First born

So you know those "Terms and Conditions" pages we all click through? Well, there's a lot of text you're probably not reading. And a security firm in London wanted to conduct an experiment to prove that the majority of people sign their lives away without so much as giving the contract a second glance.

Well maybe not their lives, but the lives of their first borns.



What?

Read here, via the Washington Post:


A good Wi-Fi network is hard to find, but six Londoners were willing to pay the ultimate price - based on the Terms and Conditions they agreed to, anyway.

In an experiment sponsored by security firm F-Secure, an open Wi-Fi network was set up in a busy public area. When people connected, they were presented with lengthy terms and conditions.

But to see just how little attention we pay when checking that agreement box, F-Secure included a "Herod clause" - one that offered up free Wi-Fi in exchange for the company's permanent ownership of the user's firstborn child.

The experiment was intended to highlight the dangers of connecting to unknown Wi-Fi networks, the Guardian reports. While only six people clicked through the Herod clause, another 33 devices connected once the researchers removed all Terms and Conditions. Meanwhile, users left their personal data - including passwords - completely vulnerable to the network.

So. It may behoove you to READ for the sake of the CHILDREN.

No-No

I luckily switched over from watching football to catch this on TV as it happened.

Preserved the no-hitter for a great Wisconsin pitcher. Well done, Jordan Zimmermann!

Jimi Hendrix

I'm a big movie guy, and when that genre crosses paths with classic rock, sign me up.

I'm pumped for Jimi: All Is By My Side, which features musician Andre 3000 as Jimi Hendrix. It's gonna be good.

Andre Benjamin as Jimi Hendrix (courtesy of The Telegraph)

Here's a snippet from a recently released Rolling Stone article, the rest of which can be read here:

In Jimi: All Is By My Side, set for a Sept. 26th release, Benjamin takes on a crucial year in the life of the iconic rock guitarist, as Hendrix was being discovered and embraced by the London music scene in 1966-67. He lost 20 pounds for the role "because I am not naturally a skinny man," studied Hendrix interview footage, learned to play guitar left-handed before four weeks of rehearsals and six weeks of filming.

"To get that gait, to move in that way, I had to feel that way. I worked out twice a week, and ate just enough calories to keep myself going," Benjamin recalled. "Guitar training was strenuous because I’m a right-handed guitar-player. Left-handed is completely opposite. It’s like walking backwards."


Talk about commitment to the role.

FOOD

I like to eat. So when I was on vacation over the weekend, I made sure to avoid eating things that I could get any day around here. I think I was successful.

For example:



That's a Vietnamese dish called Pho. Pronounce "fuh" or "fah". I don't know exactly. But it's definitely not "faux".

It was amazing.And I've since googled how to recreate it on my own and it's clear I'll never be able too.

And then, my "When in Rome" meal for the weekend:



Steamed crabs. I had no idea what I was doing, but boy were they delicious.

Texting and Driving

Texting and driving is scary. I hate driving next to people when I see them buried in their phone. It's literally an accident waiting to happen.

Thankfully, police technology is catching up.


Via PilotOnline.com:

A Virginia company is developing a radar gunlike device that would help police catch drivers as they text.

The technology works by detecting the telltale radio frequencies that emit from a vehicle when someone inside is using a cellphone, said Malcolm McIntyre of ComSonics. Cable repairmen use similar means to find where a cable is damaged - from a rodent, for instance - by looking for frequencies leaking in a transmission, McIntyre said.

A text message, phone call and data transfer emit different frequencies that can be distinguished by the device ComSonics is working on, according to McIntyre. That would prove particularly useful for law enforcement in states such as Virginia, where texting behind the wheel is banned but talking on the phone is legal for adult drivers.

Stanton Selfie

Remember when Mike Fiers hit Giancarlo Stanton in the face with a 88 mph fastball?

Well, at least Stanton is smiling about it now.



Glad to see he's begun the healing process.

As for the Brewers, they've got a HUGE series with the Cardinals tonight, leading up to quite possibly a bigger series with the Pirates this weekend. C'mon Crew.

Fish surgery

I don't want to knock the relationships that people have with their pets, because I know how important those animals can be in their lives.

Having said that...this is a bit extreme.

