In what ways do computers communicate information independently of their users?
Consider, for instance, what happens when you browse a web page. Your computer sends information, such as your Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type, language preference, and userdomain (your userdomain often contains information such as your physical location or username).5 More important, the moment you “jack in” (for networked Macs and Windows machines, the moment you turn on your computer), your Ethernet card participates in an incessant “dialogue” with other networked machines. You can track this exchange using a packet sniffer, a software program that analyzes—that is, stores and represents—traffic traveling through a local area network.6 Your screen, with its windows and background, suggests that your computer only sends and receives data at your request. It suggests that you are that all-powerful user Microsoft invoked to sell its Internet Explorer by asking, “Where do you want to go today?” Using a packet sniffer, however, you can see that your computer constantly wande
