Samurize!

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From Samurize News:

Samurize is the popular advanced system monitoring and desktop enhancement engine for Microsoft Windows 2000/XP/2003. IT professionals, overclockers, gamers and desktop modders alike use Samurize for system information, weather reports, news headlines and much much more. And best of all, Samurize is 100% free!

You've been envious of your friends with uber cool Linux desktops having those transparent consoles and all that geeky information displayed on the desktop. Now you can have all that without swithing to Linux ;-)