Via the Melbourne (Australia) Herald-Sun: 

A MELBOURNE vet has performed a delicate surgery on a 10-year-old goldfish, slicing open the beloved pet to remove a growth that was half the size of its head. It's likely George the goldfish has already forgotten the ordeal, but not his relieved owners, Lyn Orton and Pip Joyce, who say they wouldn't hesitate to pay the hundreds of dollars again to save a pet's life.The couple paid about $200 for the 45-minute surgery at Lort Smith Animal Hospital in North Melbourne last week.

Surgery costs $200. How much does a new goldfish cost?

Just saying.

Pocket golf

Ever seen anything like this?



He's arguably the best player in the world right now, but in golf, well, $#!+  happens.

13 years later

As you might have noticed, today is September the 11th.

I, like everyone else, remembers exactly where I was that day, what I was doing, so on and so forth.

But does that really matter? Sure, it helps us to contextualize our lives a bit and may make us feel nostalgic to whatever was going on in our lives 13 years ago, but how has your life changed since?

It struck me this morning, as people kept mentioning that 9/11/2001 was 13 years ago, that 13 years is half of 26, as in my age. That morning quite literally bisected my life at a crucially important stage in my upbringing.

At 13, I still had a bedtime. Now, I have an IRA.

I absolutely loved what Allison Geyer wrote in the La Crosse Tribune this morning, and every word resonated with how I was feeling.

She hits the nail on the head here.

The years dragged on and the world grew darker, more fearful. Hate crimes against Muslims, Sikhs and anyone with brown skin proliferated. As we entered high school, the U.S. invaded Iraq, looking for weapons of mass destruction and a connection to al-Qaida - and found neither.

As we became adults, we grappled with the conundrum of supporting our country while embroiled in a war we didn’t understand and maybe didn’t support. Pundits argued. Political divides deepened. Our leaders told us to "stay the course." Meanwhile, kids my age got blown apart by roadside bombs.

What's that thing people say about 9/11? Never forget?

Well, there’s no chance of that. Especially to a generation that’s never known any different.

I'll never forget because I can't. It's all I know. My parents remember a world before 9/11. For all intents and purposes, I don't. I'm going on vacation next week, and I've never been on an airplane without having to take my shoes off first, and probably will never board one without doing so.

Sure, we remember today, and rightfully so. But in all honesty, for people my age, we're always remembering because it's all we know. 

High Stakes Madden

This is fantastic. It's a college president trying to beat students at their own game. And the thing is, I bet he's pretty good.




What's an average semester of books cost...$800? Give or take. That's some high stakes video gaming.

Tip Shaming

I was at a restaurant last night, and I ended up with an entree that I didn't really like. I was a little upset, not because the food was prepared poorly (it wasn't), but because I took a chance on something on the menu and it didn't appeal to my taste buds the way I'd hoped.

Oh well, such is life. One thing I wanted to be cognizant of was not to tip poorly just because I didn't like my food. It wasn't my server's fault (she did a wonderful job) so I didn't want her to suffer because of it.

I'm not trying to take the high-and-mighty approach to tipping here, but it's an interesting subject matter. A tip is just that, going about and beyond. Is it expected? To a certain extent, yes, but it's not 100% automatic. Which is why I don't really have a problem with what LeSean McCoy did here.

Sure, he was millions of dollars, but he also has principles too, right?

And for the PYT restaurant in Philly to try to "tip shame" McCoy on social media is wrong, and I'm glad it backfired in their face.

Read more of the great details here: http://uproxx.com/webculture/2014/09/restaurant-tip-shames-lesean-mccoy/

Week 1 NFL

These are the two greatest things to come out of the first weekend of NFL games, and I refuse to hear any arguments to the contrary.




Yeah it was a penalty, and I don't think he tried to do it, but it was awesome.

And the second?




Not only does he bring in a box of Frosted Flakes to snack on, he has a somewhat-matching T-shirt to boot.

Classic.

One oh Five

I thought I was all fancy when I bought a 50" TV the other week in time for football season.

This puts my TV to shame.




The picture doesn't do it justice, but it's big? So is the price tag.


Per Mashable: A Samsung representative said the prototype is still a few years away from making a debut, but could cost as much as 200,000 euros (or $260,000). It's uncertain, of course, if that will be the official price tag. Considering Samsung's 85-inch non-bendable version sells for $120,000, we wouldn't be surprised if this one indeed nears the $250,000 mark.