While I first passed it off as a gimmick, My Living Desktop is one of those applications that you just have to see for yourself before passing judgement. It’s interesting to note that while it doesn’t promise to increase your productivity (or really anything for that matter), those looking to transport themselves to another world during work or play might find this application of great use.

My Living Desktop displays rolling scenes on your desktop background, actual live animated footage that repeats in the background, including sounds such as the trickle of rain or crashing waves in the ocean. You are instantly put into a state of zen as you proceed to work on your documents or surf the internet, so for those who are unfortunately stuck in the cubicle life, this application might bring some relief or comfort under those drab fluorescent lights.

While being beautiful on smaller desktops, I’m not sure how the video would look stretched across larger desktops. CPU usage wasn’t too bad, and battery life wasn’t significantly decreased (I noticed decreases from anywhere to 5-15 minutes). I was however a little disappointed with how videos automatically downloaded in the background, and I wish I had some option to preview what I want before I download it.

For $35, I can’t say I recommend this application for everyone. But be sure to check out the video to see for yourself whether or not you’d like this temporary transport to paradise.