I am finally asking here because a thorough net search has revealed very contradictory advice. The most common advice was to prop up the laptop on a book so the screen is elevated higher than the keyboard. I always thought it was bad to have your keyboard tilted like \ though (well, not as steep as the \ )
Anyway, most places I go to work outside of my apartment have higher tables and chairs that don't adjust. This includes classrooms where I use my laptop to take notes.