I'm an Instant Messaging user now.   I use Sun's Java System Instant Messaging.   I use Pidgin & GAIM.   I use Yahoo Messenger.   Yup, I am getting more and more connected...

...and it's making me nuts!

Today, my daytime in-the-office IM tool of choice started beeping at me.   That's expected.   I have it "finely tuned" to notify me of different events.

However, I was at a loss as to WHY it was beeping.   No one new had logged in.   No one left.   No one was trying to strike up a conversation.   No one was talking about me.   All was fairly quiet on the IM front.

ding Ding DING!

Distracted again.   I looked.   No one there.   Nothing happening.   Hmph.

ding Ding DING!

Over and over.   Every couple minutes.   So, I killed IM.

ding Ding DING!

Hmph.   Next, I killed all processes that even sounded vaguely like they might be involved.

ding Ding DING!

Okay, this is getting odd.   Shutdown.   Reboot.   Get a Diet Coke from the fridge.

ding Ding DING!

No way!   The system was still rebooting, I was a good 40 feet away, and yet it was loud and clear....     Hold on...

I dug into my pocket and pulled out my mobile phone.   Sure enough, there was a new text message from my boss, one that had been waiting for me for, oh, probably about an hour.

Time for a vacation or just change the notification sounds on IM?   Yah, I'm thinking vacation...!