Ever wondered what your computer was thinking when it froze in the middle of a simple task, or crashed for no reason? Well new project 'Words of a Middle Man' is shedding some light on computer thoughts by translating computer activity into 'natural language'.
A project by Christoph Steinlehner, Lino Teuteberg and Jermias Volker at the University of Applied Sciences in Potsdam, the project involves a wireless router which, 'analyses the communication of its own network and reinterprets it on a computer display.' It documents the communication bewteen the device itself, the server, and the people using the computer and displays this relationship in understandable terms (for example with, 'Michaels Dropbox checks for updates in the cloud').
As they explain, 'Wi-Fi routers are the link to the Internet and thus the local hub of our digital communications. We send e-mail via them, establish connections to other devices or visit websites. In careless interaction with our computers, we assume that the network traffic is handled quietly and confidentially by the wireless router. In this space, the intimacy of digital wireless router stands as a silent observer.'
Like the Descriptive Camera project we featured back in May, its an interesting project that brings to life a digital activity we take for granted. Check out the video above and consider what your computer is thinking right now...
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