From one computer to another? More like from one computer to this guy's server, then from the server to the other computer. Sounds pretty suboptimal if you want to send anything but few kilobyte files.
``` > traceroute news.ycombinator.com ```
On my computer, most packets take a route that passes through 10+ computers.
I think its not a solved problem to consistently be able to patch two computers on the internet directly.