The only real problem is a dearth of quality photos for the screensaver. My own photos aren’t up to scratch, and the limited ones Apple includes get old pretty quickly. What I really wanted was a screensaver with a large and constantly renewing set of high-quality photos.

Flickr Integration

The first thing I did was to have a look at the included Flickr integration to see if that provided a solution. You can use saved searches, and pull photos from Flickr contacts, but neither of those options really solved the problem. A saved search limits the scope and reduces the overall quality of the set, while contacts, no matter how good or prolific, just can’t provide enough material to keep things interesting. Eventually, I realized that the photos showing up on Flickr’s Explore page were the ones that I wanted.

Things Get Interesting

If you’re not familiar with how photos get picked to be featured on the explore page, it all has to do with a mysterious algorithm cooked up in the Flickr labs that calculates a photo’s interestingness. No one’s really sure exactly how a photo’s interestingness score is calculated, but it’s thought to involve some alchemical mixture of a photo’s tags, groups, comments, views, traffic, favorites, and other sundry properties. Whatever the exact ingredients may be, the top 500 interesting photos that end up on the explore page every day seem to be exactly what I’m looking for.

The problem is that there’s no real way to tell the Apple TV to use just those “interesting” photos for the screensaver. So, inspired by a couple of old and now defunct attempts to overcome this very same roadblock, I decided to write a quick PHP script and take advantage of the nice Flickr API to make it all work. I created a dummy flickr account named TABScreensaver which, thanks to my script, now marks each of the day’s most interesting photos as a favorite.

A Solution

Now, anyone who wants a large and constantly renewing collection of interesting photos for their Apple TV screensaver can simply add TABScreensaver as a Flickr contact and choose it’s favorite photos for the screensaver. Every evening, the set will be automatically updated with those photos picked to be featured on the Flickr explore page.

In the long run, I’d really like to see Apple improve the photo sharing features on the Apple TV so this kind of workaround isn’t necessary. It would be great if we could subscribe to RSS feeds with image enclosures, or add Flickr groups, or pull images from a Twitter stream, or combine sources, or lots of other cool stuff I’m too dim to think up. Who knows? Maybe if we get an App Store for it, our biggest problem will be sifting through a glut of Apple TV photo sharing apps trying to find the right one. It’ll be a nice problem to have.

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Saltwater Aquarium

Nothing says “international man/woman of mystery” like a saltwater fish tank. Whether you’re plotting to destroy the world, or just aiming to become a master of seduction, your lair should definitely house Finding Nemo and his buddies. Real aquariums are expensive and hard to maintain, but your Mac has you covered.

I know it has been around for a while, and it might not be the most useful software on the planet, but I still can’t get enough of SereneScreen’s Marine Aquarium. It comes in both pay and free editions, with the free version lacking the fish variety and customizability of the paid-for software. I set it up on my 32-inch LCD TV and let it run while working or entertaining.

More recently, SereneScreen has released a version for the iPhone, which, while it lacks the options of the desktop version, provides a nice way to grab a little zen in the midst of a chaotic day. At $1.99, you might have to be a fish nut to actually pay for it. I’m nutty for the aquatic little buggers.

International Espionage Tracking Device

Now that you’ve got the diggs outfitted for the spy game, you need some of the Q-type gizmos to go with it. How about a location tracking device? All you have to do is distract the bad guy, make the swap, and you’ve got a homing device. All it will cost you is your Mac, and your target has to have an identical one to switch it with. It could happen.

Thanks to GadgetTrak, this scenario is entirely possible. They make MacTrak, software which uses Wi-Fi location technology to tell you where your computer is, within 10-20 meters. Not only that, but it uses your notebook’s iSight camera and Flickr to post a stream of photographs of whoever’s using your computer. The GadgetTrak folks seem to think MacTrak is for tracking down stolen computers. No imagination, that’s their problem.

Clever Disguise

In your line of work, you deal with sensitive information, and its important that both you and your computer aren’t compromised or identified. I don’t need to give you advice, that horsehair mustache, eyepatch, and fake limp turn you into a different person altogether. But what to do about that computer?

It can show a false front too, thanks to Desktop Curtain by Many Tricks. This handy app shows a desktop picture of your choosing complete with menu bar, hiding your actual desktop clutter and classified information from prying eyes. Handy in a pinch for deceptive screenshots and screencasts, also.

There you have it. Go from geek to spy in 3 easy apps. I’ve already done it and now I’m a bona fide MI6 agent. My license to kill is in the mail, they tell me. For now I have a license to mildly injure. It’s a graduated licensing system.

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In this post on customizing your Mac I’ll be looking at a some sources of beautiful wallpaper, investigating a few of the effects and features pre-built into OS X, and showcasing two pieces of software for revolutionizing your desktop.

Sources of Beautiful Wallpaper

The internet is littered with websites offering ‘free wallpaper’ for your computer. Unfortunately the majority of such sites are fairly dire. The following collection of sites stand head and shoulders above the rest and, while I’m bound to miss a few, provide a great starting point for inspiration. In no particular order:

• Interface Lift
• Pixel Girl Presents
• Veer Wallpapers
• Mandolux – Great for multiple monitor setups
• Mantia Desktops
• Vladstudio

Wallpaper Support in OS X

Built into OS X is a well rounded range of wallpaper settings. The included backgrounds are well designed, in the categories of Nature, Plants, Black & White, Abstract etc — they make an excellent starting collection of wallpapers. The ‘Change picture every X minutes’ setting makes it easy to have a regularly updated background and keeps your Mac looking fresh. This can be done at a set interval, every time your computer wakes from sleep, or when you log in. Once you have built up a collection you’re proud of from the aforemetioned sources, turning this option on can be a great way to remember older wallpapers you’d forgotten about.

Wallpaper Applications

Serene Saver – This creates a cross between a regular wallpaper and a screen saver, providing some animation on your desktop. Over 30 different video animations are bundled with the application, and it is built to ensure that strain is not placed on performance. At $50 it is a very expensive way to customize your desktop, but has a trial available to let you decide whether it suits you.

Backlight – A free application which sits in your menu bar, allowing you to run any screen saver as a desktop background. This opens up a wide range of possibilities, as you aren’t limited to in-built effects (any screensaver can be used). Transparency can be altered to allow your normal background image to show through. This reduces the impact of the effect, making it more subtle and usable. This is a screenshot of my ‘Flurry’ desktop:

Share Your Sources

I’d love to hear where you go for wallpaper inspiration, or if you use any other interesting applications for beautifying your desktop. Please share!

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