Xkcd

One can easily escape from reality a few minutes to take a break from work, especially with an active Internet connection. Since the information superhighway became the most accessible source of entertainment, all types developed in time. Comics are a popular type, and with the help of Xkcd, these can be viewed directly from the desktop.

First of all, Xkcd is merely a desktop gadget, but it can only be integrated in Yahoo! Widget Engine, so it needs to be installed on the target computer for anything to work out. On the other hand, it’s flexible enough to be carried around on a thumb drive along with others of its kind.

It starts up on your desktop, but doesn’t come with any configurations of its own. However, it still benefits from all default configuration options, such as window priority level, ignore mode, or fixed in a specific spot on the desktop, and an opacity slider to adjust the transparency level. If not fixed, it can easily be moved around the desktop.

As the name can suggest, preview is generated from the homonymous website, xkcd, which uploads fun comics on a regular basis. Latest entries are shown on the desktop in the original size of the picture to be able to identify all details, and read all text lines.