The way I designed my stand, the laptop sits about 1 inch above the keyboard, and off to the left of the screen. It's well below the line of sight, and while it IS in plain view of my audience .... I try not to stare at it. I only look at it to decide what comes next, or the occasional lyric for a new song that's not yet commited to memory.
I don't disguise the fact that I am digitally enhanced. Only a fool would think that all the sound I produce comes from two hands, so mostly everyone expects to see some sort of computer-aided device. The only major drawback is that most people also know that the pc can be used as a Karaoke device, so they are always comming behind me to look for the words. They are always dissapointed to find out that they can't just join in. (pity)
I hope Donny can post a picture for you soon, because I just can't imagine getting to that progect. My life is still in a whirlwind, and I can't fit anymore tasks into my schedule. Kate had to come home from school today because she's got a majot headache and certain "female only" ailments. Since her experiment with the Tylenol factory, she can have NO medications of ANY kind, so she's in alot of discomfort. This No-Meds policy lasts for a few months to purge her system of all attachment to the drug. Poor kid - she's always had a hard time with these issues in the past, but now, she can't even take an asprin.