100% agree. Same experience here with YouTube and YouTube shorts. I waste far too much time there.

My dad, a boomer, has been watching videos, reading news and listicles, and playing games on his phone more and more lately. 10 years ago, he was still using a flip phone, and just a few years ago (and tbh even still today) needs help using/navigating his phone and there internet.

But yeah, I’ve noticed him getting sucked into it - he probably uses his phone more than I use mine, since I’m on my computer more than my phone (unless we count my phone playing my music in the car and while at work, but that’s not exactly the phone use we’re talking about, so I wouldn’t include that rn).

Similarly, my grandparents, also boomers, are doing more on their phones all the time. For boomers specifically, it could have a little to do with retiring during this age of technology and finally having the time to explore something that seems more difficult for them to grasp.

TLDR: big word dump to echo the sentiment and show that I’m experiencing the same things as you.

In addition to Michigan and the three op named, I would also argue Minnesota and Louisiana (shaped like an L, the first letter of the state’s name) have distinctive/memorable shapes.

Interesting, I have had a nearly opposite experience in the past.

At one retail job I had, if you needed a shift off, you had to find someone else to agree to cover your shift. That was basically the whole process of getting out of a scheduled shift. Take a shift off, fine, but it was the responsibility of the worker who needed a shift covered to get that shift covered.

It can definitely come in handy speaking on the phone in all sorts of situations.

At a job once, I was on the phone with a customer and was spelling something or giving a string of letters (can’t remember what exactly), and I was having trouble thinking of good words to use. “D as in… duck” not realizing that could’ve sounded like B as in buck or T as in tuck. “F as in…” (don’t say fuck don’t say-) “fu… fun.” “V as in… Vin Diesel.”

Customer was laughing, so I think it went well.

My Gameboy Advanced. Couldn’t tell you my first games, but some favs were Mario Tennis, crash Bandicoot, and some kind of Mario Party game. I also remember a full Frogger game that I really enjoyed. PlayStation 1 was my second console, more Crash Bandicoot and Mario games, Ratchet and Clank, and Madden.

Late 90s and early 2000s were the best times to be a kid (but, of course, I’m biased)

This is a bit messy looking, but these are my top five fav “genres” and my fav “artists” from each (genres in quotes because half of these aren’t exactly genres. Artists in quotes because one is not the artist but a sound the real artists use).

Kawaii metal: Babymetal and Ladybaby

Anime music: guess I’ll say Aimer because that’s probably the one artist with the most anime songs in my playlist (shoutout to Nier games soundtracks because they don’t fit in any of my other fav “genres”)

Vocaloids and utauloids: Flower is my fav vocaloid - love how she sounds, love her designs, and it helps that she was made for j-rock/metal

Vtubers/Hololive performers: Bae is bae

Rock/metal: Avenged Sevenfold and Metallica