How to Build a Mobile Notebook Stand

An elevated laptop can provide comfort and ease of use. Also, laptops can get hot -- very, very hot. Under normal conditions, they can become painful to the touch and damaging to the surfaces they rest on. These problems can be solved by “investing” in a pricey laptop stand, which may include fans or other cooling agents. Unfortunately, such stands are frequently bulky, expensive and not very portable. Instead, consider “investing” in a couple of wine corks. Small, sleek and ultra-portable, a mobile laptop stand made with wine corks may be just the solution you've been looking for.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Two to three wine corks
• Sharp knife
• Laptop

Create your mobile laptop stand

1. Obtain two or three wine corks. Ideally, they should be free of wine residue or other imperfections. (That suggestion is, however, purely cosmetic and should not affect the outcome in any other way.)

2. Cut one of the wine corks in half lengthwise, or "hot-dog style." Be sure to make a clean cut.

3. Repeat Step 2 for the remaining cork(s).

4. On a flat surface, place one wine cork under each back corner of your laptop (directly under the laptop screen). The ends should be facing front and back, rather than side-to-side.

5. Center the third cork (if necessary) between the other two. It should be directly under the center of the laptop screen.

6. Take your half-corks with you in a pocket or laptop case. When desired, place them under your laptop to keep your computing cool and comfortable.

Tips & Warnings

• Rubber wine "corks" work much better than their true-cork counterparts. This is because the rubber provides more traction and stability.
• The rubber "stops" at the base of the laptop (near the touchpad) will provide enough traction for corks to be unnecessary.
• This article is not recommended for young children. Be sure a responsible adult is present when performing the steps described above.
• Use caution when cutting the wine corks. Make sure your fingers are not in the path of the knife.