# What is extremely common in real life but almost never happens on TV or movies?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-real-life-but-almost-never-happens-on-tv-or-movies/1013143>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** movies\
**Created:** [January 20, 2025, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-real-life-but-almost-never-happens-on-tv-or-movies/1013143 "2025-01-20T00:56:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2025, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-real-life-but-almost-never-happens-on-tv-or-movies/1013143/61 "2025-01-25T08:18:41Z")

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Choosing a ringtone that is not the factory default.

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**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\
**Post date:** [January 25, 2025, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-real-life-but-almost-never-happens-on-tv-or-movies/1013143/62 "2025-01-25T17:42:52Z")

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Oh, yes. Twenty years ago I imagined a meeting of the design group for a new smart phone. "Gentlemen, we have our work cut out for us. We need to come up with twenty different ringtones, every one of which is annoying.:

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**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2025, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-real-life-but-almost-never-happens-on-tv-or-movies/1013143/63 "2025-01-28T03:02:47Z")

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And there’s that _one_ ringtone that was SO ubiquitous on TV series back in the '90s that I assumed it was paid product placement.

I think it was the first default Nokia ring… but by the time the shows were shot and produced and aired, people had other ringtones.

I still hear it sometimes and it’s such an anomaly.

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**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2025, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-real-life-but-almost-never-happens-on-tv-or-movies/1013143/64 "2025-01-28T03:34:06Z")

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The tool you need was left at home.

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