A Cell of My Own

I'm probably one of the last people in America to get a cell phone, which happened as of last month, when I was no longer able to avoid it while traveling for talks and conferences. Once known for celebrating how "A Thousand Ring Tones Have Bloomed in Iraq," The New York Times recently updated its coverage of Iraqi mobile phones by including "comic" video clips about beheadings and shortages that show what has come to be known as the distinctive Iraqi dark humor associated with the violence and privation from the U.S. invasion and resulting civil war. (Iraqis are now also leaving sarcastic notes on their doors for U.S. personnel, which army brass initially took as a sign of happy cooperation.)

Now I can attend a cell phone concertino, which actually celebrates the orchestra's relationship to cell phones ringing in the seats. For more musical fun check out Bush Beats, which I'd love to make my ring tone.