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.