Technical people have a tendency to think non-technical people are unable to grasp how technology works. It probably comes from experience, but it can be annoying.

I can't tell you how many times IT folks have tried to explain to me, slowly and deliberately, as if talking to a child, how building a software application is "like constructing a building...". Metaphors seem to be the favored tool. Doors, windows, foundations, plumbing, etc.

So I can picture someone lobbying from the telecom industry trying to explain to Senator Ted Stevens, in a way that he can understand, how the internet works... "It's like a set of tubes that fill with gunk when people use Skype."

The fun part comes when when Stevens tries to repeat back the dumbed-down descriptions in Congress.