Six degrees of separation

Do you know that game called "6 degrees of Kevin Bacon"? The challenge of the game is to take any actor or actress and link that person to Kevin Bacon through no more than 6 consecutive people who have worked together. Within the tight-knit world of Hollywood the question is probably not whether or not the trail exists but more whether you can find it. There is also a more general theory, however, that suggests the '6 degrees of separation' rule applies universally; that we are all connected to each other through only 6 people or less. I find this a bit hard to believe. Even with the highly varied and international circle of friends that I have, I can't think of any way to connect me to that shepherd on the steppes of inner-Mongolia or the medicine man in the jungle of Brazil.

It seems though that since coming to Imperial College my 6-step network has had some interesting new additions. At the moment I am taking a class in Entrepreneurship; how to go about when you want to start up your own business. A crucial element in any such endeavour involves who you know or how you can get to know the right people. Yes, that most intangible of skills called networking! The staff and alumni of the College offer a rich source of contacts. Even if you don't feel very entrepreneurial such a network is a valuable asset for life. After this week's lecture, for instance, I have learned that I am just 3 small steps removed from Borat and only 4 from Mr. Microsoft himself! Just imagine where I could get within those next couple of steps...