We realize desktop wallpaper isn't necessarily the most productive thing on the planet, but you spend countless hours at your computer every week, and sometimes a fresh wallpaper is just the ticket for some rejuvenation.

Note: Click on the name of the particular wallpaper to access the full range of sizes at the source site.

(Click any of the images for a closer look.)

Another World by Orioto

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Crystal Catacomb by Orioto

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Do a Barrel Roll by Orioto

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Dogs and Bullets by Orioto

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Group Work by Orioto

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Sea Battleground by Orioto

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Smooth Criminal by Orioto

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Toxic Planet by Orioto

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Zebes Cave by Orioto

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If you haven't seen Orioto's previous work, be sure and check out the first batch of absolutely amazing wallpapers, and then his second wave of beautiful paintings for your desktop.

If you want to keep up with his work on a regular basis, be sure to follow him over on his Twitter account, where he posts regular updates on new images that he's working on, as well as news about an upcoming video game using his artwork. I don't know about you, but the idea of a video game based on his artwork sounds really great.

Job title Video Game Artist
Job type Full Time
Job description The interactive media group is looking for a skilled artist who wants to work as part of a small highly motivated team to work on interactive multimedia experiences on the iPhone and iPod Touch. The position on the team is to help design, visualize, enable and implement interface, 3D characters/environments, animation, texturing as well as original concept artwork. The position also requires a creative thinker who can contribute and comment on the design process as well as being flexible enough to aid in all aspects of production such as asset management and able to work to a deadline.

Looking for an artist with Maya / 3D Max / Photoshop experience
-ability to model, animate, texture & produce bump/normal maps for 3D scene graph environments
-strong environment & character concept artist
-3-4 years of real world experience, iPhone / console experience preferred
-ability to handle asset pipeline management including XML and source control

So, what does "interactive multimedia experiences" really mean? I find hard to believe that Apple would enter the 3D gaming big leagues. That requires a lot of resources, it's an extremely competitive market, and—most importantly—all game companies in the planet are developing great 3D games for the iPhone OS platform. So why would Apple enter this arena when others are doing a great job already? It doesn't make sense.

Sure, Apple has created some simple games in the past—mostly as technology demonstrators to get the ball rolling, first in the classic iPod, then the iPhone—but this job description calls for a lot more: Interactive experiences, user interfaces, 3D characters in 3D environments... My hunch? Apple may be creating something else for the iPhone OS platform, perhaps the equivalent of the Xbox 360 dashboard, an environment in which players can meet and connect to play together online.

The kind of environment that would work perfectly in, say, something like the Apple Tablet? [Apple via Twitter—Thanks Nick Paulson]

You get two game modes, but one is basically just an endless version of the other. Your task is to use the accelerometer to guide the water droplet from a leaf into a container around obstacles. That's it. Just like the marble games.

The water effect actually looks pretty realistic, don't get me wrong, but it's disappointing to see that they didn't come up with a better physics simulator game, and instead just made another move-the-marble-into-the-hole game. It's $5 in the App Store, but we prefer the original Aqua Forest for $8. [iTunes]

I mean, sure, maybe you're really into challenges and want to win so you become more efficient while having fun and it's all win-win. But boy, this sure does seem like a great way for Target to bully and shame its employees into working as fast as humanly possible. Remember, cashiers: the gamemaster is always watching. And if you lose the game, you lose your job. [Dennis Crowley via Kottke]

The screenshots also show the inherent problem of having a touchscreen be your screen and your control interface. It's much worse here, with the buttons taking up a good 1/4 or 1/3 of the real estate. But it is only $4, and if you're the kind of guy who enjoys games based on series that are more than 20 years old, boy has Sony Pictures got the app for you.

Seriously, how awesome would it be to have 5 person multiplayer over Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, using the iPhone 3.0 SDK, with one person piloting a piece of Voltron? Then you could join together and then do some crazy junk. Pew pew. [iTunes]

It's $10, but it's an RPG, which supposedly implies more gameplay hours than non-RPGs. Even when you're not actually playing the game, you can level up your guys by listening to the music that's bound to each character, giving you an added bonus to use your iPhone/iTouch more. [iTunes (Full Version) and iTUnes (Lite) via Kotaku]

If you hate the gallery format as much as the Grinch hated Christmas, click here.

