State offers screen saver with architectural wonders
Architectural and history buffs may enjoy a new screen saver that recently launched by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
The new screen saver offers historic landmarks and buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places and other buildings deemed eligible for the register. They include the Campana factory in Batavia, Fort Sheridan in Highland Park, and other buildings in Woodstock, Waukegan, Wilmette and elsewhere around the state.
The screen saver is free and can be downloaded for PCs at www.illinoishistory.gov/ps. There is no Mac or mobile version yet. The PC version has 58 images and likely will change occasionally with photos from buildings, said Mike Jackson, division manager of the agency’s Preservation Services Division.
“We stopped producing a calendar and many people still wanted to see historic buildings,” he said. “The screen saver came to mind and it’s something everyone can use and enjoy.”
The state purchased new software to design the screen saver in-house. Instead of just a routine slideshow, the screen saver offers various images transitioning from one to another, some from left to right, and other presentations. The screen saver doesn’t currently offer music, due to concerns over permission. But that may change in the future, Jackson said.
The staff then reviewed newly taken staff or donated photos of various properties and chose the most attractive. Eventually, the staff aims to represent communities statewide, he said.
Surfing: The state’s hiring tool, Illinoisjoblink.com, helped link employers with qualified applicants at the state’s Hire Our Heroes Veteran job event in Chicago. The site offered 63 businesses with 415 job openings. The Illinois Department of Employment Security contacted 21,000 veterans and then matched the skills on their resumes with those sought by businesses. This led to 577 on-site interviews and 152 job offers, the agency said.
Ÿ Earlier this week, T-Mobile said it simplified its plans by offering the Simple Choice Plan. Customers can start with one line at $50 per month for unlimited talk, text and Web with 500MB of high-speed data. Customers can add a second phone line for $30 per month, and each additional line is just $10 per month. They also can add 2 GB of high-speed data for $10 per month more per line. Unlimited 4G data is $20 more per month per line. There are no caps or overage charges.
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