Computers Passing Notes
The entire internet is literally computers passing notes to each other.
What is that? I hear you say. No, it couldn’t possibly be! Well, humor me…
When you pay for internet, you’re paying a middle man. A wire, with computers on that wire, to pass your notes. You’re paying for a computer to find what note you’re trying to send, and to send it. With https, the content of the note you send is encrypted, before it was literally plain text and anybody along the line between you and the computer you were sending the note to could read it.
Images? Just complicated notes that describe every pixel and part of the image, or audio, or video, or game.
What about big websites like Facebook or Google? Well, Facebook is like a big pile of people’s notes, all collected by one person, that uses an algorithm to decide which of those notes to show to you when you go to facebook.com.
For you to understand Google, you need to understand servers. Facebook is a server (or a bunch of servers all acting like one server). A server is a computer set to respond to your notes with other notes automatically. Google finds these servers and copies pieces of these notes and organizes all of the different computers it finds. When you search on Google it searches through its files about everyone’s different computers servers and lists them for you, again with an algorithm.
So if I send a message to someone across the country, my computer finds the address of their computer, whether by asking somebody working with ICANN, the guy you pay for a website domain (syberiyxx.com), or directly via IP address (192.168.0.1). IP addresses are just names for computers, domains are like nicknames you have to pay for to have them be remembered. IP addresses are free.
You hand a note to alice, with a note to alice that it’s for bob. Alice can read that note, unless it’s encrypted with a password that you and bob know. Anyway, alice brings it to bob. Bob gives a note back to alice with a note that it’s for you and…
Some people have piles of notes sorting and displaying them, other people aren’t showing notes at all, most don’t.
The strangest thing about all of this is that it’s perfectly silent. There’s the whirring of the fans keeping the machine cool, but no noise, no speaking, no broadcasting. If you want to say something to everyone, you have to contact everyone individually, which isn’t even possible. Even if it was their computers wouldn’t listen because most computers aren’t asking for what you have to say. They might listen if you hand a note to someone that everyone already listens to, like Facebook, maybe Google. But it still requires they stumble upon what you’ve said.
In other words, there’s no equivalent to FM or AM radio on the internet, at least not without a middle man like YouTube. Yet sometimes we act like there is. Maybe there should be.
The internet is essentially a network of computers exchanging messages. When you pay for internet service, you’re paying for a middleman to facilitate the exchange of these messages. The internet uses Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) to encrypt the content of messages, ensuring that only the intended recipient can read them.
Images, audio, video, and games are all conveyed through complex messages that describe each pixel, sound, or frame. Websites like Facebook and Google operate differently. Facebook is a collection of users’ messages organized by algorithms to display relevant content when you visit their site.
To understand Google, you need to know about servers, which are computers set up to respond to messages automatically. Google locates these servers, records parts of their messages, and organizes the information to display when you perform a search.
When sending a message to someone across the country, your computer locates the recipient’s computer using IP addresses or domain names. IP addresses are unique identifiers for computers, while domain names are human-readable aliases you can purchase.
The internet operates silently, with only the hum of fans to break the silence. If you want to communicate with everyone, you must contact each person individually, but most people won’t be listening. Even if they were, they might only pay attention if you send your message through a popular platform like Facebook or Google.
There’s no internet equivalent to traditional radio broadcasts that reach everyone simultaneously. While platforms like YouTube exist, they still require users to actively seek out content.
X / Grok
Connecting the World: A Behind-the-Scenes Look
Imagine the internet as a giant message board where countless computers exchange information. When you sign up for internet service, you’re paying a company to act as a go-between, ensuring your messages get delivered securely. This secure messaging uses a special code, HTTPS, to scramble the content, making it unreadable to anyone except the intended recipient.
Amazingly, even complex things like pictures, music, and games travel as messages. These messages break down what you see and hear into tiny parts and send them all at once.
Websites like Facebook work by sorting through user messages using clever programs to show you what’s most relevant when you visit. Google, on the other hand, relies on special computers called servers. These servers store information and automatically respond to messages. Google’s genius lies in finding these servers, taking note of their messages, and organizing all this information for you to see when you search.
Think of sending a message across the country. Your computer needs an address to find the recipient’s computer. These addresses come in two forms: unique identification numbers (IP addresses) and easy-to-remember names (domain names) that you can buy.
The internet hums along quietly in the background. Unlike traditional radio where everyone hears the same message at once, the internet requires more effort. If you want to share information with everyone, you’d have to send a message to each person individually, and there’s no guarantee they’d even be listening! Even if they were, they might only pay attention if your message went through a popular platform like Facebook or YouTube. While YouTube allows sharing videos, users still have to choose to watch them.
In short, the internet is a vast network of communication, but it works differently than traditional media.
Google Gemini