Over the long term, investing in something like Vanguard's S&P 500 Index Fund VFINX will return 11% (that's what it's returned on average every year since its inception on 8/31/1976), and if you invested in it you did nothing but push a few buttons on your laptop.  :-)  So this is just food for thought, and to each his own, but when I look back at the work I've put into my investment properties over the years I now look for a minimum 20% ROI on every addition to my portfolio. 

You can make calls back to the U.S. will even just a laptop or tablet as long as you have an internet connection.

how you guys get up 2-3 hours before work is beyond me lol...here's mine:6:50- Alarm/Snooze button7:05- Snooze again7:14- Actually wakeup7:16- Eat whatever is closest to reach in kitchen7:18- brush teeth7:21- Get Dressed7:23- pack gym bag, laptop, etc7:28- spend 5 minutes looking for keys, wallet, and/or phone7:50- be in desk at work

Not only I read real estate books, I analyzed local and out of state deals on my laptop night in and night out.  

not many people have a giant collection of DVDs or CDs or Records or Books anymore all of that can be stored on a laptop or tablet. 

Interesting word choice....Corporate cogs are the ones who make your smartphone/tablet/laptop and internet access possible.  

You can make money anywhere in the world, minute by minute if you are a short term trader, working off your laptop with an internet connection.

I had to go on my laptop just to view it.

LOL.This is something I would recommend every REI do before they buy into a market for a rental(s):1 - Find out the day the court is doing evictions (usually it's an all day thing...and the same day(s) every week/month.2 - Clear your schedule for the day3 - Go to the court, bright and early that day4 - Bring a pad of paper and pen (remember how those worked...they still do), because most courts won't let you bring your tablet, laptop, phone...into court.5 - Sit in the middle of the room6 - Watch and listen7 - Take notes (see #4)8 - Learn.

@Anthony Gayden my first custom data base was when I was in the timber business in the northwest.My bizz partner would drive for dollars / Timber stands.. he would literally get up at sun up and drive to sun down 5 days a week... he would spy a timber stand and drive up drive ways trying to figure out who owned it.when I came on the scene I was  ( Steve this is wholly in efficient) take me to a court house and let me see how they do mapping in Oregon.. to my great JOY.. turned out at the front counter you had the big section maps AND you had the same maps with aerial photog.. most states don't have aerial  photo's at the counter and its a big deal to get them to show them to you.Well i perused through them saw that I could easily over lay the plat maps and determine once I learned how to judge tree species with age and size.. wha la there is was for the taking.. this was 1992 lap tops had just come out.. so I bough one of those. ( could not run it ) so I hired a young guy who knew how to run it.