Man spends year searching for the actual source of a Windows XP wallpaper

zekrahminator · Feb 24, 2007, 02:28 PM

Someone has dedicated the past year of their life to searching for a very simple thing: the actual place where a Windows XP wallpaper was shot. New York resident Nick Tosches took one look at "Autumn", and knew he wanted to find the place where Microsoft photographers got the picture. He searched long and hard, calling Microsoft PR's, inn owners, and local farmers. He eventually found the background "just west of Toronto in the Burlington suburb of Kilbride". In regards to his search, Tosches says "It was insane. Something that would appear very simple at first probably turned out to be one of the most difficult searches of my life." The picture of the actual Windows XP background is below.

Source: The Star

LiNKiN · Feb 24, 2007, 02:30 PM

obsess much? Now thats dedication!

BXtreme · Feb 24, 2007, 02:33 PM

1 year, woah, now that's curiosity imo, and nice to see ms has many things that attract ppl

Frogger · Feb 24, 2007, 02:45 PM

that's just done the highway from my house... next time i'm out that way going to have a look and see if it still looks the same or if they cut down the trees .. to build a condo..

Dark Ride · Feb 24, 2007, 02:49 PM

His shot looks fake. The pictures are 100% identical, which is impossible.

zekrahminator · Feb 24, 2007, 02:50 PM

There are less leaves in the second one, the lighting is different...either that or I should get rid of the second picture and we can pretend it never happened

.

BXtreme · Feb 24, 2007, 02:55 PM

well, it can be photoshopped, but someone's find must not be doubted like that, as i'm doing lol, j/k.

ghost101 · Feb 24, 2007, 02:55 PM

The shots are identical. Look at visible branches above. The exact same ones. The leaves' positions are also identical.

edit: ive reread the article, the one to the right is actually the wallpaper.

zekrahminator · Feb 24, 2007, 02:58 PM

Alright I'll make second picture go away

.

Dark Ride · Feb 24, 2007, 03:10 PM

I figured it out by reading the original article on The Star. The second picture is the original picture shot by Peter Burian in October 1999. The XP Wallpaper version is the same picture, only cropped and the colors/contrast is adjusted.

Guttboy · Feb 24, 2007, 03:11 PM

This was on the AM station I listen to driving to work...they stated he went all over and ended up discovering from Microsoft's assistance..the Canadian photographer that took the photo. When they got in touch he was provided with the photographers information and made contact. The rest is the ..... end of the road...LOL

Alcpone · Feb 24, 2007, 03:44 PM

Its a pretty picture, if I would spend a year of my life looking for it, I dont think sooo...

Why didnt he use his brain abit better and try and find who the photographer was from the start, would of saved alot of time and money!

Ben Clarke · Feb 24, 2007, 03:57 PM

Hmm.. he must really of liked that picture.

killatia · Feb 24, 2007, 04:30 PM

my god how bored was this guy?

WarEagleAU · Feb 24, 2007, 05:41 PM

Beautiful picture, but I think this just goes to show how bad Obsession can be.

J0N · Feb 24, 2007, 05:59 PM

At least he was only stalking trees. I'd prefer he stalked trees instead of little girls.

Completely Bonkers · Feb 24, 2007, 06:10 PM

What TWO pictures are you comparing?

Because the picture in the STAR article is the same as the picture on techpowerup. Only color differences. And when you go to VANITY FAIR ONLINE you get to TWO versions of the picture. ONE of them was licensed from MS. The others were not.

Don't confuse the guy who wrote the article with the original photograhper.

Article: Nick Tosches
Photo: Peter Burian

AND

There wasn't a fanatic looking for the picture for a YEAR. It a misunderstanding of the article. The guy that was looking for the picture IS A JOURNALIST... who happens, on business, to go all over the world... and names some nice places... and HE PHONED MS to get the name of the photographer.

This is NOT A NEW ITEM. It is just journalism. It should be removed from techpowerup.

