In this talk I will introduce an execution model for active networking that blends the notions of universal computing device and network router. Such a model blurs the border between fully passive and fully active packets, essentially creating arbitrary levels inbetween. Pivotal element of this architecture is a generalized route table that stores forwarding data as well as program instructions. The route table corresponds to the memory module of a von Neumann computer, but in contrast to the classic `stored program architecture' for CPUs, the new execution model externalizes the previously internal instruction bus, packet headers become instruction pointers. This enables active packets to directly address a node's memory cells, to modify them, and to reference memory locations of neighbor nodes in a uniform way. We present a simple instruction set for demonstrating this execution model in various forms of active networking