So, for those of you that don't know, I've been working on making some cool new Dynamic Dreams. Only problem is, these Dynamic Dreams have some fancy new keyboard and mouse input commands! (ooohh!! super fancy!)

I've been having a problem though... Nobody wants their computer to be actively running mouse input (wasting a little CPU usage) when they're not looking at their desktop. It just doesn't make sense to have an object on your desktop following your mouse around when you can't see it! So, consequently, I have resorted to keyboard button commands to act as a signal for mouse input.

Now, I want the button command to be un-intrustive, a command that people don't use a lot (ex: Ctrl+C wouldn't be good since people copy and paste all the time). Currently, I have been using Ctrl+Shift as the button configuration.

I wanted to get people's opinions on what you feel should be the proper button combo to operate the mouse control. Try not to go down the "let's make it a setting!" option since that would take a little too much time to implement at the time being.

Thanks to all in advance for your help and input!

So, for those of you that don't know, I've been working on making some cool new Dynamic Dreams. Only problem is, these Dynamic Dreams have some fancy new keyboard and mouse input commands! (ooohh!! super fancy!)

I've been having a problem though... Nobody wants their computer to be actively running mouse input (wasting a little CPU usage) when they're not looking at their desktop. It just doesn't make sense to have an object on your desktop following your mouse around when you can't see it! So, consequently, I have resorted to keyboard button commands to act as a signal for mouse input.

Now, I want the button command to be un-intrustive, a command that people don't use a lot (ex: Ctrl+C wouldn't be good since people copy and paste all the time). Currently, I have been using Ctrl+Shift as the button configuration.

I wanted to get people's opinions on what you feel should be the proper button combo to operate the mouse control. Try not to go down the "let's make it a setting!" option since that would take a little too much time to implement at the time being.

Thanks to all in advance for your help and input!

So, while I have a few minutes off waiting for approval on stuff I decided to write a new article explaining what I do...

Currently, I'm a University of Michigan student working at Stardock creating Dynamic Dreams for DeskScapes (ooh, fancy!). So far, I've been able to make updates on existing dreams (like the Water Dream and starting on the Photo Desktop Dream) and am also creating some new dreams (which will be unveiled later... when they aren't super secret?).

So, this begs the question... What on earth is DeskScapes and what is a Dynamic Dream? So here's an explanation :) .

First off, a "dream" is the file used by DeskScapes. A ".dream" file can either contain a video, triggered video or dynamic content!

DeskScapes works for all versions of Windows Vista (sorry XP users!) that allows a user to dreams as their desktop background instead of your standard pictures (imagine your screen saver as your normal desktop background). There are two versions of DeskScapes : free and not-free. Here's the breakdown of the difference...

Free : The free version of DeskScapes comes with a few pre-made Stardock dreams, such as the ever popular Water Dream. Other then that... you can't add more dreams to your listing which is a slight bummer but never fear!

Not-Free : The paid version of DeskScapes is a MAJOR upgrade from the Free version. Not only do you get the free dreams from the original Deskscapes, you can also go to this handy-dandy site, wincustomize.com, to download new Dream files to add OR you can make your own with a nifty bit of software called "DreamMaker."

If you're not sure as to whether or not you want DeskScapes, I would HIGHLY suggest going to wincustomize and searching through the existing dreams to see if you like them!

So, all this talk about the program and nothing about the actual content! Well, a video dream is just what it sounds like... A video plays on a loop in your background. A triggered video are video files that work on a trigger... I don't really use these so I can't really explain how they work!

Finally, the ever AMAZING dynamic dreams! So, a dynamic dream is amazing because not only do you get sweet video-type things running in your background, you also have some control over how they operate! For example, the Photo Desktop Dream. When running this dream, you can go to your desktop background settings and hit a nifty link saying "Dynamic wallpaper settings." A menu pops up at the screen and lets you play around with a few settings such as which folder you'd like the Photos to be from! Then low-and-behold the dream actually starts going through those photos and displaying them on the screen! This allows you, the user, to change your DeskScapes experience (ooh, cheesy line).

A new dream that I'm currently working on (top secret I think!) allows you to change a lot of things... Like Gravity for example! Also, it changes based on the time of day so your desktop reflects things the outside world (except weather). Lastly, these new dreams are using something that hasn't been done before with dynamic dreams... Using Mouse/Keyboard input! So, for this dream, hit a few buttons, drag the mouse, let go and BOOM all of the sudden you've started an action in the dream!

So, I hope that this answers most of the questions about DeskScapes! Feel free to post questions in the comment section!

P.S. For those of you who worry about how this will effect your CPU usage, this new Dream I am working on operates at under 10% CPU most of the time on my computer :-)

So, while I have a few minutes off waiting for approval on stuff I decided to write a new article explaining what I do...

Currently, I'm a University of Michigan student working at Stardock creating Dynamic Dreams for DeskScapes (ooh, fancy!). So far, I've been able to make updates on existing dreams (like the Water Dream and starting on the Photo Desktop Dream) and am also creating some new dreams (which will be unveiled later... when they aren't super secret?).

So, this begs the question... What on earth is DeskScapes and what is a Dynamic Dream? So here's an explanation :) .

First off, a "dream" is the file used by DeskScapes. A ".dream" file can either contain a video, triggered video or dynamic content!

DeskScapes works for all versions of Windows Vista (sorry XP users!) that allows a user to dreams as their desktop background instead of your standard pictures (imagine your screen saver as your normal desktop background). There are two versions of DeskScapes : free and not-free. Here's the breakdown of the difference...

Free : The free version of DeskScapes comes with a few pre-made Stardock dreams, such as the ever popular Water Dream. Other then that... you can't add more dreams to your listing which is a slight bummer but never fear!

Not-Free : The paid version of DeskScapes is a MAJOR upgrade from the Free version. Not only do you get the free dreams from the original Deskscapes, you can also go to this handy-dandy site, wincustomize.com, to download new Dream files to add OR you can make your own with a nifty bit of software called "DreamMaker."

If you're not sure as to whether or not you want DeskScapes, I would HIGHLY suggest going to wincustomize and searching through the existing dreams to see if you like them!

So, all this talk about the program and nothing about the actual content! Well, a video dream is just what it sounds like... A video plays on a loop in your background. A triggered video are video files that work on a trigger... I don't really use these so I can't really explain how they work!

Finally, the ever AMAZING dynamic dreams! So, a dynamic dream is amazing because not only do you get sweet video-type things running in your background, you also have some control over how they operate! For example, the Photo Desktop Dream. When running this dream, you can go to your desktop background settings and hit a nifty link saying "Dynamic wallpaper settings." A menu pops up at the screen and lets you play around with a few settings such as which folder you'd like the Photos to be from! Then low-and-behold the dream actually starts going through those photos and displaying them on the screen! This allows you, the user, to change your DeskScapes experience (ooh, cheesy line).

A new dream that I'm currently working on (top secret I think!) allows you to change a lot of things... Like Gravity for example! Also, it changes based on the time of day so your desktop reflects things the outside world (except weather). Lastly, these new dreams are using something that hasn't been done before with dynamic dreams... Using Mouse/Keyboard input! So, for this dream, hit a few buttons, drag the mouse, let go and BOOM all of the sudden you've started an action in the dream!

So, I hope that this answers most of the questions about DeskScapes! Feel free to post questions in the comment section!

P.S. For those of you who worry about how this will effect your CPU usage, this new Dream I am working on operates at under 10% CPU most of the time on my computer :-)