plan blocks ads across your devices for $15.97 (reg. $169.99) through April 12. $15.97 $169.99 Save $154.02   You shouldn’t have to be on defense when you’re browsing the web. Between pop-ups and video ads, spending time online is no longer a peaceful experience. That’s where AdGuard comes in, stopping ads in their tracks and allowing you to enjoy the internet as it was intended. Right now, you can snag a lifetime subscription to the AdGuard Family Plan for just $15.97 (reg. $169.99) until April 12 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Mashable Deals By signing up, you agree to receive recurring automated SMS marketing messages from Mashable Deals at the number provided. Msg and data rates may apply. Up to 2 messages/day. Reply STOP to opt out, HELP for help. Consent is not a condition of purchase. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. If you’re done dealing with ads on your smartphone, laptop, and tablet, AdGuard is ready to take care of …

YouTube rolls out unskippable ads – they’re so annoying I’m mulling drastic measures

YouTube rolls out unskippable ads – they’re so annoying I’m mulling drastic measures

Published by skeptic

Anadolu / Contributor/ Anadolu via Getty Images Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways YouTube now has 30-second unskippable ads. The ads only show on televisions for now.  You can remove the ads for just $8 a month.  Have you noticed that the “skip ad” button sometimes disappears on YouTube? You’re not alone. Over the past few weeks, users have been reporting that long, unskippable ads are appearing on YouTube videos when they’re watching on a TV. I noticed it myself a few days ago, did some research, and saw that yes, YouTube has a new ad option that it calls “VRC Non-Skip.”  The ads, which can be 6, 15, or 30 seconds long (Google AI will decide which length is appropriate in which instance), are designed to “ensure your message is delivered in its entirety,” Google says. However, viewers on the receiving end of these ads are using words like unsufferable, miserable, annoying, the final straw, and the breaking point. Also: YouTube TV is offering 12 cheaper channel …

How to turn off the annoying recommended hearing level pop-up on Android

How to turn off the annoying recommended hearing level pop-up on Android

Published by skeptic

Smartphones come with their own set of minor irritations, whether you use an Android or an iPhone. What counts as annoying is entirely personal. Some people are happy using their device exactly as it arrives, while others start customizing it the moment it is powered on, digging through settings and switching off anything that does not match their preferences. One thing that has consistently bothered me is the pop-up that recommends a hearing level. It is designed as a safety reminder, but when it shows up repeatedly, it stops helping and starts feeling disruptive. After encountering it often enough, I decided to figure out how to disable it. If you share the same frustration, there is a way to turn it off and avoid the interruption altogether, and it’s quite easy. Related Your Android Phone’s Default Settings Are a Privacy Nightmare—Here’s What to Change Right Now Your Android’s out-of-the-box settings aren’t doing you any favors when it comes to privacy. Why does this pop-up exist in the first place? That annoying alert is just looking …

This extension automatically says ‘No’ to those annoying pop-ups

This extension automatically says ‘No’ to those annoying pop-ups

Published by skeptic

Cookie consent banners have nearly broken me. Every website I visit presents the same exhausting ritual — a pop-up that demands I make choices about tracking, analytics, personalization, and a dozen other categories I barely understand. I used to dutifully click through each one, carefully rejecting what I didn’t want. This is mostly because I understood the answer to the question whether you really need to accept all cookies while browsing is a firm no. Then I started just hitting “Accept All” out of sheer fatigue. That surrender felt wrong, but what else could I do? Turns out I don’t have to do anything. Consent-O-Matic, a browser extension developed by privacy researchers at Denmark’s Aarhus University, handles these consent forms automatically. It’s the equivalent of having someone stand between you and every door-to-door salesperson, politely declining on your behalf. OS Chrome, Firefox, Safari Developer CAVI, Aarhus University Price model Free Consent-O-Matic is a browser extension that groups cookie pop-ups into five categories. It allows users to use the open-source software and customize the interaction themselves. …

The tech behind the Olympics: High-speed cameras, sensors, and annoying drones

The tech behind the Olympics: High-speed cameras, sensors, and annoying drones

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Athletes competing in this year’s Winter Olympic Games in Milan will do so surrounded by a complex web of AI-enabled cameras, stopwatches, sensors, and fast-flying drones capable of tracking performance down to fractions of a second. The high-tech timekeeping system, the culmination of nearly a century of constant iteration, is fundamentally reshaping how viewers at home experience the Games. It’s also playing a growing role in how elite athletes train, and in some cases, may even determine who is ultimately declared a winner or a loser. Behind that precision is Omega, a Swiss watchmaker that has served as the Olympics’ official timekeeper since the 1932 Los Angeles Games. This year, it has rolled out cameras capable of capturing up to 40,000 frames per second, enabling “photo finishes” in speed skating and other timed races. Elsewhere, computer-vision systems and AI models will sift through a constant flood of camera data, generating up-to-the-second graphics that break down an athlete’s speed, splits, …

2 “Annoying” Habits That Actually Signal Intelligence

2 “Annoying” Habits That Actually Signal Intelligence

Published by Jenni Sidey

We often judge habits like a drifting mind or moments of spontaneous “zoning out” as flaws. To most people, these are considered signs of poor focus, weak discipline, or even cognitive decline. However, what we often fail to factor in is that our perceptions are influenced by the culture of relentless productivity and tangible rewards that surrounds us. From this lens, these mental habits will obviously look like distractions that need to be corrected, rather than cognitive processes that simply need to be understood. Psychological research tells us that, under the right conditions, these seemingly unproductive behaviors can reflect cognitive flexibility, creative problem-solving, and the brain’s ability to adaptively shift between modes of thought. In other words, rather than being mental glitches, they may be signs of an active mind doing important background work. Here are two common behaviors many people dismiss or try to suppress, as well as what they really mean, when they can be helpful, and how to start approaching them with greater psychological nuance. 1. A Habit of Daydreaming Mind-wandering, or …