I returned to my computer this afternoon and noticed Google Wave saying “you’re offline – connect now” – which I couldn’t as clicking the button did nothing. What I did next is likely to become my natural next step in situations like this – I searched Twitter for “Google Wave Offline” and it seems the problem is widespread. Mystery solved.

This is the “real time web” in action – and as has often been noted this is a very significant development. The new web is mobile, people-powered and instant.