Allow me to recommend, once again, the book _Linked: How Everything in Connected to Everything Else, and What It Means for Business, Sciences, and Everyday Life_ by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi. Despite the somewhat new-agey, holistic title, it is actually about mathematical network theory, and has all kinds of applications to the "real world," especially in the internet age. By the way, the "six degrees" idea did not originate with Milgram, as many psychologists like to believe. It instead dates back to a Hungarian author of the 1920s.
Regards, Chris -- Christopher D. Green Department of Psychology York University Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 Canada 416-736-2100 ex. 66164 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.yorku.ca/christo/ ========================= Allen Esterson wrote: > On 2 August 2008 Chris Green wrote: > >> The "six degrees" theory apparently holds up, even in the >> electronic age. >> http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/aug/03/internet.email >> > > Surely the advent of electonic mailing has appreciably *increased* the > probability of such connections. I "know" far more people in recent years > than previously -- just think of all the TIPsters for starters! Doesn't > this work undertaken by Microsoft researchers imply that before the advent > of large-scale emailing the "six degrees" theory was an overstatement? > > >From the Guardian article: > "But yesterday researchers announced the theory was right - nearly. By > studying billions of electronic messages, they worked out that any two > strangers are, on average, distanced by precisely 6.6 degrees of > separation." > > Allen Esterson > Former lecturer, Science Department > Southwark College, London > http://www.esterson.org > > --- > To make changes to your subscription contact: > > Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) > > > --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
