All posts tagged: tips

Create Custom Windows 11 Notifications to Remind Yourself of Anything

Create Custom Windows 11 Notifications to Remind Yourself of Anything

While there are plenty of ways to limit notifications on our digital devices and avoid distraction overload, there’s nothing inherently wrong with these alerts. They just need to be well managed and kept in their place. Keeping notifications useful and timely can help you get more done in the day, not less, and Windows 11 comes with built-in tools for setting up custom notifications that run on a schedule you specify. You can use these scheduled notifications however you want. Maybe you need reminders to take breaks, or you want to make sure you devote specific blocks of time to certain projects, or you need alerts for when it’s time to go and pick the kids up. However you want to use these custom notifications, here’s how to set them up—plus some extra apps that can help too. Custom Notifications in Windows 11 Task Scheduler gives you a clean, simple way of creating alerts.Screenshot: David Nield If you want to set up custom notifications in Windows 11 without turning to an app, the Task Scheduler …

NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for September 5: Tips to solve Connections #712

NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for September 5: Tips to solve Connections #712

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you watch college football. As we’ve shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans. Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight, and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle. If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections: Sports Edition? The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. The sports Connections can be …

NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for September 4: Tips to solve Connections #711

NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for September 4: Tips to solve Connections #711

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition will be easier if you skateboard. As we’ve shared in previous hints stories, this is a version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans. Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight, and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier — so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle. If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections: Sports Edition? The NYT‘s latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication’s sports coverage. The sports Connections can be played on …

Autumn gardening tips to protect your peace as the pace of life picks up

Autumn gardening tips to protect your peace as the pace of life picks up

September is often seen as a fresh start. Children return to school, commutes resume and calendars begin filling up again after the relative freedom of summer. Yet while our routines gather pace, our gardens are entering one of their most rewarding seasons. At this time of year, it can be tempting to view the garden as just another item on a lengthy to-do list. But what if autumn offered an opportunity to take a different approach? As a garden designer, I often notice that September is the month when people begin to feel overwhelmed by their outdoor spaces. The garden continues growing, lawns recover from summer stress and borders are full of late-season colour, yet many of us suddenly have less time to enjoy it. Rather than trying to keep up with an endless list of gardening jobs, I believe September is the perfect time to embrace a lower-maintenance approach. By working with the season, rather than battling against it, the garden can remain a place to switch off and recharge when life feels busy. …

Best barbecue tips from top chefs for fish, meat and vegetables

Best barbecue tips from top chefs for fish, meat and vegetables

Sign up to IndyEat’s free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our food and drink newsletter for free Get our food and drink newsletter for free There is a point in every barbecue when enthusiasm gives way to mild panic. The coals are either refusing to get hot or suddenly capable of cremating dinner, the fish has welded itself to the grill and somebody has remembered, slightly too late, that vegetables need cooking too. Fortunately, the people who cook over fire for a living have a few better ideas. This September, Borough Market is staying open after hours for Flame & Smoke, bringing together its chefs, traders and restaurateurs for an evening of live-fire cooking. Taking place on Thursday 10 September from 6.30pm to 9.30pm, the event will feature demonstrations spanning grilling, roasting, smoking and charring, alongside specially created small plates to eat as you go. Ahead of the event, five of the Market’s fire-cooking experts share the techniques worth stealing for your own barbecue – including why hotter coals are …

How to Escape Group Chat Hell

How to Escape Group Chat Hell

A specific cadence for contemporary group chats eludes me. The rapid-fire tempo of texts combined with custom stickers, often based on inside jokes, leaves me behind. My digital fate: the silent lurker. As I let the notifications wash over me, I am a ghostlike figure haunting the group chat, a silent watcher who rarely responds without a specific invocation. Group chats are dominating the social lives of younger Americans. In a recent YouGov poll, 34 percent of adults under 30 said they are in at least four group chats, whether via text or other messaging app. Power texters are spending hours juggling multiple message threads—3 percent of adults under 30 said they are in more than 20 distinct group chats. These group chats are not just for the young folk, though. All attempts at social interactions now spark a new group message. A WhatsApp thread for our monthly book club. An Instagram group for that weekend getaway. A bulbous iMessage chat with random cousins attempting to plan a family reunion. Group chat hell is everywhere …

How to Run a Chatbot on Your Own Computer

How to Run a Chatbot on Your Own Computer

It’s no exaggeration to say the large language models that power AI bots like ChatGPT and Gemini are changing the world. Many of us are now relying on them for coding, writing, summarizing, and searching the web. Whatever directions AI goes in over the next few years, LLMs will be part of that future. If you use ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or any of the other AI platforms, then you’re using an LLM. What’s less commonly known is that these LLMs can be run locally, on your own computer. The key benefits are offline access and greater privacy, because you’re not sending anything to the cloud for anyone else to analyze or review. You’re also not paying any AI companies a monthly subscription or hitting any usage rates. Numerous LLMs are available to download for free, including from big names like Meta and Google. Though they tend not to be as advanced or as speedy as the LLMs inside the apps you have to pay for, they’re capable enough for everyday use, and you can pick …

The Easiest Ways to Share Anything Between Android and iOS

The Easiest Ways to Share Anything Between Android and iOS

Whisper it quietly, but certain bricks in Apple’s walled garden might be getting taken away. Thanks to some recent upgrades added to Android by Google, it’s now easier than ever to share files between an iPhone and an Android phone, without installing any new apps (though that’s still an option too). So if you need to send a photo, contact card, web link, or anything else, these are the options you have available. As is often the case with Android, they may vary depending on the make and model of your handset, though you should find at least one of these methods works for you. Share Files via AirDrop This is the big one: Google recently figured out a way to add support for AirDrop—Apple’s previously closed-off, device-to-device sharing protocol—to newer Pixel phones. It doesn’t appear that Apple was involved in the process, but the company hasn’t gotten in Google’s way since, and the functionality has been rolled out to other phones (including the recent Pixel and Galaxy handsets). Some prep work may be required. …

Experts share essential back-to-school sleep tips for children

Experts share essential back-to-school sleep tips for children

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more As summer vacations and late nights end, it is time to set morning school alarms again. Adequate rest ensures students remain attentive and focused during class. Experts advise easing children back into a routine as the start of the new academic year approaches. “We don’t say ‘ get good sleep ’ just because,” said pediatrician Dr. Gabrina Dixon with Children’s National Hospital. “It really helps kids learn and it helps them function throughout the day.” Sleep requirements change as children grow older. Preschoolers should receive up to 13 hours of rest. Tweens need nine to 12 hours, while teenagers function best with eight to 10 hours of sleep. Experts advise easing children back into a routine as the start of the new academic year …

NYT Connections hints and answers for August 25. Tips to solve ‘Connections’ #1171.

NYT Connections hints and answers for August 25. Tips to solve ‘Connections’ #1171.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you’re a film buff. Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that’s captured the public’s attention. The game is all about finding the “common threads between words.” And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we’ve served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle. If you just want to be told today’s puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today’s Connections solution. But if you’d rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you. SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections? The NYT‘s latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications’ Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile …