June 14, 2006
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You gotta read it. Can this be true?
NEW YORK – Students are using a new ring tone to receive messages in class,
and many teachers can’t even hear the ring. Some students are downloading a ring tone off the Internet that is too
high-pitched to be heard by most adults. With it, high schoolers can receive
text message alerts on their cell phones without the teacher knowing.As people age, many develop what’s known as aging ear, a loss of the ability
to hear higher-frequency sounds.The ring tone is a spin-off of technology that was originally meant to repel
teenagers, not help them. A Welsh security company developed the tone to help
shopkeepers disperse young people loitering in front of their stores while
leaving adults unaffected. The company called their product the “Mosquito.”Donna Lewis, a teacher in Manhattan, says her colleague played the ring for a
classroom of first-graders, and all of them could hear it, while the adults
couldn’t hear anything.I
just want to say that I am one of those guys who just can’t stand ring
tones. It irritates the heck out of me and more so when they go off during
a church or a business meeting. I understand the thrill of a
customised ring tone or maybe a few bars of a favourite song, but
isn’t it getting out of hand?I attended a funeral for my aunt a few years ago and the pastor
who was presiding at the grave site didn’t switch his mobile off. It
went off once, he cooly fished it out of his pocket, switched it
off, apologised and continued. A couple of minutes later, it rang
again, and without batting an eyelid switched it off and continued. Not
a word of apology. 5 minutes later it went off for the 3rd time! He
spoke into the phone while we all stood around the casket all agape,
than continued without a thought. Someone’s got to give the man a prize.Then I had to come across this. This too, takes the cake – Nokia 8801
features an orchestral ringtone composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto!
The aural accompaniment of the Nokia 8801 is equally inspired.
Award-winning composer and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto was commissioned
to compose the ringtones and alerts. Throughout his distinguished
career, Sakamoto has crossed musical and technological boundaries,
experimenting with different musical styles and making a name for
himself in popular, orchestral and film music.What
can I say? As long as it doesn’t interrupt meetings, movie screenings,
church services, funerals, weddings, etc I’ll even call it art.
