Japan Earthquake Online

Social media and the web have become the go-to for real-time information when disasters strike.

It’s no surprise that the news of Friday’s 8.9-magnitude earthquake in Japan spread rapidly on Twitter, while live video feeds and blogs kept pace.

With unreliable cellphone service, social media is the only form of communication consistently available to people in Japan, says Brian Gillespie of Texas. He has reached out to friends in Japan through Twitter and FacebookMixi, Japan’s largest social networking site, has also been used to located loved ones, he says.

Like Gillespie’s friends, many in Japan are updating us on the country’s status via the Internet. In addition, thousands of reporters and citizen journalists worldwide are distributing their knowledge of the situation on homepages and social streams.

Now, hours after the initial quake, information about the earthquake and tsunami abound. Here’s a list of some of the best Japan earthquake resources online, as suggested by our readers.

What tools are you using to track the crisis? Let us know in the comments which ones we’ve missed.


Social Media



Live Video and Blogs



Other Resources


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NYT – Japanese Earthquake Map


This Google Map from the New York Times displays photographs of the havoc caused by yesterday’s earthquake and tsunami. The map also contains information about locations affected by the quake.

YouTube Videos of the Japan Earthquake


Mibazaar has created a Google Map of geotagged YouTube videos of the Japanese earthquake. It is possible to view the videos from the map.

Japan Earthquake Photos

Google Earth Outreach have released this Google Map where anyone can share their photographs of the earthquake. The map has only just been created so, at the time of writing, no photographs have yet been added.

CNN – Earthquake Impact Map

CNN has put together a number of video reports, photos and stories about the Japanese earthquake on this Google Map.

see also:

Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Threat

New SketchUp 8 books from Bonnie Roskes

The shelf of books about SketchUp 8 is getting heavier, I’m happy to say. Bonnie Roskes is the author of the very first SketchUp book, and has now also written the most recent. In fact, no one’s written more publications about SketchUp; if you count her excellent books for kids and educators, there are dozens. I honestly don’t know how she does it.

A lineup of Bonnie Roskes’ newest books

Bonnie’s latest additions to my library include:

  • An update to her popular “Hands On” series that covers version 8
  • A revised edition of her Student Workbook
  • A Delta book to fill you in on the differences between SketchUp 7 and 8
  • An overhauled tome about LayOut 3

All of Bonnie’s books are available as PDFs or printed copies, and they’re all for sale on her 3DVinci website. For students and teachers, she also has a Project of the Month subscription where three fresh, hot projects are delivered monthly to your inbox. I never miss ‘em.

Congrats on your new books, Bonnie. And if you get the chance, do you think I might be able to borrow the keys to the time machine I assume you have parked in your garage?