Finally got a PC running Windows XP at work, and fiddling with all the bits concrened mostly with look and feel, I stumbled upon the 'Cleartype' option. This doesn't seem to be on by default, and is buried quite deep, so if you've not found it, it's in Display Settings, Appearance Tab, Effects Button.
It seems simple enough - some kind of dynamic anti-aliasing for system fonts, but switching this on works wonders for the look of Windows. Suddenly all the fonts on webpages, dialogue boxes, applications, etc, all look softer, smooth and stylish. Toggle it on and off a bit and you'll see the difference; the transformation is remarkable from such a silly little thing. I've no idea if this is causing me all sorts of system resource problems elsewhere, but it definitely improves user experience for me, although I could see that some people might find readability issues with it turned on, as the smoothing reduces edge contrast.
I'm also using the 'Olive' colour scheme, which grows on you. Plus, since I use the 'Silver' one at home, I can now easily tell if I am at work or at home!
The whole operating system is starting to look quite stylish nowadays, something that only the Macs could really achieve previously. Apparently, the Next Windows will have scaling icons and so on, but I have my reservations about that; scaling pictures up usually makes them go all nasty, even in Photoshop.
It's good to see areas like this, traditionally the preserve of the Engineer, being seriously looked at by the Designer nowadays.
Monster Of The Day: The Mimic
"...defies logic! How can a creature exist whose staple diet is treasure hunters? Yet this ridiculous quirk of nature casually defies everything Darwin holds dear. I mean what? Over millions of years, creatures who look most like boxes of gold coins are most likely to have some idiot stick their heads in their mouths? Whereas, presumably, creatures who look very little like a box of gold coins do not have people stick their heads in them, and die out? It's preposterous! I shall take the matter up with Darwin next time he visits the Club, and I tell you what, he'd better have a damnably good explanation! His 'Theory of Evolution' seemed such a clever one, too..." - Personal Journal of Ignatius Peabody, Research Monsterhunter.