One of the features that I love about Windows 7 are the many desktop themes that are freely available. If you haven’t found them yet, Microsoft offers a Windows 7 Personalization Gallery that offers many free ones for download. Windows 95 and later offered theme packs for purchase, but if you were cheap like me, you had to look online to find free ones of varying quality.

Example free desktop -- Arches National Park, Utah

I recently read that when Windows 7 is initially installed, default themes are installed based on the time zone you select. For example, when you in the US install it from somewhere between the Eastern through the Pacific timezones, you automatically get the US theme. However, there are Indian, Korean, Taiwanese, South Africa themes and more free as well.

As a matter of fact, Computerworld recently published an article that Microsoft has opened up the development of desktop themes to advertisers. I don’t blame them, and think it’s a great idea. Consumers want high quality themes of their favorite products/movies/shows/etc, and corporations can provide that to them.

Check the link I provided to the gallery, open one that you like, and enjoy. I think the wallpapers themselves are absolutely gorgeous.

I’ve been testing out Apple’s Safari 4 web browser for a few days.  Personally, I’m a Firefox man myself, but I’m always interested in new shiny things.

Safari has some cool features built-in, like a coverflow history browser, and a visual display of your most-visited websites (with a star against the ones that have been updated recently.)  The browser has nice features, and it’s fast, so I’ll continue to try it out.

Apple's Safari 4

Don’t get me wrong.  I think Bluetooth headsets are very nice.  They’re neat and sure beat out corded headsets.  They make talking and driving more comfortable.  However, I believe they should be used in the car, and that’s it.  Or you use it in that certain one-off instance, such as a conference call, and are sitting somewhere by yourself.

Bluetooth headset and sipping soup

I don’t think people should have them glued to their ears all day.  If you aren’t a customer service rep, or work in a helpdesk, don’t wear a headset all day.  There was a guy in my company once that used to wear his 8 hours a day, in the office, in meetings, etc.  He would sit there in the meeting wearing it, blue light flashing.  I see more and more people walking around, even in the office pantry getting coffee with other coworkers, with a headset on their ear.

Why?  If you aren’t on the phone, stop wearing the headset.  Are you worried about cell phone radiation?  Buy a different phone.  Or wear aluminum foil.  But stop looking like a douchebag.

That’s right, I said it.  It annoys me that much.

I know that I’ve been thinking about the 2008 Panasonic TH-50PZ800U,  yet mentally salivating over the Panasonic VIERA TC-P50G10 (I blogged about the soon-to-be-released G10 series back on Jan 23rd), but the step-up V10 series looks even better.  The V10 is scheduled to be on sale in June 2009, but there’s no word on pricing as yet.  Still the features look pretty nice.

The one-pane-of-glass design marks Panasonic's TC-P50V10

The VIERA V10 series are slim, 2-inch thin plasma HDTVs with built-in tuners. The V10 series offer such cutting edge innovations as Digital Cinema Color(TM) which helps to deliver all movie-essential colors, full THX Display certification, and the VIERA CAST web menu with Amazon Video on Demand services.

Who am I kidding?  I already called up Comcast to inquire about HDTV pricing.  With the added costs of a Comcast DVR, upgraded services (for the HD channels), and our high-speed Internet, it’s going to bump our monthly bill up another $50.

One day, but not today.  I will continue to dream in digital.