The concept of Six Degrees of Separation has its origins in an experiment run by a professor on the east coast of the US. The professor picked out random names from the Omaha, Nebraska phone-book (remember phone books?).
The professor gave each student in the classroom the person's name and address with the instructions "The rules are that you must pass this to somebody that you know and they, in turn, can only pass it to somebody they know. The goal is to get this into the hands of the person listed at the top of the page. Each person in the chain is to write their name on the sheet."
The median number of hand-offs was six. Some were less. For example, a student might hand the envelop to Jim Footballfan who they know from the dorm. Jim Footballfan might know Bob Mailman in Omaha who they met at a Cornhuskers' Tailgate party. Bob Mailman knows all of the Mailmen in Omaha. BOOM! Done.
Thus the idea that there is about six-degrees of separation between you and even the most remote, random person in the United States.
Southern Belle
Southern Belle is milking her connections.
A friend from college has a shirt-tail in-law who acquired a property filled with furniture. They want to get rid of all that dusty, old furniture and fill it with trendy, modern stuff that appeals to renters.
My mission, should I choose to accept it, is to ride with SB and Handsome Hombre to Pontiac, Michigan and help load a truck and a trailer with home furnishings. This sounds like it is going to be a four-ibuprofen day.
My information is that the owners just want the stuff GONE. What a great use of connections on SB's part.
ERJ, as anti-social as I am and no matter how much throughout my life I liked to argue otherwise, connections really are a thing and get things done. Good on SB for learning this far earlier than I did.
ReplyDeleteI do remember that everyone in the world was only 6 degrees separation from Kevin Bacon.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading of the six degrees of separation in a Life magazine article in a USO in Di An Vietnam in early 1967. I hope your young 'uns score some good stuff!
ReplyDeleteGlad your back Joe. Woody
ReplyDeleteNetworking WORKS! :-)
ReplyDeleteFrom the time I became an adult I collected antique furniture from the mid /late 19th and early 20th century. 30 years ago it was worth a good deal of money. Not now. It's "so out of date" and worth nothing and my grandchildren aren't even interested in having it.. But I still like it so it's here for the duration, or what's left of it. ---ken
ReplyDeleteI read an article that said some items including large China and silver sets, SRL cameras, spoon, Hummel and other collectibles, waterbeds, formal furniture, grandfather clocks etc were very difficult to sell and in many cases, difficult to give away.
ReplyDeleteWe live and entertain differently today.
Especially pianos. Can't give them away anymore. ---ken
DeleteVis a vis the antique furniture and collectibles, they go through boom and bust. Right now they aren't worth much, but in 10 years, they will be a fad again. I've seen antiques go through several cycles when they were worth quite a lot of money with a few years of bust when you couldn't give them away for kindling.
ReplyDeleteI am 6 degrees out or was from people like jack nicholsonm, actor, ghw bush, ex-pres, patti smith, poet/musican. From there just about anybody.
ReplyDeleteWHO SAYS THERE'S NO GOD?! Well ya, some degrees.
ReplyDelete