Fade

As the strained, slightly tinny sound of Born of Frustration from a favourite James bootleg emanates from speakers I cannot see, my fingers tap out arrhythmically on the keyboard. It's a very quiet sound, with very pleasant taps. No need for force, no need to repeatedly hit a key until the letter deigns to appear on the screen.

My finger flies gracefully over the mouse pad and with a soundless nudge on the pad itself, the cursor coaxes a window open. "Whooo," croons Tim Booth, and I press control and touch O without thinking, a world of James bootlegs presenting itself to me. I settle on Chameleon recorded at London Nambucca. A quiet bootleg, this one. It suits my mood. "Bass sounds good, though, don't it?" quips Saul Davies. I return to my typing.

This is seamless. It's all very small - the actions are small, the letters on the screen are small, the windows are small, and due to how far back whoever bootlegged this gig was, the sound is exceptionally small. And my thoughts make a small jump to other people. Saul Davies is small, for example. And my girlfriend is small - she barely reaches my chest.

Welcome to my life, Dell Inspiron Mini 10v Netbook. Ice blue, just enough power, just enough memory, eager to please, and so compact I can fit it into the palm of my hand.