Connected: The Power of Six Degrees
11 December 2008
A very rich documentary about the new science of network. It is built around reproducing the “Six degrees of separation” experience. The main concepts are well explained and the history of discoveries is emphasized with many examples and interviews of the researchers. I personally think the documentary is well realized and may be understood by any public.
The first part is about small worlds model and explaining why six degrees works. The second part brings the concepts of hubs and power-law degree distribution. At the end we learn more about network theory applications, in particular about cancer research.
“Connected: The Power of Six Degrees brings us a new view of the world, as we unfold the science behind the popular trivia game ‘Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon’. Based on the idea that anyone on the planet can be connected in just a few steps of association, ’six-degrees of separation’ was supposedly an urban myth. Through this documentary we discover it’s at the heart of a major scientific breakthrough.”
Connected: The Power of Six Degrees – Part 1 from gephi on Vimeo.
Connected: The Power of Six Degrees – Part 2 from gephi on Vimeo.
Connected: The Power of Six Degrees – Part 3 from gephi on Vimeo.
To go further :
- The disease map developed at the end can be found here. The PDF article “The human disease network” is here.
- The new Diseasome : Explore online the diseasome network
- Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age
- Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life
Found here.
Related Posts:
Networks ~ how kevin bacon cured cancer Networks six degrees













7 April 2009 at 9:52 am | Permalink
[...] like link building, marketing, JV’s, etc. Network science – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia How Kevin Bacon Cured Cancer | Gephi Check out the video "kevin bacon cured cancer part 3" for good part. Let me know what [...]
29 June 2009 at 4:29 pm | Permalink
Great movie on cutting edge knowledge. Relevant to ‘Being Digital’ in the global village. Will recommend my students to watch it.
14 August 2009 at 3:31 pm | Permalink
This is a extraordinary interesting documentary; however it has a major blind spot. It does not have the voices of any humanists; only Scientists. It is mono-dimensional and prescriptive; it lacks the great understanding of the human conditional gained through philosophy, history, archaeology, and literature.
The six degree thesis is interesting; but simplistic.
Dr Craig Bellamy