What follows results from the convergence of three serendipitous occurrences: 1) the desire for a new desktop background, 2) the revelation of the Gradient Grunge style and 3) the discovery of Wordle.
As I was playing around with some different word cloud arrangements in Wordle, I thought - why not use an image of one of these word clouds and throw it in between some layers in Fireworks, where I had already been experimenting with some gradient grunge concepts. So there the idea was born and a few days later, I had a new desktop background. Feel free to download one for yourself - Rainbow (1680x1050 | 1920x1200) or Lightning (1680x1050 | 1920x1200). I kinda like Rainbow myself.
Happy Independence Day!