IANHBACF (I am not Hal, but a close friend)...The answer to your questions is a combination of many things.
First, PC, Hal's email has been down for about a month, so he isn't blowing you off. If you post your question here, I will make sure he gets it (we are gaming this weekend).
Second, Hal decided to stop visiting the boards with any regularity after the Morrus fiasco (the one where Morrus specifically mentioned a few publishers and, rightly or wrongly, implied that they were about the only good publishers out there). If you remember his tagline, "I'm Craptastic!" it should give you a feel for how he felt about the whole thing.
Third, a lot has been going on in RL and he has been overwhelmed by it. It's in the process of getting sorted out, so there is light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully, it's not a train... :\
Finally, EQII...'nuff said.