I installed the Nokia barcode reader application on my phone and spent the last hour or so playing with QR Codes. I can see loads of applications for these little things – I’m off to find my printer.

I love taking things apart to see how they work. Those around me see sharp edges, exposed wires and danger, while I see evolution, improvement and opportunities to learn. Imagine my excitement disappointment when my 3+ year old laptop’s screen failed – it finally became two screens when five columns of pixels gave up, creating a new and exciting 30:70 spit visual experience.

Within a few days I had the screwdrivers out, removed the lcd panel and ordered a replacement. To be honest, I almost fainted when I actually repaired it. Feeling highly motivated, I decided to tackle the Operating System, which had been running very slowly for many months. A quick visit to ubuntu.com provided the install image for ubuntu 9.04 and thirty minutes later I had a brand new laptop. I’m really very impressed with Ubuntu, the install process was a breeze and with the exception of a minor sound issue everything just works.