One element of my work requires me to work on a number of people's computers and laptops.  More revealing than the entries in the internet favourites list and the contents of folders marked 'Private' are the desktop backgrounds used.

I find that people tend neatly to fit into one of the following groups:

• The desktop is the new office photo frame, proudly displaying members of the family or loved pets, or even their car
• There is a photograph of an exotic location from their last holiday (with them in the picture if they really want to rub your nose in it)
• A photograph of a random landscape - most likely taken by them
• The background shows the default Windows XP green fields (either the user is too busy to go round changing pictures, or they haven't worked out how to do it yet)
• The background has been changed for another from the pre-supplied Windows list of pictures
• The background picture has been removed altogether - icons sit on a plain blue background (the user either believes this will make the computer run faster, or doesn't want to give away any clues to their true personality)

These further sub-divide into those that change the picture weekly, monthly, seasonally, yearly etc.

Me?  I fall into the third camp, going for a change every 2 months or so.  In fact, since going digital with my photography about 2 years ago, I still haven't got round to printing out any of the pictures I have taken.  I tend to take photographs that I intend to specifically use as my Windows background picture.  I always intend to put the others into a screensaver (there's another test of personality - I'll save that for another entry) but never quite get around to it.  This entry is illustrated by my current Windows background picture - a photograph taken on Bank Holiday Monday near The Lizard, here in Cornwall. 

Can you identify yourself, or do I not work with a certain category of person from the cross-section of society?  What's sitting behind your icons today and when did you last change it?