r/GamersNexus

Giving some background for the fun of it :

I'm 36yo, gaming since 1996. I can build a computer after buying the parts helped with research. I have a CS50 level of coding, vibe coded myself a monthly budgeting app among other things, and learned how to do an oil change on my motorcycle recently. I'm not the brightest with technology, but I can manage my way, following the knowledge of the people above me.

But today is the first time I'm having one of those "your phone is listening to you" moment, and I have no explanation.

I was eating a sandwich outside, with my Sony XM4 headphones, just after having a call with someone without the headphones.
I cut bridges with that not well known person on the phone as it was not a relationship I could see evolve for the better of us. I wish her well, she does too, and we hang up.

I go back inside, headphones off, and I was retracing the short relationship moments, and contemplating that arrogant idea of "wasted prayers" I had towards her (I'm not affiliated to a specific religion).
The idea was that I'm in no place to know truly what is wasted or not in front of God, but that the truth was it felt good saying it, "What a waste of prayers".
So I was having my 2 minutes of fun saying out loud "what a waste of prayers", while philosophically and spiritually pondering the implications and the separations between the entity I am and an all encompassing God.

Then, I sit at my computer and start querying Sonnet 5 to find motorcycle workshops that could take care of a specific brand in my region.
Of course I hit the limit rate at the second message without having a proper answer. So I decide to try Gemini for less limit rate and potentially better result with Google Maps.

And there, to my unsurprised surprise as I'm growing jaded way too fast this decade, I see my most recent Gemini conversation with the unique message "What a waste. What a waste of prayers, man.".

The thing is, I don't have any Google/Gemini trigger on my phone or computer, my phone was locked on the side without me using it, and my headphones were not worn (possibly still ON before shutting OFF by themselves). I don't have lock button triggers either as I think it exists.

After digging a bit, it seems after an update it would be possible for me to trigger Gemini by saying "Hey Google" but only using Google Maps or Waze, and none of them were naturally active by my actions when I was ranting to myself about wasting prayers, so only background processes could have been linked to that.
I even tried to actively say "Hey Google" to try and trigger it, but nothing opens.

So there's obviously a logic to this, which is not me being a real schizophrenic or dissociating person. And I have no idea what it is. I figured I'd share it. Cheers.

TLDR: Google listens so remember to tell it how much you love it

A lot of people unhappy with the current state of the game.

Would be good to know whether the tech stack can even deliver on the dream.

There's a large amount of "influencers" who suddenly started propping up and pushing the DGX Spark incredibly hard in the last 45-60 days.

For those who don't know it's a small AI box that's roughly $4500, it's original MSRP is $3000. It's widely in stock, in fact it's the highest stocked and available Nvidia item in North America currently.

Nvidia wants to move the product, and they've enlisted influencers and other accounts to help them by giving them free sparks etc. Most of these aren't reported.. however some accounts have visited Nvidia's HQ then suddenly are pushing this little box.

Recently a site called local.ai launched which if you look at it is essentially a way to push sparks.

It's not a gigantic expose I understand that, however I'd love to see some of these people exposed. It's also incredibly odd considering Nvidia is making money hand over fist that they would put any effort into selling an item like this.

Regardless just thought I'd throw this out there.

I have been going back and forth with Micron support for more than a month over a RMA claim. Back in November 2025 I bought an 8TB external SSD from Crucial. The following month, Micron announced it was exiting the Crucial consumer business, and by the time my drive failed in July 2026 prices for similar products had doubled or more. BUT Micron stated they would honor all warranties, which is great.

Now this is a bit of a me issue, but I would like to note that I requested a replacement before sending mine in, in order to save up for data recovery, since there was over 1TB and years of work on there. Of course I was denied, so I had a decision to make.

Here's where it gets sketchy. On July 17th, after asking about the RMA process, in a direct, personal email to me they say, and I quote: "Once the product is received, your replacement should arrive within 14 to 21 business days." Clearly stating I will be getting a replacement. With that assurance I accept and send it out instead of risking trying to fix it myself.

On the 20th day I ask for an update. On August 11th they tell me Crucial is discontinued and that they have exhausted their inventory. My only option is a refund of the original price, paid via prepaid debit cards or gift cards.

I fight back to no avail. So I ask if they can at least send my device back. Their response: "it has already been disposed of in accordance with our standard RMA procedures."

Why I am troubled:

A replacement was promised in writing on July 17, 2026, seven months after the shutdown was announced. Then again on July 20th in a different email “After the processing is completed and confirmation is received, the replacement will be shipped to you.”

They failed to mention or discuss Crucial closing, or the possibility of their inventory being exhausted, until after they had possession of my device.

My device was "disposed" of while the dispute was still open.

No option returns the money to my original payment method. It is prepaid cards or gift cards, or PayPal, which skims 5-6% off the refund.

I am out a 8TB External SSD, half the buying power to replace it, my daya, $10 to ship it to them and my patience. I can’t even get the money refunded to my original payment method. What are everyone’s thoughts on this?