greedykite, I'm with you on that protest! Here in the UK I wouldn't be able to see genius 115 at all if it weren't for the kindness of sudokulover who provided a link to the correct print version (how?).
Unlike you, I do 'regard those hours merely as an intellectual challenge' as the odds against winning must be pretty high. I just want to enjoy the experience of having a high-quality, challenging crossword to do and knowing you guys are here to discuss it. The process is enough, for me.
However, for the last few geniuses, by the time I've struggled to even see the puzzle, and have then been further hampered by misprints and the odd dodgy clue, I'm intellectually cream-crackered before I even start the puzzle and am no longer in the happy anticipatory mood I was when I began - especially since I got into the habit of getting up in the early hours to do the puzzle (once completing it in one go at about 3am: my finest hour!).
Yesterday was an absolute nightmare, starting with trying to get the puzzle in the middle of the night and again in the morning; then trying to keep pace with errors; then trying to figure out why I couldn't see the thing properly, spending hours investigating, reinstalling java multiple times and STILL being unable to see it, emailing the Guardian and getting no replies, etc, etc.
The clues I've solved so far were mostly fine and the theme (now solved) looks interesting. But I just can't bear to look at the thing at the moment because of all the frustration which surrounds it which has nothing to do with the actual content of the puzzle.
This is not how solving crossword puzzles is supposed to be!