But of course, that’s not as simple as it sounds.

The first barrier to any possible indulgence was the NBC web site’s insistence that watching the game required the installation of Microsoft’s ‘Silverlight’ – their risible answer to Adobe Flash. As a hardcore Linux fan I had no such thing installed and the presence of ‘Moonlight’ was considered inadequate by the site. So I had to go searching for a Windoze machine.

Having found one and installed Silverlight as demanded, my next blockade to any hope of actually viewing the game came in the form of an intrusive pop-up telling me I now had to install Flash as well.

Wasn’t that the whole point of getting Silverlight instead??

With Adobe’s needs pacified I tried once more to witness the sporting engagement…only to have the view blocked by a flurry of annoying, supposedly humorous adverts and pop-ups.

As I said, this was the first time the game could be witnessed via the Internet. The result was the most patronizing, self-serving, avarice-driven attack on the IQ and senses you could possibly endure without blood-loss. It can only be hoped the experience will improve as the providers get more chance to practice.

With such obvious focus on manipulation and profit it’s sadly quite obvious that’s a feint hope at the most…

Photo by Juggernautco

But it’s all down to technology. If you haven’t got the best hardware and connections your enjoyment can suffer. A lot of people will spend far more than they need to on a computer, then skimp on the connective technology – and wonder why all the videos run slow.

The fact is a computer and its media output are only as good as the network cable that feeds it. Like extra RAM, cable is a one-time expense that works for and repays you every time you log on.

The conclusion is clear – If you want the best online experience, get the best cords. You’ll see the reward every time you press ‘Play’…

Photo by: Sage

Here in central California the day opened with showers, then segued into glorious sunshine and wide open, blue skies.

Those in tune with the ‘Open Source’ force would be tempted to take this as a sign.

It’s still not too late to explore your choices – This society commits more vital information to virtual paper than any generation in history, and it would be unwise to believe that those who created the programs by which that info was stored have the unselfish altruism to make us able to retrieve it in five years or so.

Personally I wouldn’t trust them for two weeks.

Do yourself a favor – check out this link and see how easy it is to protect your letters and files with this free format…

The idea of this low-key but important event is to help educate those who still feel closed-source and proprietary software is the way to enlightened existence, on the countless [and costless] benefits of ODF – Open Document Format.

The last twenty-five years have seen an advance in technology that would leave even our grandparents in shock. One effect of this is that the major nations now store more important data in digital form than at any time in existence. And with that commitment comes the tangible risk that one day, through the profit-focused actions of some closed-source conglomerates – that vital data will become unreadable.

With ODF, such risk is not possible.

With one minor change to the code, large software companies can – and almost certainly do – make hundreds of thousands of users ‘upgrade’ and pay all over again for software they already own.

And this instilled fear of ‘loss’ is what makes them comply.

Consider your own situation – how many important files did you have on 3.5” floppy disks, Zip drives, or even audio tape?

Closed-source corporations use fear to make you keep paying. ODF is how you can stop them. It’s easy to use, it’s totally free and unlike some text formats it will be with us forever.

Browse over to here and just see what you think…