Have you ever kept a list of large amounts of data by hand on letter paper (8 1/2 x 11 portrait)?
Your brain is predictable according to training. Begin at the upper left, fill columns. When columns run out you find spaces (general list-making training encourages you to endeavor for one page per "list" collection). So, yes, near everything is designed upside down. Really the start bar for windows should be on the top of the screen, the start button on the right, and the upper left landscape gradient should be reserved for the incoming data (running programs).
Test it. For a few days just go out and begin recording license plate numbers. Watch how your system of preparing the 8 1/2 x 11 portrait landscape develops. Compare it with web-page layout and your screen layout.
One of the things you will also notice is that computer screen advertisements quite nearly perfectly correlate with the ocular position of your automobile mirrors. Blind spot training.