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Like the great Yog-Sothoth, A Windows Vista Gadget now exists throughout time and space.But unlike this vast Lovecraftian horror, a Windows Vista Gadget is under your control and will do your bidding. One of the great features of the operating system of the Company that Must Not Be Named is the sidebar gadgets. What are Vista Gadgets? Well I’m glad you asked. Gadgets are easy-to-use mini programs that give you information at a glance and provide easy access to frequently used tools. Windows Sidebar helps you to organize your gadgets. There are hundreds of Vista Gadgets; they are broadly similar but each have unique features, similar to the frog-like Deep Ones that overrun the port of Innsmouth. On second thought, that may not be the best simile for Windows Vista Gadgets. Anyway, if you don’t find the gadget you’re looking for you can even make your own! For example, there is a popular gadget that displays YouTube videos, offering you a window into other worlds just like Joe Slater in the Catskills. The selection rotates every 30 seconds! One of the most popular is the RSS to Speech gadget, which takes RSS feeds that you subscribe to and reads them off using the Text to Speech option. I wouldn’t suggest subscribing to the Necronomicon feed, however. You might accidently trigger the end of the world. Another gadget is the Moon Phase II gadget, which provides a picture showing the phase of the moon, identifies ‘blue moons’ and the date/time of the next full or new moon. It does NOT, despite repeated requests, show the Black Ships from the Moon. One can only hope that the next version will have the necessary upgrade! But it’s not all work though. Another Windows Vista gadget is the Calvin ‘n’ Hobbes gadgets. Click on it for a flyout with a random classic from the dynamic duo Laurel and … oh, wait: Calvin and Hobbes. So as you can see, gadgets are a great way to customize your Windows Vista computing experience. They are a great way to keep informed, add functionality to your desktop and have a little fun. Best of all, they’re free! And, as I’m sure the great H.P. Lovecraft would agree, gadgets are a great thing to have, especially if you’re planning on descending into the unknown and mysterious Leng Plateau, home to Mi-Go and night gaunts.
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