Quakebook, the Twitter-sourced charity eBook that grew out of one man's post-disaster tweet, went live on Amazon this morning. With all funds going to charity, the story of how the book came about is one worth telling in itself; how one British journalist, tweeting under the name Our Man in Abiko, pulled together contributions from the likes of William Gibson and Yoko Ono, as well as assistance from some 100+ willing volunteers, all via his Twitter account; how he worked with the likes of Amazon to try and get 100 per cent of the funds from his 98-page creation to charity... Fascinating stuff, all of which will be related in a special Pink Cow Connections meetup with some of the key figures tonight.
Organizers will also be collecting supplies to be delivered to Tohoku, so if you are able, please bring donations and/or any of the following much-needed items:
Packaged/canned food
Toiletries
Adult diapers
Warm jackets
Socks and underwear – new only, all sizes
Rain boots and sneakers, slippers
Warm blankets – small enough to send easily
Baby clothes & other infant items
Diapers
Bath towels
Soap
Toilet paper
Wet towels
Women’s sanitary products – sealed packages only
Tooth brushes & tooth paste
Disposable tableware
Chopsticks, paper plates, cups, and spoons
Canned food/can openers
Dried food