Celestia is a free and open source space simulator that allows you to explore space right from your computer. Celestia is available for download on Windows, Mac OS X, and even Linux. Celestia has many very cool features, including an eclipse finder.
Not only does the eclipse finder allow you to find solar and lunar eclipses on Earth, but you can seek eclipses on other planets as well. I found out something really cool when checking out eclipses on Jupiter - because Jupiter is very large and has many moons, solar eclipses are very common.
Your desktop is probably the one thing on your Mac which you stare at day in, day out. It is also the most configurable - with the right applications, of course. If you’re bored out of your life with the default wallpapers and screen savers which Apple provides, read on. This article will definitely bring some long awaited excitement to your desktop and will probably lift your mood as well. Sit back and enjoy your desktop. Never thought you’d say those words, huh?
Adobe AIR is a software grid to run web-based applications on your desktop, independent of a browser. AIR applications run on the desktop, much like widgets. The technology is compatible with Windows, Mac OS X and in beta with Linux.
Some of the most popular AIR apps are eBay Desktop, Twhirl (Twitter), Klok (time management), and GMDesk (Google Tools), all of which we have reviewed on MakeUseOf here and here.
AIR is open for web developers to (rather) easily create applications. So how can you find out about interesting new AIR apps? A directory would come in handy. There are two very good alternative resources.
Your desktop provides a limited amount of space. Usually that’s just enough to do one thing at a time. Many times however, these two dimensional limits are way too tight to work productively with layers of open windows.
Increasing the available space, for example by adding a second monitor or installing a virtual desktop manager provides more room for multiple open programs, and can help to stay organized with complex projects. Additionally, more space offers more room for creativity and a unique desktop.
Experience something different and take your desktop for a spin with 360desktop (Windows only).
A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article in which I described some of the features I particularly liked about Vista. However in the comments Justin and anob pointed out that a couple of the features I had mentioned were not actually Vista specific.
I decided it was time to teach myself how to really use one of Vista’s best new features… Windows Search.
Yeah, I know… wow, exciting stuff. It’s not something I used to care about either. I remember whenever I heard Microsoft banging on about the gee-whiz search capabilities of Vista I really didn’t care as I was stuck in Win32/XP style navigation; of menus and forms and tabs. Why would I be interested in changing what was already working for me?
When you’re away from your Mac or Windows desktop and you want some nice eye candy or you want to display some information that you would like to glance at every once in a while then the best way to do this is with a screensaver.
Status Screen Saver is a screensaver that allows you to view how many unread emails you have in your inbox within the Mail application, view how many unread feeds you have in NetNewsWire and view your number of unread tweets from Twitterific. Status Screen Saver will also soon support Google Notifier and the RSS reader Vienna.
Adobe AIR applications are nice looking and not so memory-hungry applications. If you don’t already have Adobe AIR installed you can download it for free from Adobe’s website.
We’ve already previously taken a look at some Adobe AIR applications worth installing but more and more websites are constantly jumping on the AIR bandwagon. So here are some more new AIR apps worth a look.
If you always find yourself on COLOURlovers looking for colours, palettes and patterns then the COLOURlovers Desktop Color Finder could come in pretty useful for when you’re needing a palette.
Back in February I asked for screenshots of your desktops and I promised the coolest would be featured on Make Use Of. So here are my three favorites in the order they were received.
(1) Skyler’s Desktop
The menu you see is Rocketdock, which has been covered and mentioned several times on Make Use Of. It’s a great tool if you quickly want to access your most used programs.
I frequently find desktop applications a lot more convenient than their web-based alternatives. Even when web alternative offers superior feature set there is still something about desktop version that makes it more attractive. So what is the solution ? A web-based application that looks and feels any other desktop program. Below you’ll find four different tools that can be used to run web services like desktop programs.
Let’s face it, a desktop that is covered with shortcuts, icons, files, folders, and still harbors the default wallpaper is boring and ugly. No one wants to see it, you can’t find anything on it, it’s neither inspiring nor useful. And why have all those things on the desktop anyway? Is it convenient to close open windows just to access My Documents or open another program? Who does that?
If you agree, if you’re using Windows XP, and if you need some ideas on how to change the bad habits, you will find the following tips very helpful. You’re welcome to follow step by step or create your own flavor and just pick what you like.
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