Posts Tagged ‘functional’

The Functional Desktop – Organized and Efficient

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Arriving at the desktop of a PC marks the beginning of the day or session for almost every PC user out there.  This desktop, originally meant to emulate the workspace of your actual desk, has not changed much since the early days of the operating system.  Users can change out the wallpaper to view exotic locations, family photos or abstract images and store shortcuts to access documents, programs, web sites, etc.  Other than that, the space is really an untouched area of the computer that is ignored as we jump from task to task throughout our work day or browsing session.  Why is that?  Wouldn’t it be more helpful if this area provided important information to help guide us through our day.  Can we please get a Functional Desktop?

Over the last few days, we have shared information on “skinning” your background to provide entertainment (see links to previous articles below).  Today, we show you how to make that space functional as well.   The Functional Desktop is available to PC users, yet it has never been very mainstream.  There are numerous programs available and each has a very different take on how you, the user, should organize your desktop for efficiency.  These programs also range from basic, easy-to-install applications to fully customizable, “you might as well be an engineer” programs that allow you to completely change the way you use your desktop and your PC.  We’re going to provide you with a few options, covering this range, that you can begin using today.

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Desktop Departures – Escape With a Wallpaper Change

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

One of the most difficult things about returning to work on a Monday is the realization that you are going to be staring at that monitor for the next 5 days. You had a relaxing weekend with friends, family and fun and now here you are… trapped at a desk for a full week. Or maybe you are just in a bit of a rut and need something to spice up your daily routine.  One of the easiest, and most entertaining ways, to provide yourself with a little “escape” is to change up that old desktop with some fresh new wallpaper.

Back in December, we brought you the article Decorating is Not Over – Time to Spruce Up That Desktop, where we highlighted 5 of the best wallpaper sites on the web.  While the sites listed have some wonderful new images, we thought it was time to return to the art of desktop decorating and bring you some new ways of thinking about your wallpaper.  Over the next few days, we will shed some light on the different ways that you can “skin” your desktop to provide both entertainment and functionality.

Part I: Multiple Displays

Monitor prices have dropped steadily over the last couple of years and many offices are upgrading their workstations to larger monitors or, if you are one the lucky ones, dual monitors.  If you manage to convince your employer to pony-up the funding for that second monitor, don’t let the space go to waste.  You can increase your productivity and take advantage of the added space by finding a dual-monitor wallpaper.  These specially formatted desktop images span the two monitors (or more if you are really, really lucky) to form one, seamless image.

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