The Cell Phone Ring Heard Around The World

Some guy's cell phone went off during a performance of Mahler's 9th by the New York Philharmonic, and the media is using it as an opportunity to discuss the concept of live performances in our technology-saturated society. The Wall Street Journal has the gut-wrenching account of the event. The New York Times scored an interview with the offending patron, who apparently hasn't been able to sleep for days:

Both [the conductor] Mr. Gilbert and Patron X found something positive in the episode. “It shows how important people still feel live performance is,” Mr. Gilbert said. “This is something people either consciously or implicitly recognize as sacred.” The patron agreed. The incident underscored “the very enduring and important bond between the audience and the performers,” he said, adding, “If it’s disturbed in any significant way, it just shows how precious this whole union is.”

John Gruber has some interesting thoughts on the design aspect of alarm rings.