WHAT IS HAPPENDING TO THE QUALITY OF THE NEWS ITEMS!!!! OMG
Different guys!

regan1985 · Feb 24, 2007, 07:37 PM

Could Have Just Asked The Bloody Fool Lol

Guttboy · Feb 25, 2007, 12:08 AM

I liked Zek's article....dont have a problem with that here at times at all. Just my 2.5 centavos....

newtekie1 · Feb 25, 2007, 12:41 AM

And to think, he could have been using that time looking for something much more useful, like my damn car keys...

spectre440 · Feb 25, 2007, 08:22 AM

some people just have WAY too much time on their hands...

instead of like... finding a cure for cancer, or working on an alternative fuel source, or something like that, they spend their time tracking down places like this...

though, you gotta appriciate the determination this guy had and the time he put in.

NympH · Feb 25, 2007, 10:50 AM

The man with no life!

Pinchy · Feb 26, 2007, 10:47 AM

and this is why America's unemployment rate is high

j/k

FLY3R · Feb 27, 2007, 05:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frogger

that's just done the highway from my house... next time i'm out that way going to have a look and see if it still looks the same or if they cut down the trees .. to build a condo..

It says you live in canada lamoafo, a bit far away, any hoot, wuts at the end of the path?

Feb 24, 2007, 02:28 PM	#1
zekrahminator McLovin Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: My house. Posts: 6,280 (2.35/day) Thanks: 105 Thanked 340 Times in 246 Posts System Specs	Man spends year searching for the actual source of a Windows XP wallpaper Someone has dedicated the past year of their life to searching for a very simple thing: the actual place where a Windows XP wallpaper was shot. New York resident Nick Tosches took one look at "Autumn", and knew he wanted to find the place where Microsoft photographers got the picture. He searched long and hard, calling Microsoft PR's, inn owners, and local farmers. He eventually found the background "just west of Toronto in the Burlington suburb of Kilbride". In regards to his search, Tosches says "It was insane. Something that would appear very simple at first probably turned out to be one of the most difficult searches of my life." The picture of the actual Windows XP background is below. Source: The Star Last edited by zekrahminator; Feb 24, 2007 at 02:58 PM.

Processor:	AMD Athlon 64 X2 4800+ Brisbane @ 2.8GHz (224x12.5, 1.425V)
Motherboard:	Gigabyte sumthin-or-another, it's got an nForce 430
Cooling:	Dual 120mm case fans front/rear, Arctic Cooling Freezer 64 Pro, Zalman VF-900 on GPU
Memory:	2GB G.Skill DDR2 800
Video Card:	Sapphire X850XT @ 580/600
Hard Disk:	WD 160 GB SATA hard drive.
Optical Drive:	Lite-On DVD-RW.
CRT/LCD Model:	Hanns G 19" widescreen, 5ms response time, 1440x900
Case:	Thermaltake Soprano (black with side window).
Sound Card:	Soundblaster Live! 24 bit (paired with X-530 speakers).
PSU:	ThermalTake 430W TR2
Software:	XP Home SP2, can't wait for Vista SP1.

System Name:	Bazinga!
Processor:	AMD A10-5800K
Motherboard:	GIGABYTE GA-F2A85X-UP4
Cooling:	COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
Memory:	G.SKILL Sniper Series 16GB DDR3 2133
Video Card:	MSI N670GTX-PM2D2GD5/OC
Hard Disk:	OCZ Agility 4 128G (Boot)/WD Blue 1TB (Storage)/Seagate 3TB (Games)
Optical Drive:	SAMSUNG SH-B123L
CRT/LCD Model:	VIZIO 37" 1080p 60Hz HDTV, E371VL
Case:	COOLER MASTER CM Storm Scout 2
Sound Card:	ASUS Xonar DX 7.1 Channels
PSU:	OCZ Fatal1ty 750W Modular Gaming 80Plus
Software:	Windows 7 Ultimate x64

Feb 24, 2007, 02:33 PM	#3
BXtreme Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Kolkata, India Posts: 925 (0.40/day) Thanks: 13 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts System Specs	1 year, woah, now that's curiosity imo, and nice to see ms has many things that attract ppl __________________ Solaris Utility DVD 3.0

