I blame the laptop.

I'm all for technology, but sometimes progress doesn't seem so...progressive. Take the laptop computer for instance.

With the invention of the laptop, we entered into an era where we can work -- or play -- nearly anywhere and anytime we want to. Cool, huh?

But I've noticed some things that don't seem so cool about that.

First, my at-home productivity has gone down, even for things like blogging. Most evenings you'll find me on the couch, in front of the TV with my laptop. Watching TV and trying to blog, or work for pay, just isn't as productive as sitting down at a desk to do the same. It's not just the distraction of the television. It's the physical posture and the mental cues that being upright at a desk brings. Simply put, I get more work done when I use my laptop more like a desktop computer.

The laptop also encourages, or at least allows, isolation. Take your laptop and hole up in your room. I do it. Mike does it. Annie does it. You, if you have a laptop, probably do it too, at least on occasion.

Another not-so-progressive characteristic of this handy invention is it's ability to act as an electronic leash. Rarely do I leave town, even for just one night, without my laptop. Is a vacation really a vacation if I'm connected to all the things that tether me to my everyday life?

It's not just vacations, but work too. There was a time when work was done at work. Five or six o'clock rolled around and everyone went home. Now, we bring work home with us. After a couple hour break for dinner, some TV, maybe some family time, it's back to the electronic salt mines.

Yes, I blame the laptop. But if I'm really being truthful, I have to blame me too.


*Note: This post was written on a laptop at the kitchen table.