Why do late-night talk show hosts always sit behind a desk?  It’s not because they aren’t wearing pants, is it?  Because that’s unpleasant.  Nah, it’s probably because old so-and-so sat behind a desk on the first TV talk show back in 1911 and everybody else has been doing it out of tradition ever since.  It hides hosts’ spindly legs from the camera and gives them someplace to put their hands.  A desk conveys a sense of authority, of being in charge. 

Some desks, anyway.  When I got my first job, fresh out of college, the desk they gave me was covered in old rolodexes and newspapers.  It was one of those old metal desks from the 1960s, the kind that wouldn’t look out of place with an old-fashioned typewriter on top.  It wasn’t a piece of furniture that screamed “RESPECT ME!” like the desks talk-show hosts get.  Electronics weren’t too big in the 60s, I guess, because there was no 3-in. hole in the desktop to stuff all of my computer cords through.  I wouldn’t have been able to upgrade my desk with the Belkin In-Desk 4-Port USB 2.0 Hub with 3-in. Desk Grommet unless I broke out a hole drill.

Sadly, USB hadn’t been invented yet.  I blame the desk.