Why is my Macbook Pro 2.33 so hot and why are my fans on so high?

So, I'm sitting here with just Safari 3.1.1 open with just this single page, nothing else running on my machine, 3GB of RAM, and activity monitor reports a total 3.5% CPU usage. Why is my Macbook Pro hot like it's really working (not something-is-broken hot, just the temperature I'd expect with Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash all open at the same time) and why are the fans running like a jet engine?
No weird errors in the console, Spotlight isn't indexing, nothing special in the Dashboard, lots of spare space on the HD, permissions repaired, disks have been checked, I turned off icon previewing on the desktop, top doesn't report anything more than Activity Monitor does -- it really seems like my machine is genuinely wheezing at 3.5%. I was just asked if I wouldn't mind working in another room because my machine is so noisy. You heard me right, my Macbook Pro is getting me kicked out of places.
I've put up with the clump of dead pixels, airport connection issues, now-useless DVD burner that an Apple update bricked, and early battery death, but this one is just boggling. If anyone has any advice I'd be grateful.

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
Do you have iStatPro? You can download it from the Apple site and see what it is that is running so hot. Under the low usage you describe, the fans should be idling silently. And you might be able to tell what is getting so hot.
If Activity Monitor doesn't show anything, then you might want to run the extended version of the Apple Hardware Test. It sounds like something is getting very hot. If there is a hardware problem, then you should get one or more error codes. The Apple Hardware Test is on Install Disc #1 of the gray discs that came with your Mac--you boot to it by holding down "D". Instructions are on the disc and on the screen.
Also, be sure you have "All Processes" selected on the Activity Monitor. And the boxes at the bottom should be mostly black with very little red or green at 3.5% CPU usage. Given all the symptoms, I am surprised that there is not some process running amok in the background.
Good luck!

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