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It’s 2010 and the Winter Olympics have arrived, giving spectators an opportunity to watch countries compete in a wide range of winter-based events, from cross country skiing to bobsledding.

Not all of us are able to catch the events from the comfort of our couches, leaving some of us to make do with the streaming services available on the internet. For those of you looking to catch specific events on the internet, there are a number of options giving you the opportunity to stay on top of the festivities.

Before deciding which service you’ll use to track the events, you’ll want to settle on those competitions you’re looking to watch. A variety of events are occurring concurrently throughout each day of the Olympics.   For a schedule listing the start times of those events you’re looking to follow, visit the official website, where you’ll also find the results as they filter in.

After determining those events you want to watch, your next order of business is deciding on the service that’ll stream it to you. Most of the events are streamed right on the same site on which you reviewed the schedule. From there, you’re directed to televised broadcasts streaming from a number of countries.

If your sole interest is participation in these games by American athletes, NBC has a great resource that provides not only live streaming but a listing of all local stations that deliver coverage of the events. Entering your zipcode and the name of your cable/satellite provider will result in a list of local stations televising the games. Looking at the list of television stations, you can also check on those that are offering live streams on the internet.

While those are the official sites from which to get your Winter Olympics fix, you can also take a look at the two options below, both of which compiling an assortment of sites that are covering the events.

• Vancouver Olympics
• Olympics Online

There are other resources available, which a quick Google inquiry will point you towards, but these are the best ones I’ve been able to unearth.  No matter who you’re rooting for, enjoy the games and celebrate the spirit of friendly competition!

That quintessential streaming service, Youtube, has just launched a music delivery system called Youtube Disco. Something of an addendum to their already impressive catalog of music videos, this service is still in its infancy, which becomes obvious when you notice its lack of more advanced options available elsewhere.

Still, it serves its fundamental purpose — which is to stream music.

Easy to use, you’re given two options for your music search: You can search for an artist and all of the songs they’ve crafted, or you can find music that’s in the same vein of the music you originally ran a search for.

Barebones but simple in its execution, this is a great means of discovering new music and finding songs from some of your favorite artists.

Visit Youtube Disco here.

As a number of entries on this blog will attest to, the technicians in our office are huge fans of Google, finding its robust array of web-based products to be superior to alternatives – even those based on a subscription model — that one might otherwise use.  Driven by a clear understanding of what the end user is looking for, Google’s innovations speak to their drive to make our use of the internet as comfortable as possible. It all began with their search engine, the most popular and highest rated of its kind.

Below, you’ll find a number of tips that aid you in the process of searching with Google’s engine, making your use of this tool more efficient in both the time spent and the results its use brings.  Whether you’re looking the latest movie showings in your area or searching for a specific document to aid in research, these tips will make those tasks all the more simple to complete.

Locating various types of files:

Many of you scour the internet for files of varying types, from PDF files to simple documents. You might be a student in need of something to reference from, or a salesman looking to land a huge account. No matter the need, the internet is home to a myriad number of documents that may aid in your effort. Searching for that right one can be daunting, with the process often seeing you pore over each result that’s returned from your search. On any particular subject, the search can be easily narrowed by entering the following in the search field: [insert subject of research] filetype:[insert type of file].

For instance, if I’m looking for research study on underage drinking, I might input:

Underage drinking filetype:PDF

As you might see, doing so results in thousands of PDF files that pertain to the issue you’ve specified.

Retrieving definitions of words:

Another great tip, especially for those who might scratch their head at the use of a certain word in an article they’re reading, is to use Google’s search engine as a dictionary. Instead of always visiting Dictionary.com or keeping a pocket dictionary on you, you can simply type: define [insert word].

This will instantly show you that word’s definition. Not only with words in the dictionary, this tool will supply the meaning of other forms of language – slang, abbreviations, scientific terminology.

An instant forecast:

Looking to travel to California? Visiting your parents down south? Wondering if you’re going to start the week on a rainy day? Google makes it easy to check the weather in any region, no matter how remote. All it takes is the region you’re inquiring about and the term “weather.”

We’re located in Boston, MA. Typing “Boston weather” in the search engine field reveals that it’s currently 60 degrees outside, with similar temperatures expected tomorrow. Like any forecast,  its accuracy is up for debate, but it’s always helpful to receive an idea of mother nature’s temperament.

Finding movies playing in your area:

While this is a bit different from the other shortcuts, bypassing your use of the search engine, locating new movies playing in your area is as simple as typing www.google.com/movies in your address bar. Including both the latest blockbuster releases to those obscure independent films that are playing at only a select number of locations, this page lists all of the movies, sorting them by the cinema – which is listed according to the zipcode that is associated with the IP address from which you’re searching – and the movies’ showtimes. If you click on the name of the movie, it lists every location at which that particular film is featured.

In closing, these are just a few of the shortcuts that I use, some more frequent than others. There are plenty more where those came from, and we’ll touch upon them at a later point. As Google builds upon its interface, Geek Choice will continue to keep you informed about how you can put its convenient features to use.