Battling Helicopters: There's no better way to learn the mysteries of heavier-than-air flight than to spin up a few air hogs and have them shoot each other out of the sky—in your living room. Seriously, these things may be expensive but they're fun for everybody who doesn't catch one in the eye, and they're surprisingly durable. They come out of China under a few different brand names, so root around, and see if you can find a better deal. $170; Ages 8 and up [Amazon]

Crayola Crayon Maker: Awarded as a top "green" toy by the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Crayola's crayon melter works a little like an EZ Bake oven, only with better results. The kid throws in used crayons, and out come shiny whole new ones, sometimes in new never-before-seen colors. And the best part—the new edition apparently doesn't pop open while the crayon wax is still molten. Safety first! $30; Ages 8 and up [Review; Amazon]

Rabbids Go Home: If you're tired of Mario and want to wipe that stupid mustache off his face, the gift to get kids is this crazy Wii title from Ubisoft, where the only guy with facial hair is Santa Claus, and he gets yelled at until he's... stripped down to his underpants... for some reason. OK, so it doesn't all make sense, but damnit if it's not a change of pace, and a way to keep the little troublemakers busy without learning to shoot, steal cars and price shop for hookers. Reviewed by kid-friendly Stephen Totilo over at Kotaku. $50; Rated E—ages 10 and up [Review; GameStop]

Nano Hexbugs: Last year, Hexbugs were all the rage, so it just makes sense that this year is all about Nano Hexbugs. As your finely tuned Jobsian brain already guessed, they're smaller. And they're cheaper. And they wiggle and jiggle and move fast as hell, and flip over and right themselves, and it's just bunches of fun for all ages (except for babies, who could choke on them). Shown here much larger than actual size. $10; Ages 3 and up [Hexbug]

Mosaic Stone Kit: What better thing to get a kid than a bag of cement mix and some broken glass? Just add water, colorful shards, and the feet of anybody you want to sleep with the fishes, and presto, you got art/revenge. Seriously, mosaics are good ways to teach geometry, history, spatial reasoning and chemistry all at the same time. Oh, and the website assures buyers that the glass "gems" are smooth. $16; Ages 7 and up [Constructive Playthings]

Leapfrog Musical Table: As a real live parent who had to put up with this thing nonstop for a straight six months, I can tell you that a) my kid never got sick of it, b) it was the least annoying of her chirping, chattering musical doodads, and c) there's a reason she could sing the ABC's before she could say anything else that resembled English. (She was fluent in Huttese, I am convinced, but that's another story.) The only bad thing about this classic is that so many new parents have it already, you need to ask before you buy. If they do have it, go with Leapfrog's My Pal Scout. $34 or find it used; Ages 6-18 months [Amazon]

Duck Duck Moose iPhone Apps: Again, take it from a parent, these musical baby games—based on the classic tunes "Wheels on the Bus," "Old McDonald" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider"—are colorful, interactive, distracting and not annoying. OK, so the opera singer occasionally wears down your patience, but that's why there are a bunch of different downloadable music options, and even vocals done in different languages. The visuals are cartoony and funny, with aliens abducting cows, pigs painting masterpieces and spiders like tripping acid and building webs on rainbows or something. My kid asks for each of them by name. Buy them all, and keep a look out for more. $1-$2; Ages 12 months and up [iTunes Link]

Lego Star Wars: Of all the shameless marketing crossovers in history, this is perhaps the most enduring and ultimately legitimate. I say this with a note of jealousy, as a guy (like Jesus) who cherished his non-movie-themed gray castle and rocket moon base. Yes, buy some kid a Vader TIE Fighter, if only so you can have the chance to crack it open and "help" build it. Ranges widely; kit shown above $33; Ages 8 and up [Toys R Us]

Settlers of Catan: Sure, the game has become a meme, but damn it if it didn't earn that status as the most engrossing yet welcoming board game since Monopoly. And there's nothing sexual or violent, unless you count a few hundred sheep and a handful of soldiers. Sure there are video game versions of it, but the flesh-and-blood edition lets you watch the board get torn down and remade over and over, leveling the playing field again and again. But when the kids finally learn to beat your ass, you definitely should sneak online to polish up your settlement-to-city conversion skills. $34; Ages 10 and up [Toys R Us]

DON'T BUY Elmo Robots: In the past, we were on the fence, but having lived with too many Fisher-Price Sesame Street toys, I can say that they're just not great. They're hard cold plastic things, not at all plush and huggable, and they're noisy—both because of their programmed sounds and because of their mechanical wheezing. If you have to go with with something robotic and Elmo-themed (and I do understand that pull), go with Elmo Tickle Hands. They don't make this "least annoying" list, because you have to keep playing the 3-minute DVD over and over again for the full effect, but they're cheaper ($22 vs $54) and are more entertaining for the youngins.

