29
Feb
08

Six degrees of separation

It’s 1:38 am and I am still awake since the previous 2 hours.

Reading stuffs that I am not supposed to read! I am supposed to read about myoma and tubal pregnancies and other gynecological stuffs.

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Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that, if a person is one step away from each person he or she knows and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people he or she knows, then everyone is an average of six “steps” away from each person on Earth. Several studies, such as Milgram’s small world experiment, have been conducted to empirically measure this connectedness. While the exact number of links between people differs depending on the population measured, it is generally found to be relatively small. Hence, six degree of separation is somewhat synonymous with the idea of the “small world” phenomenon. Detractors argue that Milgram’s experiment did not demonstrate such a link,[1] and the “six degrees” claim has been decried as an “academic urban myth“.[2]

Six degrees of separation.png

Now can somebody explain to me how something that sounds so logical can be an “urban myth”?

And this is funny. I got through this page from Wikipedia from the topic “October Revolution” by the Bolshevik. Ever since I stopped socializing and started reading (even though it’s not necessarily educational material) Wikipedia has been my best friend ever.

How can somebody not like Wikipedia? How can I stop reading? It’s so addictive. If somebody says Wikipedia is boring I will personally kill that person with my bare hands. Wikipedia is easily the most entertaining (and not to mention, educational)  material that I have ever known in my whole life.

And with all those links! I can’t just stop clicking and clicking!

This is my travel path for the past 2 hours:

October Revolution –>  Bolshevik –> Proletariat –> Karl Marx (my favourite page of the whole night, easily of the whole week) –> Protocols Of the Elders Of Zion –> Wikipedia: Featured Articles –> Wikipedia: Wikipedians –> Wikipedia:Wikipedians by Erdős number — > Erdős number — > Paul Erdős (a great mathematicians) — > Small world experiment — > Six degrees of Seperation.

This is my first attempt of tracking down of what I’m reading for one partcular night. The other night I easily spent more than three hours reading about Vladimir Putin and his connection through Boris Berezovsky and Mikhail Khodorkovsky.

And if you read closely you will notice that Karl Marx and Paul Erdős and Boris Berezovsky and Mikhail Khodorkovsky are Jews by heritage. It is not a coincident that Jews posses the thinking capability not by par with ordinary human beings.


8 Responses to “Six degrees of separation”


  1. 1 adamkesre
    March 1, 2008 at 8:13 am

    Hmm…that makes 2 of the people I know who are addicted to wikipedia.

  2. 2 adamkesre
    March 1, 2008 at 8:13 am

    wtf?? name sendiri pun salah eja.

  3. March 4, 2008 at 4:52 am

    “It’s a small world after all, It’s a small world after all, It’s a small world after all, It’s a small, small world…..”

    We are bound to this planet by a trail of six people???? Wow! That’s genius!!!!

    The idea stated in the “It’s a Small World” nursery rhyme has been (brilliantly) supported. – I’ll be no more teaching my pupils with sweeping statements then!!! :)

  4. March 4, 2008 at 5:12 am

    most of my clasmet actually use wikipedia to study medicine…go figure!

  5. 6 maer
    March 4, 2008 at 6:30 am

    I guess, it makes it three.. long live wikipedia, wikimapia, wiki wiki..

  6. March 4, 2008 at 9:22 pm

    salam, nak add dlm blogger list buleh? :)

  7. October 11, 2008 at 12:32 am

    wah seriously i thot im d only person who cant stop clicking those links in wiki..i can spend d whole night reading those..geez..go wiki!


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