More on the Internet, post-2009 Taiwan Earthquake

In list form so that the details come out the quickest:

  • Two quakes that hit earlier today (August 17) seem to have done damage — one off Japan, one off Taiwan.
  • Websites hosted on DreamHost appear OK. Websites on Media Temple are not.
  • This is not a Great Firewall issue; Hong Kong is equally affected.
  • Access to Windows Live Messenger is impossible.
  • iTweet.net loads slowly (this is relevant for those who tweet in China, as Twitter has been blocked for about a month now).
  • VPN access often fails as well.
  • Apple’s page at www.apple.com does not work; however, both me.com email, MobileMe iSync and apple.com.cn seem to work great.
  • Most importantly: if you can stand slow connection speeds, try going through China Mobile’s GPRS services. (Your tech blogger has tested this; it works.) Add VPN, and you’ve also broken the Chinese Great Firewall.

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