Mutter Matters (Pun Intended)

[To set the mood]


Oh, lil' Mutter, where have you gone...

All explanations of it's absence noted and understood, but for now; set aside.

Mutter was the cherry that went on top of this creamy, choclaty, frosty, yummy conspiracy cake known as ATS/BTS.
I valued higher no other feature (besides posting) than that silly ol' beta version chat.
Maybe was Mutter exactly what we tech-bored internet freaks needed? A real simple solution, a "less is more" version of something that otherwise depends on super-classy graphics, sound effects and "hilarious" emoticons...
We don't need that no more. We're more than happy with one single line box to type in.
The frequent lag just gave it personality... The lack of "special features" just gave it more style (no matter how paradoxical). That relaxing shade of blue made it comfortable to stare into for hours on end...(I wasn't the only one to do that, right???)

I've managed to come closer to many ATS members and mods in a way hard to imagine without Mutter.
Some friendship made there I value as high as the friends I have here IRL.
My wanderlust got new life with Mutter and the connections made world-wide.
Maybe it was the strange simplicity of it that gave it such magnetic power;
no login, just type and the message will go around the globe...suddenly, you have a new buddy in New Zealand while chatting with the ones you already got in South Africa, Australia, USA and Canada...
Mutter connects the dots.
Mutter was the quickest and most useful FAQ and newsfeed on all of ATS/BTS!

No "currently online" list either...you just had to figure who was there. That also gave Mutter it's charm. Like a game of Othello, Mutter took a minute to learn but a life time to master; you had to get a "feel" for it...

The youtube clip spamming, the random silliness found across the interwebz linkage, the "worst thread ever" competitions, the complaints, the praise, the epic storytellings, the thread wh-ing...all done in a blink of an eye; just open the ever-present tab with Mutter, type or pase, slam the enter key and it's there for the world to behold...just fire and forget...

Mutter was our release vault. How many times did we not comfort and support each other after a rough time on the boards or IRL?
You knew that no matter how severe the flames may have scorched you, there was always a cool, soothing breeze to be had in Mutter.
Instead of flooding the boards with "ad hominem" attacks and off-topic rants, we shouted out our desperation in Mutter instead, thus sparing ourselves for post-bans and horrors alike.
Mutter became our little therapy group. It was a well needed function within ATS/BTS, maybe more than could ever have been guessed by the owners when it was installed there.

Before posting new threads, I know that at least me myself, asked in Mutter first to know if it was a good idea or not. An outstanding place for a second oppinion.
I saved myself from many-a-electronical de-pantsing by that.

Man, I am already speaking in "past" terms...but in my heart, Mutter is still there, just currently offline... It'll come back, I'm sure...

We became an underground clique of our own in Mutter but with one important feature; anyone could join at any time.
Still, those who hung out there seemed to remain the same. New mutterers came and went, but the core stood firm.

For at least once, I this time have solid proof that what I speak of is true.
Just look at these threads that would never have been made if there had been no Mutter:
Things I've learned from Mutter
Raud's Epic
The Good-looking, The BIAD And The Ungainly
(Please contribute if you know of more threads that sprung out of Mutter and couln't have been without it).

Threads of disbelief and outrage over the removal of Mutter:
Welcome to the first ATS/BTS Virtual Riot
Oh No It's TeoMUTTERawKi!
Let's start a townhall meeting to get Mutter fixed (sorta related)

I hope this thread will serve more as a petition to bring Mutter back than as an epitaph...
Please, tell your story of what place Mutter had in your heart.
Let the lamentations bring no rest to those who hold the fate of the mighty Mutter in their hands!

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/d514e27ec42c.jpg[/atsimg]

Thank you for your time...
Peace and all the best;
/Raud

I blame myself. I finally figured out how to print an ampersand (&) in a mutter, and mutter disappears.

Coincidence? I think not!

reply to post by Ian McLean


Those signs take the most bandwidth of them all, didn't you know???

I never got to understand why I sometimes could use my native letters "å", "ä" and "ö" and sometimes not.

I tried using chat today.
Not even close! :shk:

sorry

[edit on 5/17/2010 by tribewilder]

I had a dream last night that Mutter was back online.

At first I didn't even think about how big that was, I just started typing like nothing had happened.
Then it started dawning upon me how great it was!

It was a newer version where one could see who was online.
Can't recall exactly who was, but there sure was some good ol' Mutterings going about...

That's what I dream about.
Just can't let go of it... :shk:

I also miss mutter too and seeing as im still banned from chat, mutter would be a welcome return. Did The Utopian Penguin only exist on mutter. Never see a post by them anywhere else

What's rather interesting in all this is the fact that the mutterbox remains ...

Well ... it's not that interesting it's just slightly cruel.

Not handcuffing a starving man in front of a bakery cruel, but a little off-putting to those who used to enjoy the old mutter.

I realize that the empty box is going away when the ATS 2010 comes in so it isn't necessary to remove it, but as that has been delayed, an unfortunate side affect has been having to stare at something a lot of folks enjoyed without being able to use it.

Probably why melancholic threads pop up her and there lamenting its demise.

Not a big issue really, it's just that keeping pics of old flames on the wall makes it kinda hard to move on.

[edit on 26 Jul 2010 by schrodingers dog]

Lest we forget...

Originally posted by schrodingers dog

Well ... it's not that interesting it's just slightly cruel.

Not only SLIGHTLY cruel.




[edit on 27/7/10 by ziggystar60]