IM -- instant mute

I don't like to chat. My MSN messenger is always either in "Appear Offline" or "Busy". "Appear Offline" cos I don't intend to be online. "Busy" cos I don't want to be disturbed by the message alert or the occasional nudge from a bored person, yet still able to be contacted in case of important messages (such as "climbing this sat?")

Don't really see the point of purely staring at the chat window for a few hours and doing nothing else except breathing and typing away, when I can do other stuffs with my computer such as reading forums, reviews, etc. Of course some people enjoy every nanoseconds on the webcam.

And, not forgeting the stifling effect of instant messengers on communication. By right it should ease inter-personal communication, but technically you are talking to your IM, your IM talks to your friend's IM, his/her IM talks to him/her. Arial fonts can't really tell much about the mood. That's why people behave quite differently online and in real life. Take for example Mildred, we hardly said hi when we saw each other in office, but when online, she's like totally different, calling me stupid and idiot when I refused to gossip, showing me the middle finger... (don't worried, she's attached, i'm safe)

I'm the opposite, more sane online.