Processor:	Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 @ 3.2 ghz\|\| Core2 T5250
Motherboard:	Asus P6N Platinum \|\| 965GM
Cooling:	Air cooling
Memory:	Kingston 2x1gb DDR2 677mhz \|\| 2x1gb 667mhz
Video Card:	XFX 8800 GTS 640mb \|\| Geforce 8600GT M
Hard Disk:	Seagate 500GB Sata \|\| 160gb
Optical Drive:	Sony Blu ray HD drive \|\| 8x Dual layer DVD burner
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung 30" HD LCD \|\| 15" lcd (laptop)
Case:	A not-so-known brand case w/ two fans and some blue lightings
Sound Card:	Onboard HD
PSU:	Corsair HX620W
Software:	Mac OS X Leopard, Linux Mint 4.0, and all windoze...geez...

Feb 24, 2007, 02:30 PM	#2
LiNKiN Staff Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 1,375 (0.51/day) Thanks: 221 Thanked 294 Times in 204 Posts System Specs	obsess much? Now thats dedication!

Feb 24, 2007, 02:45 PM	#4
Frogger Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: ONTARIO CANADA Posts: 1,932 (0.73/day) Thanks: 324 Thanked 242 Times in 216 Posts System Specs	that's just done the highway from my house... next time i'm out that way going to have a look and see if it still looks the same or if they cut down the trees .. to build a condo.. __________________ You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline-it helps if you have some kind of a football team,or some nuclear weapons,BUT at the very least you need a BEER!-Frank Zappa

System Name:	MONEY PIT
Processor:	i7-3770K @ 4800 1.20v batch #3231B415
Motherboard:	ASrock Z77 OC Formula w onboard waterblocks
Cooling:	Apogee HD, MCP655,rad MCR320-XP,Micro Rev2 res
Memory:	G,skill Trident X F3-2400C10D-16GTX
Video Card:	MSI R7970 PE @1150/1700 LIGHTING bios Wcooled
Hard Disk:	2x120gig Wildfire raid0 2x120gig VERTEX3 raid0
CRT/LCD Model:	eyefinity 3 Samsung2343bwx
Case:	NZXT Phantom White w/red
Sound Card:	ReCon3d fatal1ty pro, Logitech z906 THX
PSU:	corsair AX860i
Software:	64bit ++++ win 7

Feb 24, 2007, 02:49 PM	#5
Dark Ride Mushkin Rep Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Europe Posts: 534 (0.19/day) Thanks: 6 Thanked 29 Times in 7 Posts	His shot looks fake. The pictures are 100% identical, which is impossible. __________________

Feb 24, 2007, 02:50 PM	#6
zekrahminator McLovin Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: My house. Posts: 6,280 (2.35/day) Thanks: 105 Thanked 340 Times in 246 Posts System Specs	There are less leaves in the second one, the lighting is different...either that or I should get rid of the second picture and we can pretend it never happened . __________________ “Just because you're hung like a moose doesn't mean you should do porn.”

Feb 24, 2007, 02:55 PM	#7
BXtreme Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Kolkata, India Posts: 925 (0.40/day) Thanks: 13 Thanked 7 Times in 7 Posts System Specs	well, it can be photoshopped, but someone's find must not be doubted like that, as i'm doing lol, j/k. __________________ Solaris Utility DVD 3.0

Feb 24, 2007, 02:55 PM	#8
ghost101 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: London Posts: 1,170 (0.46/day) Thanks: 73 Thanked 168 Times in 144 Posts System Specs	The shots are identical. Look at visible branches above. The exact same ones. The leaves' positions are also identical. edit: ive reread the article, the one to the right is actually the wallpaper.

Feb 24, 2007, 02:58 PM	#9
zekrahminator McLovin Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: My house. Posts: 6,280 (2.35/day) Thanks: 105 Thanked 340 Times in 246 Posts System Specs	Alright I'll make second picture go away . __________________ “Just because you're hung like a moose doesn't mean you should do porn.”