DON'T BUY Zhu Zhu Hamsters: Look, these things are the Cabbage Patch Tickle Me Furby of the year. You couldn't find them at a sane price if you tried. But since some reviewers have labeled them as potentially "annoying for adults," you can just skip the hunt. And while we're at it, don't buy "Screature" either. Do I have to explain why?

A Book: We usually reserve one spot for a magical fantasy gift, but kids these days have everything you ever had and one hell of a lot more. I don't want to sound like Captain OG Readmore or anything, but I have fond memories of reading with my dad, and now my kid already begs to sit down and read with me. (She can't read yet, but why spoil it with the truth?) Buy a book—track down one of your childhood favorites—out-of-print or in a new edition—on Amazon or Alibris, and then show it off to the kid you're giving it to. I am not trying to be sentimental, I just wanted to make sure you knew this was an option, one that doesn't make kids' hands sticky or dirty, doesn't emit loud noises or unexpected exclamations, and doesn't hum or vibrate mysteriously when you're trying to watch TV late at night. Any price; All ages [Wherever Books Are Sold]

This list is far from comprehensive, so don't forget to hit comments and recommend the least annoying toys you can think of, too—include pics and pricing if possible.

All Giz Wants is our annual round-up of favorite gift ideas, including amazing attainable objects and a few far-out fantasies. We'll be popping guides catered to different interests several times per day for some time, so keep looking it over.

Sure, we can see why some people may want to play their old UMD games on their new PSPgo, which lacks the drive and plays solely downloaded titles, but they should've really thought it over more carefully before whacking $250 on a new device.

Logitech sources dished the details to gaming site CVG, and while pricing and availability wasn't confirmed the add-on will presumably plug into the PSPgo's memory stick port. [CVG]

If you don't have any idea what I'm talking about, here's Mirror's Edge in a nutshell: Parkour, with bullets. Which is an unusually hearty mix! The few early screens show what looks like a 3D sidescroller/platformer, which means that the iPhone version is a sort of hybrid game, somewhere between the original and the fantastic 2D Flash version that EA posted for free. Either way: awesome.

Especially since this is one of the few types of games that could actually benefit from the iPhone's tilt-based controls, as opposed to most franchise translations, which see every last ounce of joy sucks from their essence by that cursed accelerometer, and that god-forsken panel of glass. [Kotaku]

Its basic premise remains unchanged: select a part of a body, an angle, and then a level of power that you want to shove him down the stairs with. By varying the three, you get different types of tumbles, with the final goal being to hit as many parts of his person on the ground as hard as possible.

If you're sadistic and enjoy seeing ragdolls get hurt, this is the game for you. The injury process is made all the more fun by the added Facebook Connect feature Secret Exit put in. You can only choose your friend's default profile photo, which eliminates a lot of your friends that don't just use their faces, but still gets you fun results, as seen in the screenshots above.

Basically, you already know if you're the kind of person who would enjoy the game. Either you laugh at people getting hurt, or you don't. And Secret Exit tells me that, depending on sales of this game, they'll consider releasing Truck Dismount (the followup to Stair Dismount). That's undoubtedly just a ploy to get more sales, but this game is good enough as is to warrant a purchase.

The current iPhone version (not out yet, but supposedly will be by Thanksgiving) has a larger number of stairs and stair types, but seems to be a little slower in rendering the "falling" animation than its PC ancestor—probably because the emulator is running as well as the recording software. It still has the delicious crunching sound and wiggly ragdoll physics, which means we'll still be first in line to get this for our iPhones. [YouTube via TUAW]

Basically, it's a zombie invasion in our nation's capital. You can change the details of the invasion in any way you choose: Zombie speed, infection rate, number of civilians, percentage of civilians armed, number of highly effective police, and more. You can play around with it to either defeat the zombies (boooooring), let them take over the city and pretend like some of their more gruesome kills are of your opposition politician of choice (take that, Michele Bachmann!), or try to make the odds even and see who really wants it more. Warning: Turn down your speakers if you're at work. The eerie post-rock soundtrack is accompanied by the expected array of flesh-hungry moans, which is the kind of thing that's sort of tricky to explain away as part of your quarterly PowerPoint earnings presentation. [Class 3 Outbreak]

BTW, if you hate the gallery format as much as the Grinch hated Christmas, click here.

