The Cutting Edge: COMPUTING / TECHNOLOGY / INNOVATION : Where to Get Kobe Quake News On-Line
Up-to-date information about the Japanese quake, as well as possible leads on missing loved ones, can be found in the following areas on-line:
Internet: Those who have access to Internet Relay Chat (IRC) can participate in a live discussion with people in Japan and other areas. After entering the IRC area, type /join kobe.
Also on the Internet, check out alt.current-events.kobe-quake or alt.disasters.earthquake, newsgroups where people are posting and responding to queries about whereabouts of survivors and other aspects of the disaster. Updated Reuters and Associated Press newswire stories about the damage can be found on the clari.world.asia.japan newsgroup.
Internet users with access to the World Wide Web can get general information about Japan from Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Co.’s home page (https://www.ntt.jp).
Pictures of the devastation, digitally captured from Japanese television, have been placed on aWorld Wide Web address: https://www.niksula.cs.hut.fi/ haa/kobe.html. The photos, along with news of the quake, are updated by volunteers as time permits.
CompuServe, which has members throughout the world, maintains a Japan Forum (Go Japan). Browse messages and look for “general information.” CompuServe has up-to-the-minute quake news in its Executive News Service (Go ENS) as well as its free general news area (Go News).
Prodigy is, of course, covering earthquake news on its front screen. For quake-related discussions, Jump News BB, select In the News topic and search for Japan. Also check Prodigy’s chat area (Jump Chat) for live discussion. Prodigy’s members are located only in North America. Updated information from the Los Angeles Times is available, via Prodigy, through TimesLink (Jump TimesLink).
America Online doesn’t have any earthquake-related forums. But they expect discussion of the subjects in their various chat areas and will provide up-to-the-minute stories, photos and even video clips in their news area, keyword news.