Feb 24, 2007, 03:10 PM	#10
Dark Ride Mushkin Rep Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Europe Posts: 534 (0.19/day) Thanks: 6 Thanked 29 Times in 7 Posts	I figured it out by reading the original article on The Star. The second picture is the original picture shot by Peter Burian in October 1999. The XP Wallpaper version is the same picture, only cropped and the colors/contrast is adjusted. __________________

Feb 24, 2007, 03:11 PM	#11
Guttboy Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Colorado Posts: 286 (0.12/day) Thanks: 37 Thanked 9 Times in 9 Posts System Specs	This was on the AM station I listen to driving to work...they stated he went all over and ended up discovering from Microsoft's assistance..the Canadian photographer that took the photo. When they got in touch he was provided with the photographers information and made contact. The rest is the ..... end of the road...LOL

System Name:	First Build 2009
Processor:	Intel E8400 (E0) 3.0GHz
Motherboard:	Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P
Cooling:	Xigmatek HDT S1283 (120mm)
Memory:	G.Skill 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)
Video Card:	EVGA GTX260
Hard Disk:	WD Caviar Black 1TB 7200rpm 32MB SATA
Optical Drive:	Samsung 22x DVDR/RW
CRT/LCD Model:	LG W2600H-PF 25.5" (1920x1200)
Case:	Cooler Master CM690
Sound Card:	Creative Labs X-Fi Xtreme Gamer
PSU:	Corsair 750TX
Software:	Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit

Feb 24, 2007, 03:44 PM	#12
Alcpone Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Tyne & Wear, UK Posts: 1,792 (0.74/day) Thanks: 91 Thanked 97 Times in 57 Posts System Specs	Its a pretty picture, if I would spend a year of my life looking for it, I dont think sooo... Why didnt he use his brain abit better and try and find who the photographer was from the start, would of saved alot of time and money!

System Name:	AMD '13
Processor:	FX-6300 @ 4.43GHz (1.35v)
Motherboard:	Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3 rev 1.0 (F6)
Cooling:	Cooler Master T2 + x2 case fans
Memory:	2x4Gb Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR3-1600 (Stock)
Video Card:	Gigabyte GTX650 Ti OC 2Gb @ 1110/1500
Hard Disk:	Corsair 240Gb SSD / Seagate 500Gb HDD + old skool IDE HDD's x 3
Optical Drive:	LG DVD-RW
CRT/LCD Model:	Acer 23'' LED
Case:	Billy Basic
Sound Card:	Onboard 8.1 HD
PSU:	Corsair CX600
Software:	Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Benchmarks:	Smenchmarks

Feb 24, 2007, 03:57 PM	#13
Ben Clarke Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: England Posts: 2,690 (1.09/day) Thanks: 72 Thanked 157 Times in 134 Posts System Specs	Hmm.. he must really of liked that picture. __________________ [img disabled]http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/anti_mind_virus.png[/img] Knowlege is power. Power corrupts. Be evil, study hard. “E-mail Devil-Boy challenging him to a duel. Sabers, if possible.” -DanTheBanjoman

Processor:	Intel E2220 2.4GHz (Burn-in phase, OC soon)
Motherboard:	DFI Infinity 975X/G
Cooling:	Reference Intel HS + Fan
Memory:	2x1GB DDR2 G.Skill 800MHz
Video Card:	PowerColour HD3850 256MB
Hard Disk:	160GB Hitachi Deskstar
Optical Drive:	DVD+-RW Drive
CRT/LCD Model:	Emprex ???
Case:	TIME Office G4 ATX case from 10 years ago
Sound Card:	Sound Blaster Audigy 2 SE
PSU:	OCZ StealthXTreme 600W
Software:	Windows Vista Home Premium x86 (to avoid issues with the Source Engine)

Feb 24, 2007, 04:30 PM	#14
killatia Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: hudson, fl. Posts: 205 (0.07/day) Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts System Specs	my god how bored was this guy?

