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Chat with students Ying Lan from Taiwan and MaggiE from China, and teachers Maggi, Michael, and Vance

April 23, 2000

This was not a good day for Cyberspace.  Elsewhere on the language teaching lists, a popular site in Japan was reported as being inaccessible.  Its manager reported that all was well, so the problem must be at servers somewhere along the Internet.  We too had our problems.  We kept falling out of the Palace one by one and getting back in, but eventually the Palace stopped working completely.  We ended up in the voice chat, but even there, the data packets from Ying Lan in Taiwan were coming in delayed, so her speech was broken and incomprehensible.  Sound between Australia, the UAE, and southern China was fine, but something odd was going on in the region of Taiwan and Japan.  A day later, it’s ok.  I’ve returned to the Palace and Maggie’s ears are still there.

 

This chat has two parts: The Palace part and the Voice Chat part

 

Chat in the Palace

 

  Connecting to efi.virtualscholar.com:9998

  Received file selectborder.gif

  Received file palthumb021400.gif

  Connected via TCP

  *** Welcome to The Virtual School House Vance!

  Vance:            @64,64 !It's Vance

  Maggi:            @64,64 !It's Maggi

  Maggi:            ahhhh...he looks so peaceful....:-)

  Vance:            thank you.  I don't have any avatars on this machine.

  Maggi:            looks sweet...

  Vance:            I think my laptop may have crashed

  Vance:            Do you have YL's ICQ?  She is trying to reach you.

  Maggi:            well...fire up another one

  Maggi:            yes

  Maggi:            I see her online

  Maggi:            just sent her a hi

  Maggi:            you're off though...she sniffs the air  (Vance’s ICQ has crashed on his laptop)

  Maggi:            Ying is on her laptop and I wasn't on her list there

  Vance:            good.  Yeah, I think the file she tried to send me crashed my machine.

  Maggi:            you still here or crashed off everywhere?

  Maggi:            oh

  Vance:            good, I mean, that you sent her a message

  Vance:            She's in the voice chat now

  Maggi:            well...go to her

  Maggi:            be a gentleman

 

(Vance’s Palace has just disconnected)

 

  Winsock Error: 10054 - Connection reset by peer 

  No connection - Click Anywhere to enter a Palace

  Connecting to efi.virtualscholar.com:9998

  Connected via TCP

  Connecting to efi.virtualscholar.com:9998

  Connected via TCP

  *** Welcome to The Virtual School House Vance!

  Vance:            @64,64 !It's Vance

  Maggi:            there's MaggiE

  Vance:            Sorry, getting poor connectivity from this machine

  Ying:             @64,64 !It's Ying

  Maggi:            I laughing myself silly...just found a contest held by the Washington Post where readers were asked to come up with excuses to miss a day of work

  Maggi:            Hi Ying

  Vance:            Hi there.

  Maggi:            they are so fuunny

  Ying:             hi,

  Ying:             Hi, maggi,

  Ying:             Maggi and maggiE.. How to pronounce the word with  (Vance pronounces both for her in the voice chat)

  Maggie:           @64,64 !It's Maggie

  Ying:             e?

  Maggie:           hello

  Maggi:            same Ying

  Maggi:            Hi Maggie

  Maggie:           "Maggie"and "Maggi"pronounced the same I think

  Maggie:           hello.

  Maggi:            just call me mad Maggi

  Maggie:           This is my first time

  Maggie:           to chat here..

  Ying:             I've got the connection porblem... I hated it.

  Maggie:           feels strange.

  Maggi:            why Maggie?

  Maggie:           just because I am newer here..

  Maggie:           but I think it's the same as the other chat room

  Maggi:            we were all new once...just like babies

 

(Vance’s Palace has disconnected again)

 

  No connection - Click Anywhere to enter a Palace

  Searching for Plug-ins...

  PalacePresents Viewer Installed!

  Connecting to welcome.thepalace.com:9998

  Connected via TCP

  Connecting to efi.virtualscholar.com:9998

  Extraneous Packet "Ava 0x74617273

  Extraneous Packet "Ava 0x74617273

  No connection - Click Anywhere to enter a Palace

  No connection - Click Anywhere to enter a Palace

  Connected via TCP

  *** Welcome to The Virtual School House Vance!

  Vance:            @64,64 !It's Vance

  Maggie:           Hi,Vance

  Maggie:           u see.I did it

  Maggie:           I can join you.

  Maggie:           wonderful

  Maggi:            you'll give Ying a headache landing like that

  Maggie:           Ha ha ha..

