September 29, 2007 by Nobody Fugazi
Posted in
Updated: 3:30pm SLT - A group notice was sent out regarding the JT Financial ATMs, indicating that they are working. The notice stated:
We apologize for the inconvenience, but ATMs should be working now. The problem was due to the Risk API we recently implemented. If you are missing a deposit or withdrawal, please submit a support ticket here: http://www.slcapex.com/support
The rest of the post is maintained as part of the record of the event.
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A discussion on the JT Financial list caused me to poke around and verify problems at JT Financial. Reports from other users came in claiming that other ATMs had similar problems, with no record of transactions appearing in their Second Life account transaction record. A few people claimed that they had similar problems with other banks (unconfirmed). I headed over to JT Financial headquarters where Gazza Shabazz was up to her eyeballs in people trying to figure out what the problem is.
Shortly after I left, Gazza sent out the notice:
Please do not use the atms as the we think the server is down so all money tried too withdraw and deposit will be lost if you have had any trouble with any of these matters please go too www.slcapex.com and fill in a missing funds report and it will be looked at and sorted asap thanks for your time.
I personally IM'd Arbitrage Wise and informed him of the situation (which is probably piled up in a long list of IMs, and may be truncated). It does look like a server communication issue, regular transactions seem to be working within Second Life. The grid has been seeing its share of problems lately.
If you have lost money at SLCapEx, there is a way to report the missing funds on SLCapEx.com. Other banks likely have other manner of doing the same, speak with a representative.
I will try to update this entry as more information comes in, but I have some real world issues myself (next day birthday), so to check if this situation is resolved check the comments (or add comments!), or visit SLCapEx and check the forums. Or, even better, search for JT Financial and teleport over to headquarters - staff are usually around.
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And your opinion?
Fugazy, you wrote in the previuos post's commnents:
"However, I don't generate buzz. I post press releases I get, and the main reason I do that is because after a few months people forget what was said... and the information would otherwise be 'lost' conveniently."
Yes, I totally agree with that. Keeping a record, at least. But, sometimes, providing readers with... how can I say... a possible more critical view about the press releases and the news that you're publishing in such an anodyne way could be useful.
Now... we all know that banks and stock exchanges are in troubles. Big troubles. I always wrote that any financial trade in SL is just impossible. Any. Period. I know you don't agree, but you can't deny the difficult situation they all, banks and stock markets (always the same people or alts everywhere, BTW), are facing now.
And now... some ATMs are not working, you report, they are just recording the withdrawals as done but not giving you any linden (Is it right?). Then, OK, if that happens you can complain and, maybe, if you can give evidence about what happened, maybe, you'll get your money back. And they are saying that this is just a SL system fault.
I always like to be objective, but, this could be a very simple and comfy way for some banks to just cancel some of their deposits (debts...), to keep people away from ATMs, at least for a while, and to avoid or put off some other bank runs.
You certainly have imagined that too. What's your opinion about it?
Ciao, Fabio Medby.
And as you can see...
The situation has been resolved. Knowing how to write is easy. Knowing when to write is challenging. Knowing what to write while maintaining a level of credibility... much more difficult.
Next.
Second Life Consultant
Fabio...
An Italian should be able to spell Fugazi.
If you think my writing isn't critical enough - fine. I simply posted what is known, and what the problems could be, and what the reactions were. That was all done in the space of time that it probably took you to put together your entire comment. Things happen quickly in SL, and being critical - as some journalists are - sometimes means being wrong (as some journalists are). I'm just reporting what I saw, what I was told, etc.
My opinion is something I will form over time. If you've read my writing consistently, you'll find that when I have an opinion that I wish to express - I do so very well. Pressing me on an opinion is senseless. If I have one, I will give you one.
When you write something, I wonder - can people comment on what you write in a public forum? I doubt that.
Thanks for your thoughts and opinions.
Second Life Consultant
Comment freely, I'm available to give any answer to anybody
Fugazi:
"When you write something, I wonder - can people comment on what you write in a public forum? I doubt that."
You doubt when you shouldn't, and viceversa, Fugazi...
;-)
And BTW, sorry for having mispelled you name. It really was just a typo. I write too quicky and without checking, I know.
Yes, I'm very well known in Italy in my field (only in my field, I'm not at all famous), I'm very active on online forums, and my email address, my Resume', even my home address and wired telephone number are published online, since years ago. So, yes, whoever reads an article of mine can freely email me, and I always answer (no, nobody calls me by tel, generally).
More than that, whoever can dispute what I publish on whatever media, either calling the magazine's (or whatever) director, or filing for a complain to the Journalist Association (that can sanction me and even forbid me to write anymore), or directly suing me for libel or anything else. According to the Italian laws, both me and the magazine's director are liable for damages or criminal offences related to what I signed and he/she decided to publish.
And... maybe you, being just a blogger, don't even have to face the latest two eventualities. Well, on the contrary, I have to. And I'm very aware about that.
So. Did this answer your doubt?
Anyway... I'm very glad to know that all ATMs problems have been solved now, and so quickly. I mean... they were going on since at least yesterday... Then, ten minutes later I asked you here whether they could be a mean to block some other bank runs... and all it's solved. Immediately. No more technical probs.
Good, I'm really glad about it.
Ciao, Fabio Medby.
then perhaps you have learned something
Reactionary, off the cuff reporting is too easy in Second Life. Being critical because someone doesn't offer an opinion seems somewhat misplaced given the media involved - Second Life and weblogs. Things happen quickly; offering an opinion which could be proven false 5 minutes later is a disservice for everyone involved.
That goes, too, for using a broad brush on everything. Print journalism is quite different because of the mechanical process involved. Since most traditional media outlets have inherited a mechanically-based process, writing for print is still very different.
Writers here sometimes set the pace, but more often they simply keep the pace - and the pace is not slow.
Second Life Consultant