GeekTool is a small, yet remarkably powerful application that some neglect because of it’s steep learning curve. Thankfully for uniquely useful apps like GeekTool, there is always a community of users that make the app even better — and in this case simpler.
From basic to exceedingly complex, the following is an assortment of very useful, powerful and fun Geeklets and scripts that can help you get started with GeekTool. From weather, power consumption and productiveness to social, music and Internet, there are plenty of great Geeklets to try and enjoy. Just remember not to use too many Geeklets at once; your RAM will thank you.
On Mac.AppStorm we occasionally like to highlight awesome posts from our archive that are still relevant now, this is one of those.
For the Weather Geek
Wether & Forecast Information from Google Weather 1.1
This first Geeklet displays wether and forecast information in a very elegant way. This is probably one of the easiest scrips to install and it looks beautiful in a minimalistic desktop. Follow the instruction on the link, and you should have it running on your desktop in no time. You can finally ditch that silly OSX widget.
Satellite Weather Map
This Geeklet comes in the form of a satellite weather map. For those of you out there who like to keep track of weather in a visual way, this is perfect for you. You can even get creative and design a sweet wallpaper that encases the map in a monitor.
The F****** Weather
If you like to show your humorous side, this is perhaps the funniest Geeklet around. The F****** Weather will fetch the weather information from this site and display it right on your desktop.
Yahoo! Weather Info
Like the Google Weather Geeklet, this one display the weather in a simplistic way. However this Geeklet fetches the weather information from Yahoo! Weather. It also has a very nice look to it.
Desktop Weather with Icon and Forecast
Sometimes you want a very detailed rundown of how the weather is going to be this week. If this is the case, check this Geeklet out. This one displays the weather from Yahoo! as well, but it shows you the full HTML extract of the current forecast.
For the Math Geek
Disk Capacity Meter
Disk Capacity Meter is a beautiful and well designed script that displays your disk capacity in a rather geeky way. The creator(s) do suggest using it in a darker wallpaper, but if you want to get your hands dirty, customize it however you like.
Circle Volume Indicator
This is another very cool circle indicator that presents your Mac’s volume. It comes with instructions and three different versions; it even includes the PSD so you can customize it the way you want. (Don’t forget to download the font.)
System Info Circular Graphics
Like the two above, this Geeklet displays your system’s information in a circular graphic. From CPU, to disk usage and memory, you can stay on top of your system’s numbers. Plus, any techie loves a sleek circle to display current CPU usage.
CPU Memory & Disk Usage Meter
Similar to the Geeklet above, this one displays information in a neat meter. The colors can be changed with a few edits to the script. If you are an expert however, you could even add images to it.
Battery Status
Battery Status is pretty self-explanatory. It displays your battery status in a very simple way. Nothing fancy here, but this is a good Geeklet to have if you want to start creating your own.
Circlette Status
To continue with the circular theme we have going on, these circular Geeklets display time, temperature, date and so on. They also look great with a Bowtie theme called Neon.
For the Productive Geek
Dateline Style Calendar
If you like to have a stylish calendar on your desktop, this one is for you. This awesome calendar is styled after Dateline and displays beautifully on your desktop. The script in the Geeklet is also in GitHub, so take a look at that if you’d like to fork it.
Desktop Date & Time
These are a group of very simple Geeklets that’ll display date, time, month, year and pretty much all you need to know exactly what date you are in. You can combine them all in one Geeklet or use them separately.
List Tasks from Things App
Things is a great app to have, but wouldn’t it be great to display your tasks on your desktop? This Geeklet let’s you do just that. Make sure you read the comments in the link as they will help you getting this one up and running if you have any trouble.
Fully Customizable iCal Events List
In case you don’t have Things, this Geeklet let’s you show your iCal events in a beautiful way. If you want a simple way to display your events in a place where you can see them clearly, this is your safest bet.
Google Calendar: Agenda, Week and Month View
This one is a bit hard to install, but if you are successful, you can display a lot of information from your Google Calendar. This Geeklet is not as good looking as the others, but it has tremendous power.
Timepiece
You don’t like seeing time in digital form? Check this analog clock Geeklet. It has a very simple design but if you dig deeper, I’m sure you can change its look and feel.
For the Music Geek
iTunesGeeklet v2.0
If music is what you’re into, iTunesGeeklet has you covered. This sweet Geeklet comes packed with functionality. You can create your own themes or pick from any of the bundled themes. It also uses some code optimization to lower CPU usage.
Spotify Now Playing
Find yourself listening and using Spotify a lot? Perhaps you’ll find this simple Geeklet useful. It simply displays what is currently playing in Spotify. Be careful with these Geeklets, some of them need a refresh rate of one second, so they may eat your computer’s memory.
Simple iTunes Track Info
Like iTunesGeeklet, this one showcases information on the current track but it doesn’t have any of the fancy things iTunesGeeklet does. If you want a very simple and tight way of displaying iTunes info, this is the one for you.