  Maggie:           well.do u know I am wearing glasses...

  Maggi:            it's wonderful to see you here Maggie...how was dinner?

  Maggi:            me too!

  Maggie:           not bad

  Vance:            Hi.  I've had to come here on a different machine.

  Vance:            I hope I can keep this connection now.

  Maggie:           but I don't think I can cook well...

  Maggi:            what did you make?

  Maggie:           rice of course and...

  Maggie:           vegetables.

  Maggi:            mmm

  Maggie:           nothing else.

  Maggi:            I am going to make Rouladen

  Maggie:           Because I didn't go to supermarket today.

  Maggie:           what's that?Roulate...??

  Maggi:            they are rolled slices of very thin beef with a filling

  Maggie:           I like beef very much

  Maggi:            nothing is open here today

  Maggie:           you meant no shop is open today?

  Maggi:            I had sushi on Thursday

  Maggie:           Sushi...Good...

  Maggi:            No...nothing...never on Sunday

  Maggie:           but it's very expensive here in China...

  Maggi:            and today is a hiliday too

  Maggie:           why no shop open on Sunday.

  Maggi:            holiday

  Maggie:           Well,I wish here too.

  Maggie:           Then I can play with my mum at home

  Maggi:            because they believe there should be one day just to be with the family and rest

  Maggie:           how often will this happen?

  Maggie:           once a week or a month.

  Maggi:            every Sunday

  Maggie:           I think Chinese should think like that

  Maggie:           but people always want to get more money

  Maggi:            you get used to it...everyone goes outside if the weather is good...

  Maggie:           woo...mmm...

  Maggi:            this is a hard law to stop

  Maggie:           In that case,I prefer to stay home

  Maggie:           hard law?

  Vance:            WHat happened to Ying Lan?

  Maggi:            others countries allow shops to open...

  Maggi:            she must have problems too

  Maggie:           I think something wrong with Ying's computer

  Maggi:            it is against the law for shops to open...they have to have special poermission

  Vance:            brb

  Maggi:            permission

  Maggie:           That means no shop is allowed to open on Sunday..right?

  Maggie:           sounds good to me

  Maggi:            right

  Maggie:           So what people do on Sunday?

  Maggi:            you can get some things at the gas stations...they usually are open and have a little shop

  Maggi:            they go for walks and ride their bikes

  Maggie:           If I were them ,I won't ride bike.I ride bike every day

  Vance:            back (lbr)

  Maggi:            visit family and friends

  Maggie:           cool...

  Maggi:            take it easy...yes...it is good I think

  Maggie:           Doctors said it's good to ride bikes

  Maggi:            some cities like Berlin and Dresden tried to open on Sunday and they made them pay big fines

  Maggi:            the Dutch really ride bikes...

  Maggi:            you have to watch out for them

 

(Disconnected again !!!)

 

  No connection - Click Anywhere to enter a Palace

  You have been terminated

  Connecting to efi.virtualscholar.com:9998

  Connected via TCP

  *** Welcome to The Virtual School House Vance!

  Vance:            @64,64 !It's Vance

  Maggi:            now he's red

  Maggie:           welcome back

  Vance:            whew

  Maggi:            let me give you a twirl

  Maggi:            what a face Maggie

  Maggi:            ^.^

  Vance:            So, what were you talking about?

  Maggi:            you saving me from getting run over by a bike

  Maggie:           How did it happen?

  Vance:            Was that in Amsterdam?

  Maggi:            now where else have I seen you?

  Vance:            uh oh

  Vance:            Oh, Maggie went inside to explore

  Maggi:            good girl

  Vance:            I just sent her an icq

  Vance:            There she is

  Maggie:           @64,64 !It's Maggie

  Vance:            Watch out for those doors

  Maggie:           Ha...

  Maggi:            back again

  Maggie:           Made a mistake...stupid

  Maggi:            now you see her, now you don't

  Maggi:            we all do it

  Vance:            We've all done it

  Maggie:           :-)

  Maggi:            ther's an echo here

  Maggi:            but the tone is different

  Vance:            with an odd shift in tense / aspect

  Maggi:            there it is again:-)

  Maggie:           Look...How beautiful I am

  Maggi:            kewl

  Maggi:            nature calling brb

  Vance:            there's a room you can visit to find more avatars

  Maggie:           well,Vance you said where is your son studying

  Vance:            My son is studying in San Francisco, one of my sons

  Maggie:           Then ...they don't live with you...right?

