Ringing voices, not tones

Tony‘s phone began ringing right in the middle of our sushi. He didn’t pick up, but he told me he might have had he known that what the caller wanted to say was really important.

We began talking about how people in movies from the 80ies could screen their calls and always pick up mid-message. With mobile phones we can’t do that anymore.

Not even with mobile smartphones that have more processing power than the entire NASA fleet of the sixties and seventies combined.

I’m not 50 Cent
Meanwhile, a few years and months back, when mobile phones could suddenly play real music for ring tones, I began wondering why I, Morten Just, should trigger 50 Cent “It’s your birthday” when calling a friend to get directions to a barbecue. If that person was within 20 metres of myself, I thought, I would just say their name a few times. Or the question itself. Never sing any 50 Cent songs, or songs by other artists of any genre.

So, why didn’t Tony’s phone just automatically answer the call, play a short message, a beep, and let the caller justify why Tony should put down that Godzilla maki roll?