Sorry, a bit of a Windows bash here, but the last couple of weeks have been frustrating, to say the least, when it comes to my usually trusty laptop.

The key critical event being the installation of Service Pack 3 for Windows XP (I hear your sniggers…) last month. While some days are better than others, there has been a noticeable decline in the computer’s performance since the “upgrade”.

All is fine if two or three apps are running, but open up any more than that and things quickly start going downhill.

While I’m sure I’ll somehow find a way to turn this minus into a positive, I was amused however to read that school students are more frequently blaming their inability to complete homework assignments on various computer problems:

Schoolchildren have always been inventive when it comes to excuses for not handing in their homework - and now they are increasingly blaming technology, a new survey revealed today. According to the research by PIXmania.com, the average British teacher hears 15 homework excuses a week. That works out at 6.5 million excuses a week across the country - with 1.3 million of these related to technology.

So if you have the misfortune to still be using a Windows computer, then “I installed SP 3 for XP and can’t do my homework, because my PC now works at a snail’s pace” will make for an excuse that no one can argue with.