I found this great webpage testing tool called Paros. You configure it as a proxy server
and it records every connection your browser makes. It is used to debug websites. I used
it to monitor what my browser was doing and I was quite suprised.

As an experiment I went to five website I visit regulary.  

    www.google.com          – Search
    www.yahoo.com           – search
    www.kfor.com              – local news
    www.myspace.com       – Watching my child
    www.classmates.com    – My wife’s 30th reunion

I was expecting two or three hits pre URL.  It’s is common for sites companies to have
more then one web server for their site. Some system hold graphics while others monitor
your access. I was supprised to see my clicks are ten to one. I accessed ten sites for
every url I went to.

Here is where I realy went.

http://buttons.googlesyndication.com
http://c.microsoft.com
http://c1.microsoft.com
http://c1.zedo.com
http://c4.zedo.com
http://classmatescom.112.2o7.net
http://content.worldnow.com
http://context3.kanoodle.com
http://creative.myspace.com
http://deeb.myspace.com
http://defb.myspace.com
http://desb.myspace.com
http://dewb.myspace.com
http://g.zedo.com
http://global.msads.net
http://i.microsoft.com
http://i2.microsoft.com
http://i3.microsoft.com
http://images.worldnow.com
http://js.revsci.net
http://jupiter.bravenet.com
http://kfor.images.worldnow.com
http://kfor.static.worldnow.com
http://l1.zedo.com
http://lads.myspace.com
http://m.webtrends.com
http://mercury.bravenet.com
http://mir.atdmt.com
http://myspace-173.vo.llnwd.net
http://myspace-620.vo.llnwd.net
http://myspace-702.vo.llnwd.net
http://oascentral.fortunecity.com
http://pix01.revsci.net
http://rad.microsoft.com
http://registration.classmates.com
http://rmd.atdmt.com
http://servedby.advertising.com
http://spe.atdmt.com
http://switch.atdmt.com
http://us.a1.yimg.com
http://us.bc.yahoo.com
http://us.i1.yimg.com
http://us.js2.yimg.com
http://view.atdmt.com
http://wtnj.worldnow.com
http://www.classmates.com
http://www.feedburner.com
http://www.google.com
http://www.kfor.com
http://www.microsoft.com
http://www.myspace.com
http://www.nytbcast.com
http://www.yahoo.com
http://x.myspace.com
https://servedby.advertising.com
https://sync.foxcloud.com

A lot of these domains seem very susspicus. Who is YIMG.com or LLNWD.NET?  Why did it go to
2o7.net or ZEDO.COM?

I started checking these sites out and I found most are marketing companies. For example,
going to www.refsci.net turns up a blank page as does www.yimg.com. Again very susspicus.
I found ONE reference on Google.

    Revenue Science is the leader in behavioral targeting Ð a marketing service
    that targets ads based on past behaviors for increased customer acquisition.

Www.llnwd.net turns out to be LimeLite networks. A hosting company.
Classmatescom.112.2o7.net also turns up a blank page.  But, Www.2o7.com takes to a very
nice page to explaining:

    2o7.net is a domain used by Omniture to help provide portions of its
    Omniture SiteCatalyst and Omniture SearchCenter products. Specifically,
    this domain is used by Omniture to place cookies, on behalf of its
    customers, on the computers of visitors to customers’ selected websites.

Places I was supprised to see where:

    http://www.nytbcast.com        – The New York Times
    https://sync.foxcloud.com    – A Open Source Project
    http://www.feedburner.com    – A Podcast publishing company

Both of these turn out to be my FireFox extentions.

I did another test with a quit browser.  I didn’t click on anything.  I started with google.com
and then restart Paros and didn’t click anything more. I waited ten minutes and here is where
browser went on it’s own.