1024x768 Palm Tree Beach Wallpaper"> -

He moved the cursor one last time, right between the two palm trees, as if he were virtually tapping the screen goodbye.

Scattered across their white-sand beach were "folders"—clunky yellow rectangles that Greg had dropped there over the years. One was labeled Taxes 2008 . Another was just called New Folder (4) . To the palm trees, these were huge, monolithic monuments. To Greg, they were clutter.

Do you have a of an old computer or a classic wallpaper that used to be your favorite? 1024x768 Palm Tree Beach Wallpaper">

Then, the cursor did something it had never done before. It clicked the "Internet Explorer" icon. A moment later, a window popped up. Greg wasn't looking at spreadsheets anymore. He was looking at one-way flight tickets to Belize.

The beach was suddenly empty. For the first time since the Windows XP installation, the palm trees could see the entire horizon. He moved the cursor one last time, right

"He’s gone," Asset_01 whispered. "The Great User has moved on to a Laptop. I heard it has 'Retina Display.' We're obsolete."

For fifteen years, the two palm trees—officially named Asset_01 and Asset_02—hadn't moved an inch. They were trapped in a permanent state of 72 DPI bliss. Their job was simple: provide a "relaxing atmosphere" for a guy named Greg while he balanced spreadsheets and ignored emails. Another was just called New Folder (4)

Asset_01, the taller tree with the slightly jagged frond, was a cynic. "He’s doing it again," he’d rustle (silently, of course). "He’s hovering the cursor over the Trash bin. One day, he’s going to drag us in there and replace us with a high-res photo of a mountain range in Switzerland."