Bring a Little Mardi Gras to Your Mac

by , 8:55 AM EST, February 28th, 2006

Mardi Gras in New Orleans is an event to behold, and for those of us that have to forego the annual pilgrimage this year, there are a few things we can do to bring today's Fat Tuesday celebration a little closer to home.

Grab Some Icons
Start by livening up your Desktop with a few Mardi Gras icons. The Carnival collection from warrior~poet contains several icons suited for a day in the French Quarter, including crowns, masks, and beads. The icons are free, and available in folder and iContainer formats.

Get a Screen Saver
The 3D Mardi Gras screen saver from MacIntoshScreenSavers includes 3-dimensional Mardi Gras animations, jazz music, and other sound effects. If your boss isn't as excited about today's celebration as you are, you can shut the sound effects off. 3D Mardi Gras is available for download at the MacIntoshScreenSavers Web site, and costs US$9.95.

Families line up early for the parades.

Watch the Action
Nola.com has six live cameras strategically placed around New Orleans and the French Quarter. The site also hosts complete listings of the Mardi Gras parade schedules, and the broadcast schedules. My recommendation: Stick with the Bourbocam, Paradecam, and Beadcam.

Just because you're stuck at work today doesn't mean your Mac can't help you join in on a little bit of today's Mardi Gras festivities. If you are lucky enough, however, to be in the Crescent City today, remember to have fun, party safe, and Throw me somethin', Mister.