FitBit is a nifty little gadget, isn't it? Not only does the watch track your heart rate, fitness levels and, in some models, your sleep patterns, but it can also tell you things about your body that you didn't hitherto know.
One man, YoungPTone, took to FitBit's Reddit forum to ask about some issues with his wife's FitBit:
"My wife's Fitbit is showing her heartbeat being consistently high over the last few days. 2 days ago, a somewhat normal day, she logged 10 hours in the fat burning zone, which I would think to be impossible based on her activity level. Also her calories burned do seem accurate..."
He claimed the gizmo was showing erratic results.
Clearly the device's sensor must be malfunctioning. Was it possible to recalibrate? He wanted to check with fellow users before contacting FitBit's customer service reps to arrange for a replacement.
Bet he's glad he did.
"Has she experienced anything really stressful in the last few days or is it a possibility she is pregnant?" asked user, Thatwasunpleasant.
Quite possibly.
Turns out, Thatwasunpleasant experienced the same set of wonky stats, only to find out she was expecting.
Sure enough, YoungPTone came back with the verdict: I'm going to be a dad!
Ladies, pay close attention to your FitBit... If it gets out of whack with your body's usual rhythms, it may be trying to tell you something.
Arguably the most highly anticipated parts of the Super Bowl are the half time show and the commercials. But among this year's contenders there were so many razzies, it's hard to settle on the absolute worst.
First, there was the Doritos ultrasound ad, in which a fetus launches prematurely out of the womb because it wants the chips daddy-to-be is munching.
Many viewers took to social media to complain about the ad for its tasteless (sorry) portrayal of premature birth. Even a pro-choice rights group came out to lobby against Doritos.
#NotBuyingIt - that @Doritos ad using #antichoice tactic of humanizing fetuses & sexist tropes of dads as clueless & moms as uptight. #SB50
— NARAL (@NARAL) February 8, 2016
But was the ad actually offensive? I think the only thing offensive about the Super Bowl advertising this year was its insipid offerings.
There was the replay of Cindy Crawford's iconic 1992 Pepsi ad, this time featuring Late Late Show host, James Corden. While I like Corden, the ad itself is pretty lame and uninspired.
Still, the absolute WTF award goes to Mountain Dew for its Kickstart drink that combines "three awesome things" - Dew, juice, caffeine. But, as one commentator wrote, after this ad it should probably rebrand itself as Mountain Don't.
The baby-monkey-pug hybrid is not only weird, it's highly disturbing. Taken alone, all three creatures are irresistibly cute, but put them together and you've got a Stephen King-worthy nightmarish vision.
But #puppymonkeybaby certainly got people talking, which is the whole point of #SB50. Excuse while I work hard at scrubbing that image out of my psyche.
Until next year.
RELATED: Great Superbowl Commercials From the Past
You've got to hand it to McDonald's. Their marketing team is genius. To get families through the golden arches, the most popular fast food chain first created the Happy Meal, imbibing kids with a toy.
Now, to coincide with Valentine's day, McD's is imbibing parents by supplying books as part of the Happy Meal. Because literacy is so important, and what parent wouldn't be all over the idea of a free kids book (especially in a country where, let's face it, the cost of even children's books is prohibitive.)
“We’ve tied it into Valentine’s day, a time where kids have a lot of fun, so each of the books has fun little Valentine’s cards and stickers,” says senior national marketing manager at McDonald’s, Michelle McIlmoyle. “It just adds to the overall experience that reading is fun.”
Kids will receive one of four books as part of the meals:
The initiative is not new; McDonald's rolled out the literacy gifting back in 2013. During that period, McIlmoyle claims McD's has given out "close five million books." Five million.
From 2 through 15 February this year, McD's estimates it will dole out a further 1.5 million books.
That's pretty incredible, it has to be said. But let's not lose sight of the fact that those 1.5 million books also equate to 1.5 million chicken nuggets or cheeseburgers...
Early reading is vital, and McDonald's knows it. Over the years, the chain has faced lots of flak by consumers for the nutritional content of Happy Meals.
To be fair, McD's can't seem to win with parents. Though the company attempted to provide healthier options, such as apple slices and milk cartons, as few as one to four percent of parents follow through and actually order them for their kids. So you can lead a horse to water...
And with profits dropping, McDonald's is obviously keen as ever to court families.
Personally, I don't think McDonald's is the devil, nor am I as a mom for taking him there. After all, we don't live on the stuff. I take my son once or twice a year - tops - and he does order the apples (without the caramel sauce).
Everything in moderation. Except for reading, that is.
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