Take our choice of hardware for example. We bet that if you visit a friend's home or place of employment, you could easily make an educated guess at what that person's job responsibilities or hobbies are. For instance, you'll find pens, tablets, and scanners at the desk of an artist. You'll find midi keyboards and high quality speakers at the desk of a musician. Digital cameras and photo printers will sit atop the desktops of photographers, while joysticks, pedals, or even a steering wheel rest near the table of computer gamers.



What about software? What can we glean about a person's choice of programs? Taking a quick glance of the desktops of writers, you'll probably find it filled with icons pointing to word processors, dictionaries, and encyclopedias. Programmers will have installed software development applications, debuggers, and distribution files, while teenage socialites are prone to have some of the most advanced chat programs and blogging utilities scattered across their screens.

Even those who are constantly on the go can be easily identified. Laptops or detachable hardware (like palm devices, Blackberries, and easy carry-on flash drives) often accompany the computers of these busy bodies.

Although we may go to great lengths to hide what we do with our computers and secure our data with things like advanced encryption software or digital keys, you have to admit it's a little humorous that a quick scan of our equipment often reveal the very thing that we're trying to conceal!