Except what you typically do at a computer isn't reading. You are typically looking away a lot, gazing at images, or gazing away from the monitor. Reading is something different. Reading is sitting there entirely engrossed in what you are reading never really looking away for extended periods of time. For that type of reading something like a Kindle is IMO far better. I have a Safari Books Online subscription, and I'll occasionally try to read extensively at my computer. Most of the time I end up just pulling out my Kindle DX and bringing up the mobile version of their site to read it on there. There is a level of distraction trying to read at my computer, and there is a level of discomfort reading on a high contrast black on white screen. Contrary to the low contrast "problem" people like to complain about with the Kindle. I find the images low contrast but still with crisp letters and very easy to read.

I have to agree with a few other posters, nothing makes me more productive than listening to techno while I program (Specifically the DI.fm Eurodance channel). It almost feels like my thought processes get structured on top of the beat, using it is a foundation for the flow of my work. It is only really useful when I am actually writing the code though, when I am working on high level design I tend to turn it off. Weird thing is, I don't even really like techno. It isn't something I listen to at home, and I don't like the club scene. When I'm working though, nothing is better.

This is one of the features I've been looking forward to in 2010, and while it is nice in the beta, I hope they can improve upon it before release. I think the most irksome thing, is that while the windows can float, they are still linked to the main interface. So for example, if I've pulled a code window out to my right monitor, and bring something up above Visual Studio in my left monitor, as soon as I click the code window VS in my left monitor comes to the front. If I minimize VS, the ripped away code window goes away as well. Furthermore, you have only basic sizing control of the torn away window, you can't individually minimize it. I have no idea if these things are even something they could do with the new WPF UI architecture, but they would be nice.