Six Degrees

I saw a preview of a new television show coming this fall called Six Degrees and it deals with the so called 6 degrees of separation that supposedly links everyone. This is a topic that really fascinates me although I still do not understand it. Makes me wonder what 5 people are between Bin Laden and myself or Queen Elizabeth or the Prime Minister of Nigeria. I wonder how much fact this show will have in comparison to the real thing?

27 thoughts on “Six Degrees

  1. Yes, but are you aware that there are only 2 degrees of separation among Mormons? Try it! Talk to any Mormon, anywhere. Eventually you will discover the person you have in common. (Your cousin from Montana was his missionary companion in Finland)

  2. I am merely three degrees from President Bush, and therefore four degrees from most leaders in the world. By this account, I am most likely within five or even six degrees of Bin Laden, as Bush has met with Saudi leaders who know the Bin Laden family, who obviously are related to Bin Laden himself. For Americans to be within six degrees of Bin Laden, all they need is a connection to oil executives or workers who are all connected to the Saudis, and there you go. :)

  3. Strangely enough the whole 6 degrees thing is harder when the people involved are not famous or well off.

    I would wager that it’d be harder to find connections between yourself and the transient sleeping in the alley than it would be to connect yourself to any world leader or celebrity.

  4. Within the the LDS Church I would think there is only 1 or 2 degrees of separation between myself and prominent Latter-Day Saints.

    For example I’ve never met or seen Pres Hinckley in real life, but I have shaken hands with several apostles who are acquainted with him and I imagine there is at least one person on this blog who knows him.

    And how about Joseph Smith the Prophet? I met my Great-Grand mother when I was 8. She knew Her grandfather who was personally acquainted with the prophet. Does that count as only 2 degrees of seperation?

  5. Roland,
    I met Elder John Madsen of the Seventy at a Stake Conference last year. He told that he shook the hand of Joseph Fielding Smith, whose father (Joseph F., Hyrum’s son) was the Prophet’s nephew. I guess that makes 3 degrees for me.

    Dan,
    I met Mike Leavitt when he was governer of Utah. I guess that puts me at only 1 degree from Pres. Bush and 2 degrees from most world leaders (scary thought).

  6. I shook President Faust’s hand. My mission president was later called to be a seventy. So I guess I have two degree separation from President Hinckley. No clue on Joseph Smith though.

    As far as this blog goes, I am only 1 degree away from the members except for JM and Larry. I am 2 degrees away from JM (both he and I met Rick) and I don’t know how many connections to Larry.

    As far as the Bloggernacle goes, I met Jonathan Stapley and his wife, Geoff and Kristen Johnston, Matt Jacobsen and Aaron Brown. I know they have all met several others in the Bloggernacle, so my guess is that I am only thre or four degrees away from most of the regular Bloggernacle participants.

    I’m also two degrees from Randy Bachman (through his brother and daughter), so I am probably well connected in the music industry as well. In addition, I know Byron Chief-Moon, who starred in MacGyver and Walker, Texas Ranger, so I am probably well connected in the film industry also.

    As far as politics goes, I met my MP of course, so I am connected to the prime minister by two degrees and several world leaders by three.

  7. I’ve talked to Kim on the phone, so that connects me in so many ways.
    My 3rd great grandfather loaned the Prophet $500 so that puts me very close to the Saviour. I shook Pres. McKay’s, Pres. Lee, Pres. Kimball, Elder McConkie (actually set apart for my mission by him), Pres. Packer and a number of other bretherns’ hands, so I must be better connected than I thought.
    That must make me very important . . . or not.

  8. Does talking on the phone count? If so, I talked on the phone to Marc Schindler and that must connect me with so many antis in two or three degrees. :)

  9. JM: “I thought this only applied to Kevin Bacon… ;-)”

    OK, I have met Gene Kranz, who was NASA’s flight director and manager during the Apollo missions, where he worked with:
    Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell, astronauts, who was atechnical consultant for the movie Apollo 13, which starred:
    Kevin Bacon

    Satisfied?

    By the way, I also met Harrison (Jack) Schmitt, Apollo 17 astronaut who walked on the moon.

  10. Fine. Here’ mine:

    Attended Play Reading and Analysis class with Byron Chief Moon. Byron Chief Moon was in Shadow Hours with Beau Starr. Beau Starr was in Where the Truth Lies with Kevin Bacon.

  11. “Makes me wonder what 5 people are between Bin Laden and myself or Queen Elizabeth or the Prime Minister of Nigeria.”

    Didn’t you know it? Osama and the Queen are regular readers of this blog. And you are on my blogroll.

  12. Kim,

    You and I are one degree apart.

    I met you back when you were in the Stake Mission Presidency with Tyler and Gerry.

  13. It was after I was ward mission leader and the last calling I had on the westside. It’s the only calling I’ve had in which I was released by a letter from the First Presidency.

    I don’t remember that, JM. Were you a stake missionary?

  14. Kim,

    Marc Schindler is a friend of mine from way back.
    The problem is that he is sooooooo smart that I literally feel like an idiot next to him.
    I haven’t seen or heard from him in about 15 years though, so I’m slowly recovering my sense of whatever.
    I also have a friend who was a friend of the person in charge of the Jupiter mission that had many miracles attached to it. Does that put me one degree closer to the angels?

  15. Oh, ok. Well, I talked to Marc Schindler on the phone and we corresponded via email several times. I guess that puts us two degrees apart.

    Did you know that Marc passed away?

  16. I remember that he had colitis (I think) real bad and it used to cause him a lot of pain, but he always endured it, and did it well.

  17. He passed away 19 October 2003. He had a stroke earlier that year, if I recall correctly, which forced him to leave his job.

  18. Larry Did your 3rd great Grandfather get his $500 back?

    I gave a blessing to the man who wrote the manual Poloris missile. Does that make me two away from anyone who dies from one? If so, then you are only 3 steps away.

    I know Joesph Fielding Smith’s son. How close does that make me to Joesph Smith?

  19. No Kim,

    I had just moved from 2nd ward on the south side to Sheran Park ward on the West side. I was in the SMP on the south side before I moved.

    I knew Tyler from way back and he invited me over to the institute building to talk about some of the things we were doing on the south side in the SM.

    As I recall, you and Gerry were there at the institute building when I came over to meet with tyler.

  20. So it was just an informal meeting? That’s probably why I don’t remember it. Well, I’ll take your word for it. :)

Comments are closed.