Processor:	athlon64 x3800 oc'ed to 2.5 ghz
Motherboard:	ecs kn1-lite
Cooling:	ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro
Memory:	2 gig gigaram ddr 400
Video Card:	geforce8600gt
Hard Disk:	raptor 74k and 160 gig harddrive
Optical Drive:	plextor dvd buner
CRT/LCD Model:	19 inch lcd monitor with resolution of 1440x900
Case:	Antec case
Sound Card:	sound blaster xi-fi
PSU:	650 watts antec power supply
Software:	windows xp pro.

Feb 24, 2007, 05:41 PM	#15
WarEagleAU Bird of Prey Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Gurley, AL Posts: 9,994 (3.99/day) Thanks: 3,810 Thanked 557 Times in 521 Posts System Specs	Beautiful picture, but I think this just goes to show how bad Obsession can be. __________________ =-TheEagle-= http://www.heatware.com/eval.php?id=62454 “You crazy? Surfing any website without an antivirus is like freaking with a dirty woman without protection” -OzzmanFloyd120 - Edited for content and clarity

System Name:	Boddha Getta
Processor:	AMD FX 6100 @ 4.432Ghz @1.401V
Motherboard:	ASUS M5A99X EVO AMD 990X AMD SB950
Cooling:	Custom Water. EK 240MM Kit, Supreme HSF - Runs 35C
Memory:	2 x 4GB Corsair Vengeance White LP @ 1.35V
Video Card:	XFX Radeon HD 6870 900/1050 (no OC yet)
Hard Disk:	WD Caviar Black 1.0TB, WD Caviar Green 1.0TB, WD 160GB
Optical Drive:	Samung SH22SL 22X Lightscribe DVD+/-R/RW LG BDRE Reader/Burner Lite ON Max Burner for burning Xbox
CRT/LCD Model:	Asus VH222/S 22: (21.5" Viewable) 1920x1080p HDMI LCD Monitor
Case:	NZXT White Phantom
Sound Card:	Onboard Realtek 5.1
PSU:	NZXT Hale 90 Gold Cert 750W Modular PSU
Software:	Windows 7 Pro 64 bit.
Benchmarks:	5.9 Windows Index rating 3D06 - 17472

Feb 24, 2007, 05:59 PM	#16
J0N Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: England Posts: 195 (0.08/day) Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post System Specs	At least he was only stalking trees. I'd prefer he stalked trees instead of little girls. __________________ “Coming from England, EVERYBODY knows over here, that if you drive an automatic you are OBVIOUSLY A GAY.” -Casheti

Processor:	Celeron M 1.50Ghz
Memory:	512mb DDR
Video Card:	128mb Intel
Hard Disk:	60Gb
Optical Drive:	DVD R/RW
CRT/LCD Model:	15" Widescreen
Sound Card:	Korg 1212i/o - Needs A Home...
Software:	Windows Xp SP2

Feb 24, 2007, 06:10 PM	#17
Completely Bonkers Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 2,415 (1.05/day) Thanks: 582 Thanked 533 Times in 374 Posts System Specs	What TWO pictures are you comparing? Because the picture in the STAR article is the same as the picture on techpowerup. Only color differences. And when you go to VANITY FAIR ONLINE you get to TWO versions of the picture. ONE of them was licensed from MS. The others were not. Don't confuse the guy who wrote the article with the original photograhper. Article: Nick Tosches Photo: Peter Burian AND There wasn't a fanatic looking for the picture for a YEAR. It a misunderstanding of the article. The guy that was looking for the picture IS A JOURNALIST... who happens, on business, to go all over the world... and names some nice places... and HE PHONED MS to get the name of the photographer. This is NOT A NEW ITEM. It is just journalism. It should be removed from techpowerup. WHAT IS HAPPENDING TO THE QUALITY OF THE NEWS ITEMS!!!! OMG Different guys! __________________ ... some things in life just drive you bonkers. Especially the rubbish you see in forum posts Last edited by Completely Bonkers; Feb 24, 2007 at 06:17 PM.

