I opened up my ageing T42p laptop last night to be greeted by the ominous message “Fan error”. A quick Google using Christine’s machine revealed that I could bypass this warning simply by pressing escape. This set my mind at rest to a certain extent as a) it meant I could see that I hadn’t lost any data and b) I could copy off the information I needed for the next day. If this was going to happen, it couldn’t have happened at a much better time as I had just returned from my last customer engagement in Norway and was intending to spend today in the IBM office (where I have managed to borrow a machine – thanks Kristin!). Next week I’ll be back in Hursley where hopefully a quick repair can be arranged.