free nokia ringtone Promising an end to "uncomfortable icebreaking" and "nightmare three-hour blind dates", SpeedDaters meet at a rented cafe and spend seven minutes with seven different members of the opposite sex. At the end of the session they fill in a form saying who they want to see again. Where mutual interest is expressed, phone numbers are provided within 48 hours. For those who won't even waste time attending a meeting, SpeedDating provides an on-line service. Yet, while desperation is stalking dating agencies, society more generally seems to be shifting its attitude towards being single. Advertisers are consciously targeting unattached consumers, while more and more single people view their status less as a stopgap between relationships than a conscious decision with positive benefits. One can only wonder what the trickledown effect of all this will be for those who prefer more traditional means of meeting a potential partner, and who, like William Hague, still see marriage as a key aim.