Modern Warfare 2 Controllers: These controllers add mappable buttons on its back, allowing you to do things like jump and reload without taking your thumb off a stick. And as anyone who's been thoroughly humiliated by 13-year-olds online knows, every little advantage helps. $50 [Link; Amazon (PS3), Amazon (Xbox 360)]

Nyko Charge Base IC: This thing make charging up your Wiimotes as painless as humanly possible. Just place them on the tray, that's it. No plugging in, no swapping batteries, no nothing. Now you'll never sit down to play and find a dead controller again. $35 [Link]

Ear Force X41 Headset: It's pretty amazing how much of an advantage spatial audio can give you. These awesome headphones will let you hear people sneaking up on you from all sides with excellent audio quality. They're also wireless, which ditches the annoying cable between the headset and your controller. $180 [Link]

Xbox Live Points/Wii Points/PlayStation Network Cards: All three current-gen consoles have virtual stores that let you buy games, game add-ons, movies, shows and all sorts of other stuff. The Wii and Xbox 360 use a proprietary points system, while the PS3 lets you pay in dollars. All three will let you buy gift cards that will work specifically on their systems, however, and no gamer will be upset to get those in their stocking. Price Varies [Amazon: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii]

Mad Catz Street Fighter IV FightSticks: Any fighting game aficionado will tell you that playing with a normal controller is for suckers. An arcade stick gives you much more control over your moves and combos, allowing you to thoroughly destroy the competition. And while this particular stick is branded with Street Fighter IV graphics, it'll work with any game. $70 [Link]

Microsoft Sidewinder X8: For PC gamers, the mouse is an important accessory. For years, wireless mice have been ignored thanks to lag, but the current crop of mice finally has the goods to hang with their wired cousins. The Sidewinder X8 is one of the best, offering up speedy response time, long battery life and comfy ergonomics. $75 [Link]

Arkeg: The Arkeg is an arcade cabinet with a kegorator inside. Yes, arcade games and beers. If you can swing the pricetag on this bad boy, I'm pretty sure you'll make anybody with a pulse really happy. $4,000 [Arkeg; Link] Thanks to the people who mentioned the correct Arkeg link!

DON'T BUY Ultimate Game Chair: A chair with speakers is a stupid idea. No self-respecting adult would have this in their home, and kids would get bored with the gimmick quickly. If you're going to clutter up your living room with video game related crap, it might as well be plastic instruments and skateboards. $570 [Target]

All Giz Wants is our annual round-up of favorite gift ideas, including amazing attainable objects and a few far-out fantasies. We'll be popping guides catered to different interests several times per day for the next week, so keep checking back.

I mean, it's not the kind of game that should be played at a distance, and this custom-built board doesn't even have holes along the track. Although, I have to give the designer credit for the gumball prize—that was a nice touch. Check out the project page for full details on the build. [Marble Maze via Trossen Robotics via Hacked Gadgets]

But then, that's nowhere where you haven't been before, so probably he won't give a damn either. And I won't blame him. [Joystiq]

This video should illustrate what the gameplay is like. It's made by a company familiar with music games, but the reason we're interested is with the digital music part. How well it'll work is up to the developers, but it's something that we want to see more of.

In fact, games like this could help sell music in weird ways if users are posting that certain songs get them certain levels that are really great. A crap song could make for a really good level. At the very least, you'll be able to explore your music library in a weird way. [Joystiq]

The two guys, dressed as Mario and Luigi, were in a yellow cab with two other individuals at around 4am. It was then when one of the passengers tried to get his hand into the driver's pocket, who stopped in a gas station at 863 Arthur Kill Road in Great Kills, and asked them to pay and leave.

At that point, Mario and Luigi got out of the car and started to beat the cabbie, perhaps thinking that gold coins were going to jump out of him. Idiots. Everybody knows that only works with bouncy brick blocks. [NY Daily News via Kotaku]

Video editing by Kyle VanHemert.

The musical cosmos have been tilted out of balance for quite a while now, violently thrown askew sometime between when the first fake guitar rolled off an assembly line in China and the first time a child recognized the Beatles on the radio as "that song from my Xbox!" Today, as we watch a young lady with a flute totally pass for a Very Serious Yelling Man with a facial tattoo, it feels like, in some small way, order has been restored. [Neatorama via Kotaku]

For the most part, do you consider these digital upgrades as good or bad ideas?

Not everything's better digitized, you know? People like pinball because it's nostalgic and flawed, not because it's such a great game. Sure, this digital version lets you "bump and tilt," and for $6,000 I'm sure the rendering of the flippers is excellent—but it's got no soul. But since pinball was already pretty much dead by the time I was born, maybe I'm not the best authority on the subject. It's available from HS now. [Hammacher Schlemmer via Technabob Crunchgear]