  The networks formed from the links between telephones observed in a month's
call detail records (CDRs) in the UK are analyzed, looking for the
characteristics thought to identify a communications network or a social
network. Some novel methods are employed. We find similarities to both types of
network. We conclude that, just as analogies to spin glasses have proved
fruitful for optimization of large scale practical problems, there will be
opportunities to exploit a statistical mechanics of the formation and dynamics
of social networks in today's electronically connected world.
