If you're like me, you like keeping up with what's going on security-wise on the Internet. One good place to go that's an overall "barometer" of Internet-wide security issues is Internet Security Systems. They even have a four-level Internet threat level meter (they call it "AlertCon") that immediately alerts visitors to their page if there is some type of large-scale worm or virus infestation (think "I Love You" or "Anna Kournikova") or other such network-disrupting activity.
But no matter how vigilant you are, you can't always remember to check their page regularly. This is where a Vista sidebar gadget would come in quite handy. If only someone would write one that would keep tabs on the AlertCon status... Well, instead of waiting around for that to happen, I decided to just write one myself. You can find it here in the Windows Live gadget gallery.
Incidentally, I'm not a coder by any stretch of the imagination. But I do know a little bit about scripting and I also know how to use a search engine, which in the gadget development world, can get you pretty far. If you'd like more info on writing your own sidebar gadgets, you can check out these resources from Microsoft.