  Maggie:           Will you worry about them?

  Vance:            One lives with me and the other in San Francisco.  Wanna see some pics?

  Maggie:           yes...of course

  Vance:            I'm looking for some

  Vance:            ah, but they're mostly on geocities .. :-(

  Maggie:           geocities...

  Vance:            Yeah, I don't think you can reach Geocities.  It's one of the sites blocked in China.  http://www.geocities.com

  Maggie:           I don't think I can...I tried one time...and failed..but why

  Maggie:           why can't I go there

  Vance:            I don't know.  Try.

  Maggie:           OK.Let me try one more time now...

  Maggie:           Ha...Now I can see http://www.geocities.yahoo.com/home

  Maggie:           But I typed www.geocities.com

  Maggie:           Maggi ...your foot smells good (Maggie has settled near Maggi’s duck footed avatar)

  Maggi:            thanks...lavender

  Vance:            Ok, well try http://www.geocities.com/vance_stevens/

  Maggie:           OK

  Maggie:           could you please type one more time...www.geocities.com/vsteven_...what next

  Maggi:            I wonder why they block geo?

  Vance:            http://www.geocities.com/vance_stevens

  Vance:            I don't know.  But Moral could never see the geocities page, so we moved it to Tripod.  And then Maggie told us she couldn't see tripod, so we copied it to homestead.

  Maggi:            there is always a way around

  Maggie:           well,,,we have many problems

  Maggie:           I wonder why

  Maggie:           failed again

  Maggie:           I couldn't see it

  Maggi:            you never know what goes on in the minds of politicians

  Maggi:            they should see some of the nuts floating around on icq...LOL

  Maggie:           I wonder why..because I can reach some audlt channel

  Maggi:            not for us to reason why...

  Maggie:           I think they should stop that channel ...not the one I want to reach

  Maggi:            but it makes money

  Maggi:            and remember most men are politicians...LOL

 

(Happened again; frustrating – most unusual) 

 

  Winsock Error: 10054 - Connection reset by peer

  No connection - Click Anywhere to enter a Palace

  Connecting to efi.virtualscholar.com:9998

  Connected via TCP

  *** Welcome to The Virtual School House Vance!

  Vance:            @64,64 !It's Vance

  Maggie:           but men just listen

  Maggi:            women are more open to talk about everything

  Maggie:           back again.

  Maggi:            can't keep a good man down long

  Vance:            Just as I suspected.  I leave for just one minute and you're back to putting down men!

  Maggie:           :-)

  Maggi:            no we weren't...

  Maggie:           We won't...

  Maggi:            LOL

  Maggi:            there's Ying again

  Maggie:           what did you think we were talking about

  Vance:            My connection is really bad tonight.  Ying is back in the voice chat

  Maggie:           oh.good

  Maggie:           I can't hear clearly in voice room

  MichaelC:         @64,64 !It's MichaelC

  MichaelC:         Hi all.

  Maggi:            he thought we were talking bad about men

  Maggie:           hello 2 to 2 now..

  Maggie:           it's very fair

  Maggi:            oh...there's another one...now he has back up...hi mc!

  Ying:             @64,64 !It's Ying

  Ying:             hi

  Maggi:            now they are outnumbered again...hi Ying!

  Maggie:           good...3 to 2...we win

  Maggie:           woman

  MichaelC:         Sounds like the posse arrived just in time.

  Maggie:           woman's world

  Maggi:            SOME POSSE

  Maggi:            look at that grin

  Ying:             Vance said he has some connection troulble here.

  Maggie:           Ha Ha Ha...

  Vance:            The voice chat is clear if you use the mic correctly.

  Ying:             So he stay in our voice chat room.. you are coming.

  Vance:            That was to answer Maggie from before

  Vance:            Anyway, I'm in the Palace and in the voice chat.

  Maggie:           But I just can't HEAR clearly.

  Vance:            I like the voice chat because I don't have to look at it.  I can hear when someone is there.

  Maggi:            easy on the eyebalss

  Maggi:            balls

  Maggie:           I think it's good too..if I can hear clearly

  Maggi:            eyeballs

 

At this point, the Palace crashed for everyone, and a lot of use went to the voice chat …

 

 

See The Palace part

 

Here’s the text chat portion of the voice chat.  Keep in mind that as participants are writing, others are speaking as well …

And people are also going back and forth between the Palace and the voice chat!

 

Vance has joined

Ying has joined (but her voice is being broken by delays between servers on the Internet)

Ying: I can hear you clearly.. Any trouble with you!!

