
I found this book today
"Age old faces of the mountains / Looming naturally / I wonder if they're looking at me, / Their monumental eyes I can feel"

"Age old faces of the mountains / Looming naturally / I wonder if they're looking at me, / Their monumental eyes I can feel"
Just over a month or two ago it completely changed and now it's terrible.
I'm uninstalling it after all of these years. It doesn't even record anymore & if it does it cuts off ever time. Useless. 🚫
Does this officially make John Lennon officially a grandpa?
Here are 5 moves to shut it off, the switch is hidden in two places:
The Main Switch
This is the main setting Google shows you, but it's not the only one.
Gmail (Desktop):
⚙️ Settings → See all settings → Smart features and personalization → Uncheck "Turn on smart features in Gmail, Chat, and Meet" → Save Changes.
The Hidden Switch
Turning off the first setting isn't enough. Most people stop there.
On the same settings page: Google Workspace smart features → Manage Workspace smart feature settings → Turn off both checkboxes → Save.
Both settings need to be turned off.
Your Phone
The settings don't always sync between devices, so check the Gmail app separately.
Gmail app → Menu (☰) → Settings → Select your account → Turn off "Smart features and personalization" → Confirm.
Delete Gemini History
If you've used Gemini before, your chats may be saved, and some could be reviewed by humans.
Go to http://myactivity.google.com/product/gemini
→ Turn off Gemini Apps Activity → Delete Activity → All Time.
This removes your past Gemini chat history and stops future conversations from being saved.
Move Sensitive Emails
Turning off Gmail's smart features helps, but for truly private emails, consider using a separate service.
For medical, legal, or financial emails, use a free Tuta Mail account. It offers end-to-end encryption and doesn't use AI to scan your emails.
Keep Gmail for newsletters, promotions, and less sensitive messages - if you must.
Boston Scientific is the latest medical device company to be hit with a cyber attack. This morning (August 26th, 2026) Boston announced that they had been hit by a cyber attack that according to one source "heavily disrupted its global operations and completely halted its ability to process and ship orders." I also heard from an internal source that employees can't access their main corporate systems and that their production lines have been shut down. That's not necessarily a big deal. Production lines at device companies often shut down for days or even weeks at a time for various reasons. But it seems this time the shut down is a result of the cyber attack.
So far (5:45PM CST) Boston hasn't said if implanted device security was affected. A spokesperson was asked specifically if patient's implanted devices were secure and the spokesperson declined to comment. Knowing what I know about device security I would bet that answer had more to do with the spokesperson not having that information on hand at the time the question came in. Our devices have layers of security preventing outside hacking, so my default is believing the devices are secure until I hear otherwise. I have also heard that Boston's customers are being told to disconnect their systems from the Latitude network (Boston's remote monitoring network). Again, implanted devices are well protected. Without any further info I believe that this move is to prevent the transmission of any ransomware or malware that might have affected the Latitude connection between Boston and their clinics/hospitals. It seems like this would just be a good "just-in-case" move until Boston knows more about the extent of the cyber attack.
The other interesting point is something I've been reading about on the financial Reddit pages. Today Boston submitted an SEC form 8-K which states that their long-term financial outlook may be impacted by this attack. Their stock is down just 3.5% as of writing this, which is pretty insignificant, but from what I'm reading a form 8-K is submitted when the a company expects an event to have a long-term affect, meaning they may be planning on this shut down being longer than a couple of days. We'll see what happens in the next few days.
FYI- Boston now joins Medtronic, Abbott, and Stryker as med-tech companies that have been the targets of recent cyber attacks (all have been in 2026). Sadly this seems to be a thing that is becoming more and more prevalent. Hundreds of hospital systems, companies, small businesses, schools and colleges, even townships and municipalities have been hit in the past few years. It doesn't necessarily indicate that the cyber security at these device companies is weak. It does seem to indicate that ransomware attacks are lucrative for the hackers and that they're very very good at hacking into some systems that cause great chaos. If this kind of thing interests you, there's a terrific podcast by the BBC called "Cyber Hack". Every season is super interesting, but season 4 is about these kinds of ransomware attacks.
Rainier for Robert.
Trying a different format with these posts to avoid Reddit's spam filter. 2026 internet is difficult.
If you're interested in my mission you can check out my previous posts on my account or follow the Rainier for Robert subreddit I made at Rainier for Robert.
Number 27, 28, 29, and 30. Mount Angeles, Yellow Aster Butte, Trappers Peak, Baldy Mountain, and East Baldy Mountain have been bagged.
Additionally, here is a Seattle Times article that came out last week about my mission.
There will also be a short segment on Fox 13 tonight (8/25/26) at 1600 PST. Tune in if you’d like!
Rainier for Robert.