it's just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand. I beat people up

 from 250 Conversation Starters

127. What are the three best apps on your phone?  by frequency of use, probably Tumblr, my bank, and Amazon Photos

128. What is the most useful app on your phone?  the level

130. How many apps do you have on your phone?  20-some? Most are rarely if ever used.

137. An app mysteriously appears on your phone that does something amazing; what does it do? takes your temperature

138. How often do you check your phone?  for a brief time I was concerned about screen time and the number of times I was checking my phone over the course of a day, so I set up a use tracker. Most days there was nothing to report, but when there was, I felt "phone-shamed" (or addiction shamed?) and quickly bailed on that idea. It's just a tool, not an end in itself. If I weren't checking my phone, I could certainly find a different fidget.

139. Do you text more or call more? Why?  text, by far. Most of the people with whom I am in contact work different hours than I do, so texting lets us stay in touch without interrupting. My best friend is a texter, too. And I am ... 'better,' I think, in writing rather than speaking.

141. What do you wish your phone could do?  zap me when I'm being fucking dumb. Maybe even just a 5-minute delay in anything that I send, so that if I have second thoughts I can put the kibosh to it. 

142. Do you always have to have the latest phone?  God, no. My phone was a few generations behind when I bought it. The way I look at it, my phone serves to do the following: text, call, take photos. Anything else is gravy.

143. What is the most annoying thing about your phone? the first week that I had it, it got a small scratch mid-screen. It happens to be right where things are read on a couple of my apps.

145. What kind of case do you have for your phone? Why did you choose it?  minimal—black with a clear back, chosen because it was inexpensive and easy to hold

146. What was your first smartphone? How did you feel when you got it?  it was an iPhone 4 or so? Enabled 09/12/2012, which I knew because my first texts from it - with Chris - are what pop up when I back with PhoneView. (Which is, by the way, an incredibly wonderful computer application that I very highly recommend.) 

How did I feel about my first smartphone? Intimidated and ancient and all thumbs, or no thumbs maybe. Chris helped me out a lot (his voice in my head chanting "tap don't touch! TAP, DON'T TOUCH!"), as did getting a case on the damned thing so it wouldn't slide out of my hand ten times a day. 

147. Do you experience phantom vibration?  all the time when I go a couple of days with no texts, and now and then when I'm fidgety for other reasons (like when I really don't want to be working on a project but really have to get it done...)

148. What sports do you like to watch? golf, baseball, football, table tennis, a little tennis

150. Which sports do you like to play?  some of them have not been officially recognized, so I will leave them off the list for now. I like to go to the driving range, I love to play table tennis (and pool, which is very marginally a sport), and I totally adore and pretty much suck at tennis. I will shoot baskets with someone who is patient with my lack of skill, and play catch with someone who isn't going to fire a screaming fastball at me just because they can. I am occasionally decent at playing catch with a frisbee (not. a. sport.) but sometimes hysterically, dangerously bad. And I cannot swim, but do like to bob around in cool water when it gets too hot (virtually guaranteeing that I'm burnt to a crisp).

154. Do athletes deserve the high salaries they receive? Why or why not?  professional athletes, particularly in the U.S. but to some extent throughout the first world, are entertainers first and athletes second (or to a lesser extent). They are part of a greater entertainment system that exists not for the glory of their game or the thrill of competition or the betterment of mankind: it's about money. And it's not just about ad revenue or filling stadiums or endorsement deals; it's about gambling. That is why professional athletes are "risking their lives" to play in empty stadiums with cardboard cutouts in place of fans right now. This is why people are going wild over the mere idea that there might not be a college football season this year. It's not about the legacy of the game and asterisks and student-athlete blah blah blah. It's about having the opportunity to win some cash off some other guy who's going to lose some cash. Ha!

Do they deserve those high salaries, given that I don't think they are primarily "athletes"? Hell, yeah! They are doing the job. And I don't mean they're doing the job under COVID conditions, putting themselves on the line now in some way that they should not be asked to do. I mean, I tweaked a muscle in my back a few days ago while bending to pick up a pair of socks. Some of these guys are nearly my age and playing in major golf events or pitching (well, relief pitching maybe), and taking a pounding day after day, week after week. If the market will bear it, good for them to get the money they want.

155. What defines a sport? Is fishing a sport? How about video game tournaments?  a sport is an athletic activity (requiring a greater degree of physical exertion and skill than dumb luck) where participants compete against each other, individually or in teams, in pursuit of a goal and the benefits thereof. Fishing is a hobby. No fish wander by, no fishing. No sport. Video game tournaments do not require primarily physical exertion. No sport. Cheerleading = no competition, no sport.

156. Do you participate in any fantasy sports leagues? If so, how into fantasy sports are you?  I "consult" but do not participate on my own. It would be silly to do so, since I don't often watch.

[from here; the title quotation is by Muhammad Ali]