To solve the constant barrage of alerts, Do Not Disturb mode can be turned on right from the Notification Center, but it only lasts a day.
More and more apps incorporate notifications, so I'm constantly getting sound alerts and banners in the top right corner that I don't want. But after using it since its integration in Mountain Lion, it's been more annoying and distracting than anything. When Apple wanted to bring their Notification Center to Mac OS X, I loved the idea.
