Reader Zachary writes: I'm in my second year of college, and before I started attending class, I bought a Sony Vaio FS. I have only one problem. It has a 15.4 inch screen, and the bottom of the notebook is not flat (see photo)... and the desks I use are sometimes about 7 inches wide. I don't know what the school was thinking getting these little desks attached to the chair in many of my classes. Because of these desks I dread bringing my notebook to class. What can I do? I looked at Targus CoolPads but I don't want more to lug around. Please save me and other college students from this problem, and tell us what we can do.

Hey, I remember those desks!  I'll tell you what the school was thinking: It was probably 1918 when they bought those desks, and Woodrow Wilson hadn't envisioned laptop computers in America's colleges yet.

Look at the bottom of almost any notebook and you'll probably see a similar situation: A craggly mess of surfaces with different levels and pieces that look like they were bolted on after the fact. To solve the problem of notebooks not being at all level, vendors typically add rubber feet, which not only adds stability, but creates an area beneath the laptop for air to circulate and keep things cool.  

But if you don't have a large enough surface to rest the notebook on, the feet solution doesn't work. Basically you have two strategies to deal with this problem: Figure out a way to balance the large notebook without using the feet, or put something between the small desktop and the computer so the feet are touching something. Here are some ideas.

Your first instinct was right, alas, and I don't think you're going to get out of this without bringing along extra gear. As you noted, look at something like the Targus CoolPad to hold up your laptop. The CoolPad weighs more than a pound, though, so I can understand your reluctance to tote one. I use a Lapinator, which weighs 11 ounces for a 15-inch notebook, and it might be easier to tote. In case you haven't seen it, Targus also makes a portable version of the CoolPad, which only weighs 9 ounces.

For a more off-the-wall solution, you might consider what camera buffs use sometimes in lieu of a tripod: A small sandbag that stabilizes the camera. You can purchase one of these sandbags at a camera shop, or make your own: Loosely fill a Ziploc bag (a gallon size, I'd think) with rice or dried beans. Put the notebook on top and you should be able to balance it. Be careful not to block any fan vents! If you want to look cooler (since you are in college), maybe put the bag inside one of those purple Crown Royal sacks. The ladies will dig it!

With all that said, have you ever considered just putting a textbook under your laptop? 

Any other students got ideas for using a notebook on a tiny desk? Let's hear 'em.