Have you ever seen that handy feature on mac's where you can zoom in on the fly? It's a great feature, although it's originally intended for the visually impaired, it makes a great addition to the desktop for anyone!
You can do this on Ubuntu too! Here's what you do:

First, make sure it is enabled by going to System> Preferences> Appearance> Visual Effects. Select Preferences and then enable Enhanced Zoom Desktop under the Accessibility category.