Hi, I'm obviously rather new here.

I'm curious, how long is an in game day?  Is it a true 24 hours long, or does time move faster?  My clock says that it is 5:30 PM right now, and in game it is 7:00 PM.  I checked in game this morning (was wanting to buy a shield now that they are functional), and it was 1 AM in game and Harnquist wasn't there.  Just wondering how time works in Planeshift, since it looks like I'm going to have to make sure I'm logged in at a certain time in the day to access most shops.

First, I'm extremely new here.  However, I've been perusing the forums and happened to stumble upon this thread, which covers a topic I've been somewhat curious about.  What makes a game exciting to me is conflict, and so I assume that I will most likely find myself in a fight or two before too long.  I have to ask what is most likely a ridiculous question, so I beg forgiveness for my glaring ignorance.

Is there a problem with the PVP system that (I assume) is in place?  It was my understanding that PVP could occur between two characters if the duel was agreed to (I assume by clicking a button on a pop up menu of some sort).  Is this true, or am I mistaken?

Is there a problem with the current system so that a player implemented system is necessary?  Or is this simply being discussed to add a bit more story to a fight?