Not only did I marry a gorgeous woman, but I also married a lady able to understand what I'm talking about. Whenever I've tried to dumb down a topic, she's called me on it.

For instance, one time we were talking about peer-to-peer networks. After going 'round in circles for some time, she said "but the way you're describing it doesn't make sense; whoever's offering the file is a server, and whoever's downloading it is a client." Yep, spot on. So I said "yeah, but the server can also be a client of other computers in the network, and the clients can be servers themselves."

To which she replied "but isn't that what happens when you upload a picture to a website, or even when you type in email on a website?" Yep, right again.

The big deal about P2P networks isn't the technology, which has been around for ages; it's the fact that you feel like peers in the network. Your computer wears whatever hat it needs and plays whatever role it always plays, but you feel different. That's the secret.