Microsoft Silverlight has taken a long time to come to the forefront of technology having been around since 2005 it’s still not up there amongst the likes of Flash and Ajax (I thought you used that in toilets? - Paul) as a multi-platform browser-based rich internet app.

However a young chap by the name of Adam Kinney (self called Silverlight Surfer), he works for Microsoft as a “Technical Evangelist covering Silverlight and WPF.” (to use a quote from his site! Hope that’s okay Adam?), has written the most wonderful Vista Sidebar gadget ever!

>> Click to download the Xbox Friends Watch Sidebar Gadget

It just sits there in your sidebar and tells you who’s signed in to Xbox Live, what they’re playing etc. Hovering over a friend causes the gadget to explode (I know, exaggerating about 6,000 times over) to the side with detailed information on what the user has played, when they played it, how many achievements and gamerpoints they have from it.

Latest version of this gadget is 1.1. If you’ve already got it make sure you download the new version. If you haven’t got this gadget and you’re running Vista then why the hell haven’t you downloaded it (assuming of course you have an Xbox 360 or Xbox Live on Windows). The only downside is that you only have space to fit five friends (there are hacks for it on Adams blog if you want to) however you may not have five friends and, like me, you end up putting yourself in there to fill the space! (Only joking, I have more than five friends. The other two just don’t have Xbox Live!)

Cheers Adam!

(Oh, and two posts in one day - I know - Calm down now. I might do three! - GOSH!)