Wittgenstein's Polka
First the program for There wouldn't run at all, although it thought I was logged on, so I just downloaded and reinstalled and then it worked -- however, I entered a world full of turmoil. Almost everyone* is upset because of the statement just issued by There, inc saying they will not be fixing things -- they have bigger and more profitable fish to fry, presumably. I went to a meeting and read lots of forum entries, which were highly charged and emotional. People are upset at the diminishment of this world, which, like any world, is buoyed by faith in the future. The general feeling is (and some have been through this once or twice before) that when the bottom falls out of the virtual economy, the world is going down fast. There, inc says not -- that it will keep There open. It's hard to see people investing time and money in a virtual world that may close. When I found the Uru people in There, who'd lost their world but gathered as well as they could in other mmpog, they were terribly sad, and told me, "It was so beautiful! Oh, I wish you could've seen it!" I've come to understand their feelings, as this world is very real and the friendships meaningful. At a meeting yesterday someone said, "I have friends all over the world, now." I do, too -- and it's a different exchange than any I've experienced previously. Daz and Helda have placed an offer on a house -- their eldest daughter says "Goodnight," into the mic before she goes off to bed. Do I know them? Yes, I feel as though I do. They might be sitting in their kitchen in England while I sit here in Washington State, as we're discussing floorplans -- but it's in real time. Anyway, we'll see what happens.
The world was running strangely yesterday, and things weren't loading, I kept rubber-banding, and inventory items were unavailable. I logged out/in several times -- I could see others doing the same thing. I started a quest but couldn't get into the place where it started, so did aerial mode and got the clue that way. I got to clue 14 quickly, then couldn't find a tiny, new island -- well I knew things weren't loading so I could've gone by it. Bob came to help, and enlisted Pink with her gps, but somehow the island remained elusive. We stood around talking, then I went back to looking, found it, and then the clue wouldn't open. Drat. Log out/ log in. Nope. Exit, restart, log in -- yup. (Actually I had a folder with the gps program and never installed it because of bug issues, but I went ahead and did it, then got the coordinates off a club forum where I remembered having seen them. That's how I found the island. I hadn't trusted Pink's coordinates, as it seems as though if they were correct we'd've found it. I just looked at them, though, and they were correct. 'hmm' )
Dinner at Con and Dave's tomorrow with L, E, Looper and Mr. Looper. I have to re-do Looper's website in anticipation of the bazillion APR-generated hits. She's going to bring the other Wittgenstein book tomorrow so I can read that and we can discuss the two. Or whatever. I told her about the There issues, but she claims to have no understanding of computer crap. She halfway wants to write about being in a virtual world but hasn't made up her mind if it's a waste of time or not.

*Bob: "Meh."