BLOGEMONIUM

Gmail Users Are Advised to Turn Off Two Features Now

Gmail users are being warned that they have been secretly opted in to a feature that allows the tech giant to access their private emails. Google is using access to scan messages and attachments to help train AI models like Gemini. That means your personal and work emails could be read and used without you explicitly agreeing to it first. The issue has already spurred a class-action lawsuit against Google, claiming the company activated the hidden setting in Gmail to secretly exploit users’ email history. To completely opt out, you must manually disable Smart Features in two separate locations within Gmail settings. This multi-step process appears deliberately complex, requiring careful attention to ensure complete protection.

While Google has argued that it doesn't use Gmail content directly for training Gemini, the opt-in still raises concerns about how your data is handled and if it's not more vulnerable to a breach by hackers.

Major USPS Postmark Rule Is Changing — How to Avoid Penalties

In December 2025, the U.S. Postal Service announced they would be changing postmark rules. In the past, the post office stamped mail with a postmark the day the item was processed, usually the same day you dropped it off in a mailbox. That allowed recipients like credit card companies, the IRS, and local ballot collectors to confirm that you mailed these timely items on time. Now, USPS is changing the postmark date to when the mail is processed at a postal facility, and that can be several days later. By doing this, USPS hopes to streamline mail processing, cut costs, and meet strategic goals set for 2026. However, with this change, experts are warning that documents like tax returns, credit card bills, utility bills and ballots could be processed late, resulting in late fees and potential penalties. To avoid the expected penalties and fees under the new postmark rules, the USPS recommends consumers take their mail to a post office, station or branch, bring it to the counter and request a manual postmark. This ensures your item is stamped immediately. For credit card and utility bills, you can also reach out to your creditor and ask how to enroll in their digital payment system, commonly known as “autopay."

Hospital Staff Use X-Ray Machine and Teamwork to Recover Patient’s Lost Rings

What began as a routine medical visit turned into an unusual recovery mission at Grundy County Memorial Hospital in Iowa. Susan Sinnwell went to the hospital for an x-ray of her hand, which required that she remove the two heirloom rings she wore. The next day she realized that she may have thrown her grandparents’ wedding rings out by mistake. The rings, which had deep sentimental value, were wrapped inside a napkin and inadvertently tossed into a trash can. Sinnwell said she thought the napkin sounded funny when it hit the garbage, but she didn’t think anything of it. Once hospital staff learned that the rings were missing, maintenance crews began tracing the trash’s path, only to discover that the waste had already been compacted and mixed with days’ worth of garbage. Maintenance workers sifted through roughly 50-60 bags using metal detectors, separating anything that showed a signal. When that search failed, Craig Buskohl, Imaging Manager at the hospital, brought in a mobile x-ray unit and set it up in the hospital’s ambulance garage. Using the portable machine, staff x-rayed bag after bag. After about 35 images and 45 minutes of scanning, the rings finally appeared on screen. Sinnwell said she was overwhelmed by the effort hospital employees put into the search. Hospital officials said the recovery reflects their commitment to caring for patients beyond medical treatment.

Cold War Bomb Shelter In Nova Scotia Is Being Converted Into High-End Doomsday Condos

A former Cold War fallout shelter in rural Nova Scotia is being transformed into luxury condominiums for elite clients seeking refuge from global crises. Project co-owner Paul Mansfield says renovation of the 2-story underground bunker started less than a year ago, but the project has already attracted the attention of several wealthy buyers. The price range for the 50 condos is a secret, unless the vetting process determines that you can afford one. The 64,000-square-foot concrete structure was built in 1964, one of six identical shelters built across Canada. Each had 3-feet-thick walls designed to withstand a 5-megaton nuclear blast from a mile away. Advanced life-support systems could filter chemical, biological and radioactive contamination, and each building stored enough food and water to sustain 350 government and military leaders for 90 days. Decommissioned in the 1990s, most of the bunkers were sealed off or destroyed. One is still being used for offices and accommodations at Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, north of Quebec. Mansfield says about $8 million has been invested in the project so far. About 15 suites are due for completion next year and the remainder by the end of 2027. When it isn’t being used as a cushy bomb shelter, the bunker’s suites will be part of a boutique hotel, The Diefenbaker. It will have a spa, fitness center, coffee shop and cigar lounge, all guarded by on-site security using thermal radar to guard the perimeter.