VLC Now Playing
This VLC Geeklet does pretty much what the ones above do, but instead of supporting iTunes or Spotify it supports the VLC player. Those who prefer using VLC over iTunes should take a look at this Geeklet.
iTunes Song Meter
If you want a very simple way to know when your song will end, this is the Geeklet you’re looking for. It is a fairly simple meter that shows the song progress.
For the Social Geek
Enhanced Mail.app Email List
This one is for the hardcore emailers out there. If you’d rather have your email list on your desktop, this Geeklet let’s you do just that. In case you prefer something simpler, check the one below.
Simple Unread Mail Messages
Waiting for an email but hate having that Mail.app window active? This Geekled will show your unread messages on your desktop. Unlike the one above this one doesn’t show all messages, just the unread ones.
Latest Tweet as a Quote
If you like quotes, and you like to keep up with your tweets, try out this Geeklet. It grabs the most recent tweet on your timeline and displays it as a quote.
Twitter Timeline (using Twitter for Mac Client)
Twitter Timeline Geeklet goes beyond the one above and displays a list of tweets from your timeline. It uses the Twitter Mac client to fetch the information, so you might want to check the comments on how that works.
Show iChat Buddies
The title says it all. If you want a neat way to display your iChat buddies from all your accounts look no further. This little giant displays your online contacts and marks them with different colors so you know your contact’s current availability.
Facebook News Feed, Status Updates and Notifications
Any social enthusiast keeps up with their Facebook activity and with this Geeklet they can’t go wrong. It shows many Facebook updates like news feed, status updates and even notifications.
Adium Status Reminder
Adium Status Reminder is pretty simple, it shows your current Adium status. Use this to remind yourself if you are away or available.
For the Artistic Geek
SpiderMac
SpiderMac is a very clever use of Geektool. The author has taken a Spider-Man comic strip and filled the speech bubbles with relevant Geeklets. You can find all you need to replicate this look on the link below.
April ’11 Geektool Desktop
Anyone that has has been to the Geektool page on the Mac App Store knows about this beautiful desktop. If you want something like it, simply follow the steps in the link below. You can even change some of the steps to change the look to fit your needs.
Windows 8 Inspired Desktop
We all love our Macs, myself included, but I have to admit this one looks stunning. The Windows 8 Inspired Desktop takes amazing advantage of Geektool and arranges your desktop to look just like you have Windows 8. In the link below, hover over the image to see the different scrips used.
Geektool with Facebook
This one here is an amazing example of how you can blend your Geeklets and scrips with your wallpaper. The date uses a special font to mix and match with the graffiti in the wallpaper. Facebook updates subtly in the background. Check out the comments for instructions on how to get that Facebook script.
Wallpaper Changer
Want a wallpaper that changes according to the time of the day? This is for you! If you are a photographer and you took a beautiful picture of a sunset or a sunrise, you should check this one out.
For the Internet Geek
Websites Online/Offline
Want to check if your website is down? Perhaps you want to know if a site you frequent is offline or online? This simple yet clever Geeklet will tell you exactly that.
Desktop IP Camera
Desktop IP Camera is for the person who has security cameras in a wired network. Check out the link below to see if this is right for you.
Word of the Day
The Dictionary.com iPhone app always tells me the Word of the Day, but I always ignore it because I don’t want to open the app to read the definition. This Geeklet shows you the Word of the Day from Dictionary.com’s RSS feed — definition and all.
Show Active Network Connections
This Geeklet is pretty simple. It shows your active network connections. Nothing great here, but if you like monitoring them, here is a way to see them.
IP Address Info from Router
Don’t want to go online to know what your IP is? This small scrip will grab your IP locally.
Display Recent RSS Feed Items
Sometimes RSS Feeds go unread. This Geeklet will help you by having them right on your desktop. Some may have problems with this Geeklet depending on what version of OSX you are running.
For the Themed Geek
Tron Inspired Desktop
Beautiful, isn’t it? This desktop is powered by a few Geeklets that come ready to be placed on your desktop. All you need to do is get that wallpaper, install the Geeklets and you are set. All you need is in the link below.
Son of a Man Desktop Theme
Son of a Man Desktop theme styles a beautifully arranged set of Geeklets that makes your desktop look very classy. You can have the same look on your desktop by using the link below.
Pirate Bay Collection Theme
This theme has a collection of Geeklets that are used to give your desktop life. If you are a fan of the Pirate Bay, this one is for you.
Dubstep Theme
Dubstep is all the rage today. With these bundle of Geeklets you can make your computer drop the bass like a pro. Even if you don’t like dubstep, these arrangement of Geeklets look amazing.
HTC Clock
Like that big, front and center clock on your HTC Device? Check out this clever Geeklet that mimics that look and feel right on your desktop.
Need more inspiration? Check this link to see how others use GeekTool and start creating your own awesome Geeklets and themes!
Share Yours
Geektool is a great gadget to take advantage of your creativity and the empty space on your desktop. These are just a few Geeklets and scripts that can be found all around the web. If you have any awesome Geeklets that you use or scripts you have come across recently, let us know in the comments below. We would love to check them out!