Ever since netbooks like the Acer hit the market, pretty much nowhere is safe from the Internet anymore.  Sure, we’ve been living in a connected universe for some time now—they’ve got WiFi at McDonald’s, and I think I read that they’ve got McDonald’s on the moon.  I’m not talking about coffee shops, restaurants, bars, or houses of worship being overrun by the Internet, though. I’m talking about places that just shouldn’t have wireless access. Basically, I’m talking about the bathroom.

Let’s not lie to ourselves: We’ve all tried dragging a laptop into the ol' water closet at least once.  It’s not a satisfying experience, is it? There’s no good place to plug it in, there’s no desk in front of the toilet to rest it on, and laptops tend to scorch bare flesh—they aren’t pleasant to be around when your pants are off.  Until recently, the Internet has been more or less off limits while we use the facilities; the bathroom has instead been dedicated to playing Bejeweled and Tetris on cell phones. But netbooks have changed all that.  They’re light enough that you can totally balance them on the edge of the tub or sink, and they’re small enough that they can run on battery power for a good while without being plugged into an outlet.  Our last Internet-free sanctuary has been opened for business, and it feels too much like drilling for oil in Alaskan national parks. On the bright side, we can now send Facebook alerts asking for more toilet paper. Thanks, Acer.