2. Why do the broadcasts require RealPlayer G2+ in order to listen to them? What is wrong with older players?

The broadcasts are not hosted on a seperate RealMedia server but rather is served on the Web (HTTP) server as is much of the rest of the site. Versions of RealPlayer before G2 ("version 6" equivalent) are not capable of handling files being delivered via HTTP because the technology to do so was only introduced at the time that RealPlayer G2 was released.

3. Is there a set (maximum) number of streams available at any one time?

No. One of the advtanages of having the broadcasts streamed live on demand via a Web (HTTP) server is that there is no set maximum number of streams available for listeners to try to grab ahold of.

That said, the HTTP server will regulate the number of maximum simultaneous connections in the form of quality of the streaming; that said, there have been no known instances since January, 2001 where said degredation has been reported to have been experienced.

4. Why are the broadcasts encoded at a 20kbps rate? Why not increase/decrease the quality or make several streams of varying quality available? Indeed, were broadcasts not at one time encoded at 16.2kbps?

Broadcasts were long encoded at 16.2kbps/sec to balance accessibility and quality for all Internet users. At this rate the broadcasts were accessible to those with connections as slow as 28.8kbps with minimal or no buffering so that they can be streamed live on demand; in recognition of an increasing percentage of those still on dial-up connections now having a 56kbps capacity, the stream quality was increased to 20kbps as of March, 2004. The quality aspect is tied into this equation in that there is the potential for those at any connection speed at or above 28.8kbps to experience the broadcast at or about the same quality. While higher dial-in connections and broadband solutions are becoming more prevelant, numerous recognized studies state that more than 80% of those with access to the Internet do not have access to anything noticable higher either at home and/or work and/or school.

While the technology to allow various qualites of streams depending upon connection speeds exists, it is not available with broadcasts streamed via Hyptertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), or as it is more commonly referred The World Wide Web (Web), as with ACSR. Once encoded a broadcast can not have its bitrate increased or decreased which is, admittedly, a limitation of RealAudio technology streamed via the HTTP protocol.

5b. What was the origin/meaning of the introductory and ending themes in modern "ACSR Weekly" broadcasts?

The introductory and ending themes to modern "ACSR Weekly" broadcats is from Electric Funstuff's 'Civilization' song. For those who are not fans of this or other themes at any time, they can use the navigation bar built into RealPlayer to fast-forward past them.

5b. What was the origin/meaning of the introductory and ending themes in old "ACSR Weekly" broadcasts?

The introductory them to old "ACSR Weekly" (cancelled March, 2002) broadcasts was from the audio track to Civilization II. The introductory ditty was the 'Leonardo's Workshop Wonder' theme. Given that CivII's release in early 1996 coincided with the start of explosion in Internet usage in homes, coupled with the long-standing praise for and extended lifespan experienced by the title, the choice of music seemed appropriate.

6a. What was the origin/meaning of the score used in the 'second-generation' "ACSR Daily" broadcasts?