Forces page reload when offline

The shoutbox seems to be forcing a page reload when AJAX fails. That's a pretty bad thing in the event that somebody wants to look at a relatively static page on a website, and the shoutbox is one of the blocks. Close the laptop, open it up again, and the page reloads. The static content is lost if there is no internet connection at the new location.

I would suggest that instead of forcing an entire page reload, the shoutbox just silently allow the AJAX to fail. Maybe there could be a notice that pops up in the block saying "Could not update shouts". I'd like to have the AJAX, but this problem is preventing me from considering it a good idea.