I can see this as well if an ethernet cable is plugged in with a delay of one minute or so. there is no delay if the cable is unplugged, i.e. if NetworkManager brings down the eth0 interface.
Also applications invoked as the root user take about the same time before they show up on the desktop. note that this does not apply to apps invoked via gksudo (e.g. synaptic) -- Logout and authentication delays https://launchpad.net/bugs/58641 -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs
