Khan Academy

Check it out. Do it now - or immediately after you finish reading this post, anyway.

This really smart guy who lives on the west coast wanted to help his nieces and nephews on the east coast with their homework, so he started recording these really simple video sessions explaining math and science concepts. Here's the magic:  it's just his voice explaining while you see the formula or whatever being worked out.

These are incredibly helpful, and they are more and more useful as I progress through high school.

I read that some schools in California were switching the lesson plans around, assigning for homework the Khan Academy videos to introduce and explain new concepts, then using class time to work on what would have been the homework problems.

This is important. Go check it out here

Laptop desks

I am experimenting these days with a wacky aluminum laptop desk, and I'm not sure yet what I think about it. It is endlessly configurable, and by that I mean it has way too many pictures of how to take it apart and put it back together again in a completely different shape. I'm not sure I WANT to lay on my side in bed and have it suspended over me, but if I did I could with this thing. When I'm on the couch it can float in air in front of me, which is great once it stops its final tiny movements and gets perfectly still, at which point it's great while I use a wireless keyboard and mouse. You can check it out here but just so you know, I got it for $89 which was a lot, but it's actually made a huge difference on long study nights when I'm living on planet Khan Academy.

I'm also trying a desk on legs which sits on the couch to either side, and this one has a fan motor and side tables. See this one here.

Neither is exactly what I thought it would be, but at least I worry less about the effects of the computer slump on my posture. I think I may be two inches taller.