Ying: I have stomchache after I ate dinner.

Ying: would you give me the port number of our virtual school room.

Ying: I ATE  apple before I ate dinner..

Vance: 9998

Ying: It is bad with this mic?

Ying: HOw about this?

Vance: gdtting better

Vance: yeah

Ying: name

Ying: I need the name too

Vance: efi.virtualscholar.com

Ying has left

Ying has joined

Vance: you have had some trouble

Ying has joined

Ying has left

Ying has left

Ying has joined

Vance: I couldn't hear you.  Can you hear me?

Vance: OK, I heard that

Vance: But the breakup is bad

Vance: Are you still at the Palace?

Vance: I'm getting voice bit by bit

Vance: I'm going to try to go on from another machine

Michael has joined

Ying: I heard you clearly

Ying: It is not a machine problem it is a connetcion problem..

Ying: maggi said all of you were kidd off the Palace..

Ying: h

Ying: Hi michael

Ying: Can you hear me?

Vance: We can hear you, but we get your voice in pieces

Michael: Seems like there are Internet problems tonight!

Vance: That mean the packets containing the data are getting delivered too slowly

Ying: I see you are speaking but your sound is breaking ... like me hm hm

Ying: It is caused by the connection problem?

Vance: But I can hear MC ok, and he can hear me

Ying: You has hold the F9 for a long time.. but your sound is discountinous.

Ying: I can hear you by session...

Ying: Do you open the text chat?

Vance: Yeah, Text chat is open

Vance: I think she has the same problem with reception that we have with her

Ying: Vance tell michael ,, he can read my word by text chatting.

Ying: I can hear you guys clearly.

Michael: You're breaking up again. What a shame!

Ying: yeah!

Michael: So are you OK or not Ying?

Ying: I am ok or not,, I don't know.

Ying: I am still worry something but I can not be sad in my house.

Ying: I can not let my present down.

Michael: Why can't you be sad in your house?

Michael: Your present down?

Ying: The mananger is my ex-manager.

Vance: Your parents? 

Ying: He was my manager...

Ying: NO... I do not lose job.

Ying: He worked with me in the same branch.

Ying: but he work in another branch now.

Ying: He was talking about some case what I have done.

Ying: One of the customer decided to change the bank.. it means they give up me.

Ying: You know that I am in charge some loan poject...

Ying: I am not in charge the loan dept... only some case.

Maggie has joined

Ying: But my manager support me to reject the customer.

Ying: My manager did not blam me.

Maggie: I can hear

Maggie: yes yes yes

Ying: YOU can not hear me???

Michael: Maggie - say something.

Ying: Can you hear me? it is a sentence I heard it serveral times tonight.

Vance: Yeah, that's funny

Maggie: yes.I can hear both of you

Ying: I just thought why they want to leave me... they told the problem to my ex-manager.

Ying: The ex-manager is always take care of me...

Ying: What a big problem??? it is a price war.

Ying: Another bank offer the low interest rate to the client.

Ying: But in our opinion, the client is not so good to get the benefit.

Ying: They still gets the red word in their financial report.

Ying: it is lost.

Vance: You mean a loss?

Ying: I ask maggi how to explain the red word.

Vance: deficit?

Vance: loss?

Maggie: wait

Maggie: deficit

Maggie: DEFICT

Ying: It is difiecit...

Michael: deficit

Ying: No, he does not lost his job.

Vance: he did not lose his job

Ying: My ex-manager is an excellent manager in my company.

Ying: It is a traditional rule in my country.

Maggie: I am talking to Mad by ICQ now

Ying: They have to move to another branch after they have working a long time.

Ying: Her son is in her computer..

Ying: I am eager to listen maggi

Ying: maggi's voice.

Ying: I am eager to listen to maggi's voice.

Maggie: me too

Maggie: she said she promised to jion us next week

Ying: One is about what we were talking

Ying: One day, I waked up and stared at the ceiling, then I found I have nothing to do only waiting for death..

Vance has joined

Maggie: oh.No

Ying: I have passed the test.

Michael: Now we have 2 Vances!

Ying: And I give up the chance to work in Vancouver.

Vance has left (This happens when I change my name)

Vance_again has joined (I’m logged on from two computers now, hoping to get improved reception on one since they’re on different systems; doesn’t work)

Maggie: why?

Ying: My company post the request but I missed the dead line to hang on my application form.

Ying: In other hand.. they posted the request before I got the pass note.

