03 February 2016

How to Use Animated GIF Images as your Mac Wallpaper


You may have seen web pages with video backgrounds but did you know that it is also possible to use videos and animated GIF images as backgrounds for your Mac desktop. OS X natively supports only static wallpaper images but there’s a little Mac utility called GIFPaper that adds support for animated live backgrounds to your desktop.

Animated GIF as Mac Desktop Background

Animated GIFs as Mac Background

It takes a few easy steps to inject some life in your Mac background.

Step 1. Download a GIF image. You can use Giphy for readymade GIFs, or create your own cinemagraphs with Photoshop or, if you are trying to use a video, convert to GIF using FFMpeg.

Step 2. Download the GIFPaper app from Dropbox (link found via Reddit) and extract the content to a local folder.

Step 3. Double-click the GIFPaperPrefs.prefPane file inside the extracted folder to install the preferences pane. Go to your Mac’s System Preferences and double-click GIFPaperPref to launch the actual app.

GIF Desktop for Mac

Step 4. Browse the computer, locate the GIF, set the Scaling to “Axes Independently” and the GIF will be set as the background of your Mac desktop. If you have a multiple virtual desktops, only the current screen will be changed.

You can place add GIFPaperAgent to your Mac login items to preserve your wallpaper preferences. Also, it might not be a good idea to use animated on older Macs since it does consume system resources.


The story, How to Use Animated GIF Images as your Mac Wallpaper, was originally published at Digital Inspiration by Amit Agarwal on 03/02/2016 under Apple Mac, GIF, Internet.

The Directory of Twitter News Feeds


Twitter is the best source of news on the Internet but there’s no denying the fact that Twitter is both complex and confusing for most people. Unlike a newspaper website where you just open the homepage and read the news, you need to follow the right set of people before understanding the true potential of Twitter.

Twitter realises this problem and they are now trying to capture the audience that stumble upon Twitter just for catching up with news but may not be inclined to traverse the complex universe of Likes and RTs. Now when you open the Twitter homepage, they will show you to the top tweets across various categories without requiring you to sign up. The tweets are grouped in categories like Sports, Music, Food, etc. so it is easier than ever before to follow your interests.

Twitter News Source

See the Top Tweets for any Category

The Twitter news feeds surface the top tweets for any category but, for some unknown reason, they have made these available only to users who are not logged into Twitter.

Not a problem as here are direct URLs (links) that will help you access all the Twitter category feeds without having to log out of your Twitter account. The list covers both US and India specific Twitter news categories. You can bookmark the pages that pique your interest and access them anytime, anywhere.

Also see: The Best Twitter Tools

Twitter News Feeds (US)

General news sources Business news Journalists & pundits
World news Weather news & meteorologists Financial news & analysts
Tech blogs & reporters Tech CEOs, investors & startups Space news, Nonprofits & foundations
Designers & architects Authors, critics & publishers Photographers & photo agencies
NFL players, teams & personalities NBA players, teams & personalities College basketball teams & fans
MLB players, teams & personalities Soccer players, teams & fans NHL players, teams & personalities
NASCAR drivers & teams WWE wrestlers & personalities MMA fighters & personalities
Golfers, tours & commentators College football teams & personalities Celebrity news
TV shows & stars Actors & actresses Reality TV shows & stars
TV talent shows & contestants Industry news, film critics & festivals Video games & gamers
Science news & journalists Celebrity chefs & personalities Parenting experts & opinion
Home design & decorators Food, drinks & entertainment guides Travel guides, airlines & hotels
Health & fitness Automakers & reviewers Wedding guides
Inspiration & motivation Pop artists Hip hop \/ rap artists
Country artists Latino artists R&B soul artists
Classic rock groups Dance electronic artists Metal groups
Comedians, writers & late-night hosts Cute animals Cool & interesting photos
Art museums & publications Beauty & cosmetics brands Clothing brands & retailers
High-end fashion labels Politicians, pundits & parties US federal agencies

Twitter News Feeds (India)

Entertainment Sports Government and Politics
Music News Cricketers and Commentators
Youth and Music Women Comedy and Humour
South Indian NGOs and Social Good CEOs
Bollywood and Celebrities Food Hindi Music
Fashion Breaking News Indian Athletes
Politicians and Pol Parties Business and Financial News Punjabi Music
Government & Public Utilities Books & Authors Entertainment Channels
TV Personalities Leagues and Teams Sports News, TV and Scores
Journalists Indie & Electronic Music Brands

These semi-curated Twitter News Feeds are probably the best thing to have happened to Twitter in recent times. Content discovery has always been an issue in the world of Twitter but now you can easily find the top tweets for your favourite category without the chaos.

If you are curious to know how I found these Twitter feeds, the answer is web scraping and some trial-n-error. Also, I think Twitter is using geo-location to tailor the news feeds so if you are, say, in UK, your news feed links will be different from mine.


The story, The Directory of Twitter News Feeds, was originally published at Digital Inspiration by Amit Agarwal on 03/02/2016 under Twitter, Internet.