Shindo is sweet

It really is nice and easy to understand:
 * 1 - negligible, many people don't notice
 * 2 - a little wiggle you may not even notice
 * 3 - noticeable shake but not very frightening
 * 4 - a good shake and a bit startling
 * low 5 - shit starts falling down off your shelves, a little panic starts
 * high 5 - lots of shit falls down, definite panic, moving may be difficult
 * low 6 - the shelves themselves start falling, you may not be able to stand
 * high 6 - lots of furniture falls, you probably can't stand, window panes start breaking, unreinforced (i.e. just brick and mortar) walls often collapse
 * 7 - the shit hits the fan, you may get tossed around like a beach ball on a massage bed, even earthquake resistant buildings may experience serious damage

More details here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Meteorological_Agency_seismic_intensity_scale#JMA_scale_explanation

Shindo is also sweet because shindo reports tend to include measurements from every station where they are recorded in a wide radius around the quake epicenter, giving a much better picture of the overall effect:
 * Sample shindo map courtesy of JMA: http://www.jma.go.jp/en/quake/images/japan/20110311145349391-111446.png