Got a minute? (Katrina)

David Geilhufe is organizing a single database for Katrina victims, combining all of the ad hoc and more formal efforts that have sprung up. If this works, it'll be done again.

I know not everyone can give time or money or goods. But I KNOW we can all type. :-)

If you can do a single data entry set of 25, go here:

http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=167

And then here:

http://192.122.183.218/wiki/index.php/PeopleFinderVolunteer

If you’ve got some wiki, Perl or PHP skills and want to put in a bit more time, please let Ethan Zuckerman know --

"I’m working through a list of unstructured data sources and writing sloppy hacks to generate chunks to assign to volunteers. I’d love help working through this, but this is an assignment that requires some ability with scripting and a bit of creativity. If you’re willing to give me a hand, I’d be very grateful - email me at ethanz AT gmail DOT com."

ETA: Tech support chat for beginning wiki-ers on IM katrinawikichat or ping MarnaNightingale. It's easier in groups. And please do repost this.

ETA2: (I am wryly amused)
commodorified you know, in the old days, women used to sit around in groups and knit socks at times like these.
NeoTraditionalists, that's us
fairestcat we're modern women, we do data entry *g*
meletor_et_al I can't knit for crap.
meletor_et_al...besides, not to be crude, but socks would just get wet and squishy, which nobody enjoys.

ETA:
"Friends -

Thanks to everyone's generosity and goodness of spirit, we've managed to reduce the machine running the NON database to a pile of smoking rubble. There's a team now working on moving the database to a more robust server. In the meantime, it's not possible to add entries to the database.

It would be great if you would either check in with this wiki tomorrow AM, or send an email to peoplefinder-subscribe@activist-tech.org to subscribe to a list which will send you an email when the database is ready again.

Thanks everyone for your contributions. It's been amazing to watch folks come online, pitch in... and inadvertently melt down this server."

ETA: Now back up

Katrina database is back

As before:

http://192.122.183.218/wiki/index.php/PeopleFinderVolunteer

ETA: (In which I shamelessly make an example of a person in distress)

When reporting a missing person:

do this

and not this

Please. If you know them well enough to be worried about them in the first place -- TELL US AS MUCH AS YOU CAN ABOUT THEM.