Degrees of Separation

For the last few weeks, the smallness of the world has been again made apparent to me.

Two Thursday's ago, I got to talking to the passenger next to me on the train as we approached Hudson, and found out that she was teaching this course at RPI. It sounded like something interesting to folks I know so I told her about my friend who teaches at Bard. It turns out that she'd heard of her work already so the world felt a little smaller.

Then our friend Kate was in from the UK and rode the train up to our house. During her ride, a person on the train recognized the handbag that she was carrying as being an Elizabeth Powell handbag. (She says it happens frequently, which is a testament to Elizabeth's unique design skill as she has less than 500 bags in circulation, but they are recognizable). The world is smaller again.

The Saturday following I went to a birthday part for our friends Jim & Corbett, and I met their friend John who owns a store in Hudson. I had mentioned Ms. Mazza's web site to them when I saw one of their gifts (a mini-knitting machine). It turns out that John's work is featured in a show with Ms. Mazza's work. (I am not sure exactly which one it is, but I think it's this one).

The earth as a shrinky-dink...

Then I saw Jackie this weekend and found out that some of her work will be exhibited in the same show as work from microrevolt.org this May.

Tiny globe. Very tiny.

This article has an interesting discusson on social networks and how they replicate the movements of particles in a vacuum. I think every time I meet someone who knows someone I know, I am going to make a point of saying "boing".