Pedometer

Many of you may not realize this, but I really like Rice Krispies, made by the good people at Kellogg. This evening, while I was pouring myself a bowl of Krispie goodness, out of the box fell a plastic-wrapped digital pedometer (we have come a long way from secret decoder rings). Along with the pedometer there was the instruction sheet that I have included for you below.

I think that instructions 1-6 are pretty good pointers on the use and opperation of . However, I do think "instruction" 7 is a little odd: "The battery is not replaceable or rechargeable." I must say that if you are going to make something digital, replaceable or rechargeable batteries does not seem like too much to ask for, but I suppose it was free...

"Instructions" 8 and 9 were the ones that really caught me off guard:

"8. Participants take part in exercise at their own risk"
"9. Kellogg's will not be held responsible for any illness or injury that is incurred while using the pedometer"

I know there are some that accuse the populous of the United States of being too litigious, but come on, this is just ridiculous... "Really? I exercise at my own risk?" I almost wonder if the lawyers wrote this line to give people ideas on what they could in fact sue Kellogg for.

As for "instruction" number 9, I understand that if I break my arm while using the pedometer Kellogg does not wish to be held responsible. However, what if the non-replaceable, non-rechargeable battery inside the pedometer blows up on me. I think, in this case, Kellogg should be held responsible for my injury -- no matter what a little piece of white paper says.

Thus, I call "instructions" 8 and 9 bunk. And, sadly, instruction number 4 is probably necessary for many people to figure out how to make their pedometer work.