I am not writing a golf course review or about real estate today. Instead, as a public service, I am writing about writing about golf communities and real estate. And here is the message: Writing on a laptop computer can be injurious to your health. Today I learned why I have a constant pain in my neck.
According to a potentially mobility saving article by Melinda Beck in the Wall Street Journal, prolonged use of laptop computers that sit below eye level can cause severe neck and back pain and other physical problems. Indeed, working at a desk or table of normal height causes a twofer; not only does the table or desk top force you to look down at the screen, thereby stretching your neck unnaturally, but it puts the laptop's keyboard above the level that permits your elbows to bend at a natural 90 degrees as you type. That can cause carpal tunnel syndrome and related issues. None of this is very good for your golf game or most other physical activities, for that matter.
The remedies, according to the Journal health column piece, are rather simple, although you will have to make some modest investments in equipment. Prop the laptop on a few phone books or other large tomes until the screen is at eye level. That, of course, will put the built-in keyboard out of reach unless, perhaps, you are Shaquille O'Neal (for non-basketball fans, he is about 7 foot tall). You will have to buy a separate keyboard that you can place on your lap or on a platform slightly lower than your table or desk top to achieve the 90 degree elbow angle.
As I finish this piece, I have placed the laptop screen on top of a few big books and borrowed a keyboard from one of my kids. My neck feels better already. Things are literally looking up.
Note: If you cannot access this important article online, send me a note and I will forward it to you.