Chuckit, just because nothing is "proved" bad doesn't mean it's safe. As a matter of fact, nothing is ever "proved" in science; one only has higher degrees of probability and confidence, but never absolute proof of anything.
The list of once thought safe things which have since come to be viewed as very unsafe is long. DDT, cigarettes, shoe store x-ray machines, and PCB's are just a few of which come to mind.
Regarding cell phones: Yes, the "experts" are still debating the issue, but cell phone users who get brain tumors tend to get the tumors on the side of the head where they habitually hold their cell phones. Those who held their phones to the left ear tended to get tumors on the left side, whereas those who held their phones to the right ear tended to get tumors on the right side. Regardless of the intellectual masturbation of the "experts" and the pacifications and obfuscations from the cell phone industry, a cautious person might very reasonably conclude there is a very real risk associated with cell phone use. The real question is not whether there's risk, but rather how much risk there is?
A few years back, when Apple first announced AirPort, i spoke to one of Apple's engineers about the product. What i learned from that conversation was that AirPort technology is very similar to cell phone technology. Both use microwaves in the range of about 1 watt power output. 1 watt doesn't sound like much, but at a close range, it's really quite a bit. Microwave energy, like all EMR (electromagnetic radiation), falls off as a function of the square of the distance from the source.
Sleepydog, there is no way i'd put a microwave transmitter so close to my reproductive organs for such an extended period of time. We simply don't know the long term effects of such exposure; the best you can hope for is no effect at all, but we know reproductive organs tend to be sensitive to radiation in general, so some negative effect seems likely. If you're going to use your laptop on your lap, at least take the precaution of turning off the wireless, which you know to emit microwaves.
Airport aside, with processor, memory, and bus clock speeds getting so fast, i've been wondering what other electromagnetic radiation might be coming off the logic boards and how well shielded the boxes are? I've got to think that in general you're best off with some distance between yourself and your laptop.
I use a laptop myself, but never on my lap. YMMV.
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