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Parents with young children are often faced with the task of finding ways to keep their kids entertained while traveling. Thanks to all the new technology out there, family sing-alongs and "I Spy" are mostly a thing of the past. These days, many caregivers rely on electronics to keep the kids occupied and prevent them from being bored. When John Gibson of Saskatchewan took his two kids to visit their grandparents in Phoenix over the Christmas holiday, he decided to let his kids stream movies such as "Curious George," "Spider-Man" and "Shrek" from his Netflix account using the kids' grandfather's air-card on his laptop. Little did he know that once the grandfather got the bill from his wireless provider, he would be in for quite the shock. His bill totaled more than $10,000 for what cellular provider SaskTel clarified as roaming charges and constant Internet. One person on Twitter dished some parenting advice, tweeting that Gibson should "ground those kids," but the family admitted fault and plans to pay the bill. Plus, after Gibson called the company and explained his situation, it reduced the charges to $1,000. While that's still quite a bit of money for one air-card bill, Gibson says he'll gladly pay it and that he's learned his lesson. Maybe next time the kids will have to play "Itsy Bitsy Spider" for a few hours. At least that will be free.
Let's switch gears and talk advertising.
This may be the most ingenious form of viral advertising ever. Creative designer Sean Click "seed bombed" the side of a highway in California in the shape of McDonald's golden arches. What makes the stunt even more clever is that Click used poppy seeds. Poppies are the official flower of the state of California, which means they cannot be messed with. Digging up or destroying the state flower is illegal and punishable by a hefty fine. The land owners could decide to try and camouflage the ad by planting more flowers around it. Click, who studied graphic design at the Art Center College of Design, describes himself as "One part Designer + One part Photographer + One part Director = One Passionate Visual Storyteller." It is not yet clear if the poppy arches are an official ad for McDonald's, but one thing is for sure: The flowers aren't going anywhere, and this form of advertisement is a lot cheaper than putting up a billboard or running a commercial.