[rtpoe]

At work, I don't get to do much to customize my computer. One of the few things I *can* do is change the wallpaper. Of course, I can't use anything that might cause a problem - no pics of babes, for example. So it's landscapes, astrophotographs, or simple patterns.

To help alleviate the monotony, I occasionally poke around the websites for home decor supplies, and see if they have any sample images for designer wallpaper that tile nicely.

Using wallpaper for my wallpaper.... hmmm....

[RandomX]

I just love this picture I found.

[Palomine]

I just love this picture I found.

Dunno which I like more, RX's desktop or her avatar. OK, I do know, but that is a pretty cool Venture Brothers illustration, so it warrants a close second.

I finally broke down and bought a new monitor yesterday: nothing fancy... a 20" widescreen LED/LCD from Acer that got 4.5 stars on Amazon and was on sale for $79. at Fry's. I'm running it at it's max. res. of 1600x900 with the brightness turned down and the contrast turned up (I keep the computer area dimly lit as a rule) and it's quite nice: crisp and spacious. It replaces a pair of old 15" LCDs I'd been using ever since my 21" Samsung died. While I was swapping monitors, I also pulled a new (unused, but actually a decade old) high-end PS2 keyboard out of my stash and swapped it for the newer/lighter USB one I had been using. So, all it'll take for my system to feel completely new is to upgrade to Ubuntu 11, but that's something I'm in no rush to do given that it, like many other GUIs, seems to be trending towards a very iOS-like design.

Attached is a cap of my usual minimalist desktop (sourced from an older Adult Swim bump) scaled down 50%.

 

[Palomine]

Just a test: there was a bigger monitor (a 23" capable of 1920x1080) for just $20. more so I bought it and am kicking the tires. It's an eMachines E230H and I suspect that it and the Acer I got last week are both made by the same manufacturer: the on-screen interface seems identical (and in online reviews, some Windows users reported that their computers 'recognized' the eMachines as an Acer).

The image quality looks very good ...this particular monitor wasn't at Amazon, but it got 4.5 stars out of 5 at Staples.com with 138 reviews (of course, there's no knowing if the reviews are actually genuine). The eMachines case has a matte finish (instead of glossy like the Acer) and an equally thin bezel. In fact, the only thing that might be an issue with the eMachines display is the fact that it rocks very slightly as I type (it's noticeably wider than the Acer but has an equally dainty stand). This is due to the computer desk I'm using atm being mostly made of sheet metal. It's not a deal breaker (I can rig a brace to stabilize everything) but I'll give it a few days to see how I like it before making a decision and returning the other one.

I suspect the Acer will be going back since I'm apparently an incorrigible slut for large numbers of pixels.

The attached cap of the desktop is also downsized by 50% in Gimp.

Added later: I've already packed up the 20" display and will return it tomorrow.

Added later still: yep, the 20" went back and this 23" display is a delight. I'm not saying I'd not decline even more, but 1920x1080 makes for plenty of elbow room.

[brakblake]

Had this for awhile on my laptop, I've just never gotten around to posting a pic of it here in this thread.

[calcifer]

It is I!

[BustyPioneer]

My contribuition

[Bad Kitty]

Mine's pretty clean. I've really moved away from having a million icons on the screen.

I have a pretty vast collection of desktops, ranging from H.R.Giger ones, to galaxies, to Hello Kitty ones, but mostly I use this one:

[prinz]

Took a pic of mine as I have dual monitors...Dell  24 in and a 21 in both at 1080p .. cheers!

[gonZo]

This is what I've been using lately. Had to scale it down a bit.

[AgentDee]

mine minus all the annoying desktop icons or task bar

[CarlTL]

Nothing particularly special about this...bonus points if you know the source of the desktop image.

[luvdemwhoppers]

sayin is "$hit happens" Murphy's law etc,  here I an show ya what happened when I lost balance )donQ/coke( and sat down on laptop, not a pretty thing, but heck myL455 is like some kinda Timex that takes a liken, keeps on tickin

[Shara]

Nothing particularly special about this...bonus points if you know the source of the desktop image.

dis-motherfucking gaea


wasted too many hours on part 3

[pedonbio]

dis-motherfucking gaea


wasted too many hours on part 3

Welcome back, M'Dear.