My girlfriend discovered how to use a bug tracker, posting a complaint about our relationship on GNOME's Bugzilla, sparking unexpected Internet fame and suggesting a quirky new way for us to communicate.

Yesterday I got a desperate call from the folks — Windows got gunked with adware, viruses and other forms of badness, and dad couldn’t use it to work from home anymore. So, after work, I got on a train and headed back to the ‘rents for some quality computer troubleshooting family time. Managed to set up everything they needed, from iTunes sync for Mom's iPhone to backups for Dad's BlackBerry, all in just 2 hours.

Fresh from GUADEC in The Hague, I'm grateful for the experience and the chance to dive into GNOME developments, though the mixed feelings about Canonical and the heavy lean towards web technologies gave me pause. It was inspiring to meet the brains behind key projects, despite the long trek from home.