I've got a netbook running Ubuntu 11.04, a secondary machine that I'm looking to set up as a personal dashboard, sort of like Geckoboard is for business analytics. I just want to see notifications from email, facebook, twitter, etc. in a clean, simple, consistent, and aesthetically pleasing view.
I've looked into Screenlets, but they mostly look awful, and they're not all consistent with each other. At least, the default screenlets that I've seen aren't.
I'm eventually planning on hooking this up to a wall-mounted monitor. Primary purpose is to be able to keep an eye on things while I'm gaming or watching movies full-screen on my primary machine. (Or, y'know, doing work and not wanting to tab-switch constantly to check on everything.)
Something like the "Panic Status Board" would be beautiful.