def openAnything(source):
# try to open with urllib (if source is http, ftp, or file URL)
import urllib
try:
return urllib.urlopen(source)
except (IOError, OSError):
pass

# try to open with native open function (if source is pathname)
try:
return open(source)
except (IOError, OSError):
pass

# treat source as string
import StringIO
return StringIO.StringIO(str(source))