Powerless to intervene

UK citizens are this year to spend more on mobile phone ringtones than pop singles, according to a feature in today's Guardian G2, Fellowship of the rings.

"[...] like a calling bird, a ringing phone demands a response. Public uses of the mobile spread this tension to all those within earshot, while leaving them powerless to intervene: only the person to whom the call is made is in a position to respond." (Sadie Plant, "On the mobile: the effects of mobile telephones on social and individual life", Motorola)

And that annoying Nokia theme?: Francisco Tarrega's Gran Vals, apparently.