MY RECENT PURCHASE of a laptop computer created a dilemma almost immediately. I bought it to use primarily for business, so I could have a means of keeping in touch when traveling and, thanks to a wireless router, the ability to work at various places in or around the house.

The laptop was a big hit well before business travel began, because there's nothing quite like computing from the couch or the kitchen counter. I could work on it and keep one watchful eye on the kids, or just have a nice change of pace. Unfortunately, so could my wife, and it wasn't long before she'd virtually taken possession of the laptop. It became a fixture on our kitchen counter, where either one of us could check mail, surf the web, pay bills, or the like. She'd even use the computer to send instant messages into the belly of Damage Labs, communicating vital info without cracking open the door and letting the kids spill downstairs into the testing area carrying static charges like midget agents of electronic death.