Ying: I was not qualifed at that time.

Ying: But I could ask my ex-manager to help me to get the position

Michael: Don't worry about things you cannot change.

Ying: But I do not dare to ask his help.,

Ying: I am worry about my father's health.. I am afraid of ..

Ying: That's I have to concern ..

Ying: Got your words.. but my father did not very well one month ago.

Maggie: mmm...

Maggie: that's a hard question...

Ying: He is getting better now. but doctor said he can not promise how long he will be a normal person.

Maggie: oh....sadly

Ying: He is always tired after he take a bath.

Ying: He is not suffering heart attack.

Ying: He is high blood press.

Ying: How could say the name of sick in English?

Michael: He HAS high blood pressure.

Vance: He has high blood pressure

Michael: Snap! (Me and Vance both said the same thing.)

Ying: He could not move because the high blood presure...

Michael: How old are your parents Ying?

Ying: I am 36.. my mother is older than me 24.

Vance: so she's 60

Ying: My father is older than my mother 6.

Ying: How old is my father?

Ying: it is a math problem.

Vance: so he's 66

Michael: "My mother is 24 years older than me."

Ying: Thanks.

Ying: What is your question?

Vance: did I get the math right?  That's the question

Ying: That's right.

Ying: Wa!!!

Ying: But my father hates doing exercise.

Ying: Vance you just like me.. I have to count to find my parents's age. 

Maggie: my mum is 42 my dad is 48

Ying: maggi,,, they are so young...

Ying: maggis is young.

Maggie: yes...

Maggie: I think so...

Ying: They must suffer the revoluation of culture?

Michael: The cultural revolution.

Maggie: yes.They did

Vance: you did it again Michael

Ying: cultural revolution.

Maggie: I told MAGGI a little about that

Ying: But they were child at that time.... they ruined everything?

Vance_again: children  (SNAP)

Michael: LOL

Ying: Have you heard about June 4 ?

Maggie: what do you mean by"They ruined everything"?

Ying: Sorry,,,

Ying: Were they "Red Guard"?

Maggie: no...they weren't

Ying: Were they "little Red Solider"?

Ying: Did they destroyed everthing?

Vance_again: did they destroy ...

Ying: I think they were teenage during the culture revolation.

Ying: I think I am wrong.

Maggie: they weren't red solider

Maggie: they were in primary school at that time

Maggie: They said they didn't need to pay for the education at one time

Ying: It was a terrible time in China.

Maggie: they think so.

Michael: brb

Maggie: they said they had to sing some strange songs before the classes

Ying: To many young students were forced to leave school.

Ying: That was hell what I could not image.

Maggie: me too

Vance_again: imagine

Michael: Back again.

Vance_again: me neither

Ying: That was a hell what I could not imagine.

Ying: I ask you another sad story.

Vance_again: I've read some books on the topic.  It sounds terrible.

Maggie: yes..but it's past ..fortunately

Ying: Not being horrible as well as the culture revolution.

Ying: Maggie, you are lucky to be born at the right time.

Maggie: Yes..I am very lucky to be born at the right time and have good parents

Ying: You... i mean the generation you belong might change China after 10 years.

Maggie: and education.

Maggie: I hope I can

Ying: I hope to see the change in my life.

Maggie: people are changing everyday

Ying: Like Tainwan's govermant changed peacefully. 

Maggie: which did you vote to Ying

Maggie: Good story ..Vance ..

Ying: You will get the democracy

Ying: maggie, it is not important now.

Ying: It is important that we supprt the new President.

Ying: Because he was elected by all of the people in Taiwan.

Ying: He is our choice now.

Ying: That's democracy.

Ying: Thanks you. michaelc. \

Michael: Gotta go. See you next time!

Maggie: bye Michael

Ying: see you.

Ying: He still can not get my voice..

Vance_again: I heard it fine

Ying: Don't worry be happy..

Michael: That's right!

Ying: It is a Jazz song.

Maggie: Fortunately I don't have the same problem with my parents

Michael has left

Ying: Yeah!!

Ying: maggie,, you just need to study hard.. I heard that is is hard to go to college in China.

Ying: You ask me?

Ying: She means she does not need to worry about the problem like me.

Maggie: no I meant my parents won't use my computer

Maggie: just now

Maggie: yes ..I will go to college this year

Maggie: ok

Ying has left

Vance_again has left

 

Maggie and Vance continue for half an hour in a long conversation …

 


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Last updated: April 24, 2000