It's Only In My Dreams....

I was thinking today what I wanted on my computer. I was then thinking about how primitive windows seems. I mean sure it's a great OS compared to DOS, but it lacks style. On one hand I like DOS and older windows and stuff for the control, if you know how to do it, you just do it. But in XP everything seems hidden from more adept users or "power users". I'm not a windows guru or technophile, but I know how to check my TCP/IP settings and go into the registry and delete spyware. Windows XP keeps hiding things and burying functionality more and more to make things more "user-friendly". Can't we have the best of both worlds? Can the desktop be fun and stylish and then easily give access to more technical areas? I think it's possible. Anyway, the Windows desktop has now become cumbersome. I mean icons are nice, and I like the windows, but the desktop is a glorified run command. Do something better!

So this is what I want on my desktop when I start up my computer:
- Email (multiple accounts)
- Address Book
w/ Birthday/Anniversaries
Easily syncs w/ Yahoo! or Gmail or imports from other programs
- Calendar (that connects to the address book)
Task Lists
Virtual Post-its
Notepad
Certain aspects sharable over the internet (to check remotely or check schedules with friends)
Send reminders to self and friends through email or personal message system
- RSS Feeds - the only way I can read my blogs and my news (must have!)
- Bookmarks - clear, organized list of bookmarks easily accessible from desktop without having to go through 12 drop down lists (I'm lazy!)
List of most visited links if so desired
- Media Player
iTunes (so I can activate and listen to my music) or other form of organizing MP3s
Maybe some kind of streaming music player connectivity
Something to watch TV/Video files (i wouldn't use it much but would be nice)
- Personal Messgage Aggregator (Must have AIM/Yahoo!/MSN)
All contacts load immediately
Automatically syncronize with address book
- Calculator
- Internet Browser (I mean like duh!)
- Complete Customization
Games
Word a day
Horoscopes
Weather
Similar to MY Yahoo but w/o the major suckage
And as many fun things as a person wants

So this is stuff that was in my head, and the lo and behold! Apple has OSX Tiger with the new dashboard:

http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/dashboard/

In the Fast Lane
Dashboard is home to widgets: mini-applications that let you perform common tasks and provide you with fast access to information. With a single click, Dashboard appears, complete with widgets that bring you a world of information — real-time weather, stock tickers, flight information and more — instantly. Dashboard disappears just as easily, so you can get back to what you were doing.
What’s on Board

Tiger includes a suite of widgets to get you started, and you can add more anytime. With so many widgets at your disposal, the Widget Bar comes in handy. Click the plus sign and Dashboard launches a Widget Bar displaying every available widget. Drag widgets from the Bar to the Dashboard and watch as they appear with a cool ripple effect. Once you have your widgets where you want them, just close the Widget Bar with a single click.

iTunes
Play, pause, skip forward and backward through songs in your iTunes music library using this simplified controller.

Stocks
Track changes in your favorite domestic and international stock funds, including recent prices and activity.

Weather
View weather conditions around the world. Check temperature, expected high and low and a six-day forecast.

Dictionary
Quickly find definitions by typing all or part of a word. View the same word in the thesaurus to find synonyms, antonyms and more. Since the dictionary and thesaurus are built into Mac OS X, you don’t even need an Internet connection.

Phone Book
Search by name or category to display the phone numbers and addresses for publicly listed U.S. businesses in your area. Click the phone number to display it in extra-large print so you can read it easily while dialing.

World Clock
Check local time anywhere in the world. Open multiple widgets to display the time in different cities.

Stickies
Jot reminders on as many sticky note widgets as you want. Flip to change the note color and font.

Tile Game
Scramble a photo and put it back together again. Drag on a new photo to create a different puzzle.

Calculator
Perform basic calculations quickly and easily. The Calculator widget handles addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, and includes a memory function.

Translator
Translate words and phrases instantly between English, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Russian.

Calendar
This colorful widget gives you at-a-glance access to daily and monthly calendars. View the current day and date or click the calendar to reveal the days of the month.

Flight Tracker
Find and follow flights with the Flight Tracker widget. Enter an airline, flight number and destination or departure city. For flights in progress, a map displays the flight’s approximate location.

Address Book
Quickly locate contact information in your Address Book, browse contacts sequentially or search for specific entries.

Unit Converter
Convert numerous weights and measures, including area, currency, length, speed, temperature, weight and more.

I mean talk about reading my mind! It's like a dream come true. I don't know how well it will work, but it's at least a step in the right direction.

Will Ryan be converted to Apple? Will Ryan buy an iBook? Will Ryan avoid all of his spyware/worm/virus problems that Norton doesn't catch? Stay tuned....