I just released the first beta version of DesktopSweeper, a free APE Module (the equivalent of Unsanity's haxies) that allows to hide the Finder's Desktop icons by pressing a global hotkey. See more infos and download it at:
http://flip.macrobyte.net/software/DesktopSweeper

This is a beta, so if you try it take the usual precautions, and please let me know if you find any bug.