Well, I have had that moment more than once; needless to say the heating issue has caused me harm as well. So I decided to Google my way out of this problem, and also hit some really dusty manuals and of course talk to those spectacled dudes!
So here are some ways, that I found over these talks and surfing and I think would benefit you as well over the long run:
1. Laptops like it hard ? Yeah, they really don't care if it's a cushion or a rock they are on. So sensitive feelings, what is important they you put them on a hard surface and not a soft surface this goes a long way in helping air flow.
2. If you have the money- Then you could go for a cooling stand, it makes things simpler.
3. Power Save- This is a great option to keep the temperatures under check, looks after your hard drive and make sure that not too much energy is wasted.
4. Burden- USB Devices can only be a burden, it generates heat big time. So unplug it is.
5. Obvious- Move to a cooler place!
6. Place a notebook- If you don't write in them, you might as well use them to cool down your laptop!
7. Close that Notepad file will you? - Make sure that you don't have unnecessary files open and simply eating away into your energy quotient.
8. Dim it- You can dim the brightness, it goes a long way in helping the cause.
9. Air Flow- Make sure you know how the whole Air Flow system that the Laptop follows and make sure you have them working without any hindrance.
10. Wet- Take a damp tissue and place it on the heated surface, it helps.
These are what one would call, simple tricks, if you have the money, and then there are several things that you can do and get it good and going.
