Click here to see the slideshow
win7tripsmall.jpgWhen I test out a new operating system, especially when I’m dealing with early betas and release candidates, I tend to be very utilitarian, focusing on just the hardcore features and capabilities.
So it wasn’t until I installed the recently released RTM of Windows 7 that I noticed the wild and crazy underbelly of the new Microsoft operating system. Digging around in the included themes and desktop backgrounds in Windows 7 I found a few that were quite different from the typical landscapes and nature photos.
I’m not sure whether it’s a tribute to the 40th anniversary of Woodstock or if the developers of Windows 7 are just fans of the old TV show H.R. Pufnstuf (or maybe they’ve just been puffin some stuff if you know what I mean), but among the new backgrounds and themes are some decidedly psychedelic and trippy images.
These images include everything from Dali style melting landscapes, ’60s era freestyle drawings that would fit well on a black light poster and fantasy-scapes straight from dreams (or nightmares).
Sure, these have nothing to do with the business use or actual functionality of Windows 7 (if you’re looking for that you should read my colleague Andrew Garcia’s thorough take on the Windows 7 RTM), but I have to admit that I like them (except for one image of freaky babies with chicklet eyes that gives me the creeps).
In general I like when things are pushed slightly out of the ordinary and some of this art work is actually quite good. Of course, this isn’t new for Microsoft; the Zune has similar trippy images available for it. But seeing images like this on Windows is quite different from seeing them on an entertainment device.
To get a look at some of these way out Windows 7 backgrounds, take a look at this slideshow I’ve compiled of some of them. And to keep with the general feel of the images, rather than try to do standard captions, I’ve included captions made up of quotes from poets, artists, cultural icons, and of course bands.
Click here to see the slideshow “Windows 7’s Magical Mystery Tour“.