RE: `auto-dim-other-windows` -- scrutiny invited

[Drew Adams]

> I have to confess to never noticing the change in mode line
> shading (until this thread)!

The default mode-line face difference is not great - not pronounced enough, IMO.

FWIW, I use quite different backgrounds for these two faces:

 mode-line:          PaleGoldenrod
 mode-line-inactive: LightGray

I also have the cursor change automatically to a box (from a bar) when Emacs is
idle (2 sec, by default).  The (trivial) code for this is in oneonone.el.
http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs-en/download/oneonone.el

For even more visibility you can have Emacs show crosshairs (vertical and 
horizontal lines across the window) through the cursor when Emacs is idle.
For this, see library crosshairs.el.  (Here the default is 5 sec.)
http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs-en/download/crosshairs.el

These things can help make the selected window more obvious.  Of course one
person's helpful indication is another person's distraction or annoyance. ;-)

Personally, I do not use the automatic crosshairs-when-idle highlighting.

(I do toggle crosshairs mode on/off by hitting `C-+'.  The crosshairs follow the
cursor.  But this is for a different purpose than just noticing the selected
window.)