h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

...from home at least - no idea if it's my modem or line acting up...

Patience - did I really have this much patience with loading times in the past? Well, obviously, since phone line modem was the only chance of getting online I had in the past...

But, when trying to get through to gaming friends, it seemed they were quite happy to allow me to be offline quite a lot and still allow me to reamain a member (some games very slow on dial-up and some not at all).

And that got me thinking - are we more patient and tolerant in our on-line communications than in RL? And if so - then why?

Well, you certainly took a long enough to ask your silly question!

Hmm.

I suppose I'm not necessarily the best person to answer this question, since I don't actually *have* that many conversations IRL ... which is explained in part by the fact that I'm much less shy online.

I think we are.

I'm on dial-up when at work, and then come home to DSL. I can tell the difference everywhere but here.

I think that's true about being less shy... but maybe more paranoid. You ~are~ all real entities, aren't you? You're not bots, are you?

*searches FAQ database*

I AM NO BOT

w@nt 2 tri ci/alis? plz clk here!

Huh? No, I'm not a bot.

Pohtosohp OEM: $40 M!cros!ft W!ndwos XP Hoem Pro: $20 Mircosfot Offcie XP: $60 Trying to get through a spamfilter by using atrocious spelling and failing anyway: priceless.

Yep, I'm real!

Oh, right. I am not a REPL1C4!

there must be a reason why sick people in hospitals are called patients

Cuz if none of them were there, the doctors would have no patience?

[holds out for a smiley]

Ba dum ching.

I'm a member of a royal family in Badumchingistan. Due to political turmoil, we have been unable to access our Swiss bank accounts and so we need your help. I have been authorized by my father the King to give you half of our vast fortune if you will just send us a thousand dollars, no, make that euros, in order to help me get to Switzerland and open our safe deposit box. As soon as I have access to our funds, I promise to send you two million dollars.

Please respond urgently! We are running low on macaroni and cheese.

Princess Leia

I'd say that's the least of Princess Leia's concerns ...

Okay, sure. My pin is 1-2-3-4. That's also the combination on my luggage. And the air lock.

Dear <>,

Congratulations! You have won a delicious cake. Please bring $69,105 in person to the Aperture Science Enrichment Center. You will recieve $69,106 in addition to your cake.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, macaroni and cheese

Congratulations! You are visitor no. 1,000,000 to this site! Click to claim your prize!

That link's busted.

Not busted, it's designed to fool you into thinking it is - while, in fact, it's dialling a new number for your online connection - a connection that will cost you a fortune...