Processor:	Mysterious Engineering Prototype
Motherboard:	Intel 865
Cooling:	Custom block made in workshop
Memory:	Corsair XMS 2GB
Video Card:	FireGL X3-256
CRT/LCD Model:	1600x1200 SyncMaster x 2 = 3200x1200
Software:	Windows 2003

Feb 24, 2007, 07:37 PM	#18
regan1985 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Coventry UNI England Posts: 1,416 (0.56/day) Thanks: 22 Thanked 23 Times in 23 Posts System Specs	Could Have Just Asked The Bloody Fool Lol

Processor:	yorkfield core 2 quad Q8200 3.2ghz 1.26v
Motherboard:	asus p5Q SE
Cooling:	akasa ak965
Memory:	Kingston 1066 2x2gb 1104mhz 2.2v
Video Card:	SAPPHIRE HD 2600 XT DDR3 857/1078
Hard Disk:	2X Samsung spinpoint 500GB 7200 4x 1tb samsung eco 5400
Optical Drive:	2xlg dvdrw
CRT/LCD Model:	2xSamsung P2270 22" Widescreen
Case:	NZXT Hush Quiet Case in Black
PSU:	OCZ StealthXStream 500w Silent Power Supply
Software:	windows 7 64

Feb 25, 2007, 12:08 AM	#19
Guttboy Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Colorado Posts: 286 (0.12/day) Thanks: 37 Thanked 9 Times in 9 Posts System Specs	I liked Zek's article....dont have a problem with that here at times at all. Just my 2.5 centavos....

Feb 25, 2007, 12:41 AM	#20
newtekie1 Semi-Retired Folder Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 17,744 (6.48/day) Thanks: 780 Thanked 5,114 Times in 3,705 Posts System Specs	And to think, he could have been using that time looking for something much more useful, like my damn car keys...

Processor:	Intel Core i7 875K@4.0GHz(200x20)
Motherboard:	eVGA P55 FTW 200
Cooling:	Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme w/ Corsair SP120 High Performance Edition
Memory:	8GB Corsair DDR3-1600 7-7-7-20
Video Card:	ASUS GTX 670 4GB DirectCU II @ 1015/3600
Hard Disk:	1TB Seagate 7200.12(OS), 3x 1.5TB Seagate 7200.11 in RAID 5
Optical Drive:	Lite-On Blu-Ray Combo Drive IHES108
CRT/LCD Model:	HP 25" 2509m 1080p LCD
Case:	Lian-Li Lancool Metal Boned K7 w/ Windowed Side Panel
Sound Card:	Onboard is good enough for me
PSU:	Corsair HX850
Software:	Windows 7 x64 Professional

Feb 25, 2007, 08:22 AM	#21
spectre440 Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Israel Posts: 739 (0.26/day) Thanks: 8 Thanked 15 Times in 13 Posts System Specs	some people just have *WAY* too much time on their hands... instead of like... finding a cure for cancer, or working on an alternative fuel source, or something like that, they spend their time tracking down places like this... though, you gotta appriciate the determination this guy had and the time he put in. __________________ “I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me.” - Hunter S. Thompson

Processor:	Athlon 64 x2 4000+ (65nm Brisbane)
Motherboard:	Abit AN-M2 (AM2) nForce 630a
Cooling:	Stock everything (for the time being), 2x120mm fans (intake & exhaust)
Memory:	2GB (2x1024) OCZ Platinum PC2-6400 (4-4-4-15, 2T)
Video Card:	PowerColor ATI HD 2600XT 256mb GDDR4 PCI-e
Hard Disk:	Hitachi Deskstar 160GB SATA 3.0G/s, External USB2.0 WD 160GB
Optical Drive:	Pioneer DVR-212D
CRT/LCD Model:	LG 17' LCD (L1753TR)
Case:	HEC-Compucase 6A, black & grey
Sound Card:	On-Board 7.1 (realtek)
PSU:	Spire Zeno 650W
Software:	WinXP Pro SP2 (32-bit, for the time being)

Feb 25, 2007, 10:50 AM	#22
NympH Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 38 (0.02/day) Thanks: 0 Thanked 5 Times in 3 Posts	The man with no life!