diff --git a/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/calendar b/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/calendar
deleted file mode 100755
index 89f0f44a3ae6cab078c128cf2ff2924d29f30ed2..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/calendar
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,38 +0,0 @@
-#! /bin/sh
-
-width=200
-height=200
-datefmt="+%a %d.%m.%Y <span color='#ffffff'>%H:%M</span>"
-
-OPTIND=1
-while getopts ":f:W:H:" opt; do
-    case $opt in
-        f) datefmt="$OPTARG" ;;
-        W) width="$OPTARG" ;;
-        H) height="$OPTARG" ;;
-        \?)
-            echo "Invalid option: -$OPTARG" >&2
-            exit 1
-            ;;
-        :)
-            echo "Option -$OPTARG requires an argument." >&2
-            exit 1
-            ;;
-    esac
-done
-
-case "$BLOCK_BUTTON" in
-  1|2|3) 
-
-	# the position of the upper left corner of the popup
-	posX=$(($BLOCK_X - $width / 2))
-	posY=$(($BLOCK_Y - $height))
-
-	i3-msg -q "exec yad --calendar \
-        --width=$width --height=$height \
-	    --undecorated --fixed \
-	    --close-on-unfocus --no-buttons \
-	    --posx=$posX --posy=$posY \
-	    > /dev/null"
-esac
-date "$datefmt"
diff --git a/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/network-environment b/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/network-environment
index da26be3530635d6f1ad3c52e410459498df1fb1c..d8b41bac6e95ed126493dd027120d9fc9e3c81e7 100755
--- a/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/network-environment
+++ b/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/network-environment
@@ -13,33 +13,33 @@ SSID=$(iwgetid -r)
 if [[ "$SSID" == "011010010011" ]]
 then
   ENVIRONMENT="home"
-  SYMBOL="🏠"
+  SYMBOL=$'🏠\uFE0E'
   COLOR="#88bbff"
 elif [[ "$SSID" == "100111010110" ]]
 then
   ENVIRONMENT="mobile"
-  SYMBOL="🌍"
+  SYMBOL=$'🌍\uFE0E'
 elif [[ "$SSID" == "subraum" ]]
 then
   ENVIRONMENT="subraum"
-  SYMBOL="🚀"
+  SYMBOL=$'🚀\uFE0E'
   COLOR="#ff7020"
 elif [[ "$SSID" == "eduroam" ]]
 then
   ENVIRONMENT="uni"
-  SYMBOL="🎓"
+  SYMBOL=$'🎓\uFE0E'
 elif [[ "$SSID" == "Robs_IPhone" ]]
 then
   ENVIRONMENT="work"
-  SYMBOL="🏢"
+  SYMBOL=$'🏢\uFE0E'
 elif [[ "$SSID" == "congress" ]]
 then
   ENVIRONMENT="congress"
-  SYMBOL="🚀"
+  SYMBOL=$'🚀\uFE0E'
   COLOR="#ff00aa"
 else
   ENVIRONMENT="unknown"
-  SYMBOL="🌍"
+  SYMBOL=$'🌍\uFE0E'
 fi
 
 LAST_ENVIRONMENT=`cat $ENVIRONMENT_FILE`
diff --git a/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/temperature b/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/temperature
index a7ab7e6e758bd269c8deeaddc00d6f208f748969..8b6cdbe4c08498c26794c89ef5bd39f3fda64cf3 100755
--- a/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/temperature
+++ b/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/temperature
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env zsh
 
-echo -n "🔥 "
+echo -n $'🔥\uFE0E '
 
 sensors -j "coretemp-isa-0000" | jq --join-output '."coretemp-isa-0000"."Package id 0".temp1_input'
 echo °C
diff --git a/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/todo b/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/todo
index a96adc5466eedb353ded2b322718f1f8fc32b967..eb293d1ea3d69b8f7326122240b8dde2f7ea2aed 100755
--- a/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/todo
+++ b/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/todo
@@ -1,17 +1,18 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env zsh
 
 TIME=$(date "+%H%M")
+zzz=$'💤\uFE0E'
 
 if (($TIME > 0100 && $TIME < 0800))
 then
 	if (($TIME > 0230))
 	then
-		echo "<span color='#000000' background='#ff2200'>💤 sleep</span>"
+		echo "<span color='#000000' background='#ff2200'>$zzz sleep</span>"
 	elif (($TIME > 0200))
 	then
-		echo "<span color='#ff4400'>💤 sleep</span>"
+		echo "<span color='#ff4400'>$zzz sleep</span>"
 	else
-		echo "<span color='#ff8800'>💤 sleep</span>"
+		echo "<span color='#ff8800'>$zzz sleep</span>"
 	fi
 
 	exit
diff --git a/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/volume-pulseaudio b/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/volume-pulseaudio
index db8ca2277f64202e193a26580770e8cfce5e446e..13cc47cda904f8876daf3a321e0293b2281f2db5 100755
--- a/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/volume-pulseaudio
+++ b/home-profiles/desktop/.config/qbar/blocks/volume-pulseaudio
@@ -1,15 +1,15 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 # Displays the default device, volume, and mute status for i3blocks
 
-AUDIO_HIGH_SYMBOL='🔊 '
+AUDIO_HIGH_SYMBOL=$'🔊\uFE0E '
 
 AUDIO_MED_THRESH=50
-AUDIO_MED_SYMBOL='🔉 '
+AUDIO_MED_SYMBOL=$'🔉\uFE0E '
 
 AUDIO_LOW_THRESH=0
-AUDIO_LOW_SYMBOL='🔈 '
+AUDIO_LOW_SYMBOL=$'🔈\uFE0E '
 
-AUDIO_MUTED_SYMBOL='🔇 '
+AUDIO_MUTED_SYMBOL=$'🔇\uFE0E '
 
 AUDIO_INTERVAL=5
 
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ while getopts F:Sf:padH:M:L:X:T:t:C:c:i:m:s:h opt; do
         s) SCONTROL="$OPTARG" ;;
         h) printf \
 "Usage: volume-pulseaudio [-S] [-F format] [-f format] [-p] [-a|-d] [-H symb] [-M symb]
-        [-L symb] [-X symb] [-T thresh] [-t thresh] [-C color] [-c color] [-i inter] 
+        [-L symb] [-X symb] [-T thresh] [-t thresh] [-C color] [-c color] [-i inter]
         [-m mixer] [-s scontrol] [-h]
 Options:
 -F, -f\tOutput format (-F long format, -f short format) to use, amongst: