A few hours ago there was less than $230,000 pledged. @gruber posted a note about it on daringfireball.net and since then its been like a train picking up steam.

As of my last refresh, there are currently 3,802 backers pledging $279,300. There’s still a long ways to go to reach the $500,000 threshold for the project becoming a reality, but the combination of opening up the alpha and the visibility which comes from daringfireball.net means it looks like there’s now a chance to make it.

If you haven’t heard about or seen App.net then you should really check it out. If you’re already a backer than you should send an email to join@app.net from the email you signed up with and let them know you’d like access to the Alpha, but keep in mind that they’re turning it on manually, and as traffic (hopefully) continues to increase, it may take them longer. On the plus side you might get an email from @dalton telling you your access has been turned on, maybe its just me but I always think its cool to get email from CEOs.