Re: http://www.newsscan.com/cgi-bin/findit_view?table=newsletter&id=8816
In Canada we have the good fortune to have two languages on a lot of
our consumer products. Recently, while in the midst of painting a room in
our house, I discovered that the French word for enamel is émail.
Considering the note in the July 21 issue of NewsScan [ADIEU TO 'E-MAIL'?]
concerning the French Culture Minister declaring Courriel the official term
for e-mail in France I thought you (and other readers) should be aware that
French just might be the only language on the planet which already had a
word with the same spelling as e-mail and this is a very good reason (by my
way of thinking) for having a different word so that one of their other
words does not become obsolete. You can reply by enamel if you wish. (Dave
Trautman, Edmonton)
Friday, August 15, 2003
IS 'SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION' THEORY AN ACADEMIC MYTH?
Columbia University researchers have conducted the first large-scale
experiment examining the "six degrees of separation" theory, which posits
that a short chain of acquaintances (six links or less) can be found
between almost any two people in the world. In this global study, more than
60,000 people tried to get in touch with one of 18 people in 13 countries,
and of the more than 24,000 e-mail chains that were started fewer than 2%
reached their targets. The successful chains arrived quickly, requiring
only four steps to get there, but the rest failed when someone in the
middle did not forward the e-mail. Psychologist Judith S. Kleinfeld of the
University of Alaska calls the "six degrees of separation" theory the
"academic equivalent of an urban myth" and says: "Instead of showing we
live in a small world, it really shows the opposite. Ninety-eight percent
of people can't reach anybody. What do they conclude? 'Hey, we're all
connected.' What? All I'm saying is this study didn't prove it." The
follow-up experiment is at http://smallworld.columbia.edu. (New York Times
12 Aug 2003)
http://partners.nytimes.com/2003/08/12/science/12MAIL.html
See you all in October. Hope you are having a dry summer somewhere other then in Japan.;>}
Columbia University researchers have conducted the first large-scale
experiment examining the "six degrees of separation" theory, which posits
that a short chain of acquaintances (six links or less) can be found
between almost any two people in the world. In this global study, more than
60,000 people tried to get in touch with one of 18 people in 13 countries,
and of the more than 24,000 e-mail chains that were started fewer than 2%
reached their targets. The successful chains arrived quickly, requiring
only four steps to get there, but the rest failed when someone in the
middle did not forward the e-mail. Psychologist Judith S. Kleinfeld of the
University of Alaska calls the "six degrees of separation" theory the
"academic equivalent of an urban myth" and says: "Instead of showing we
live in a small world, it really shows the opposite. Ninety-eight percent
of people can't reach anybody. What do they conclude? 'Hey, we're all
connected.' What? All I'm saying is this study didn't prove it." The
follow-up experiment is at http://smallworld.columbia.edu. (New York Times
12 Aug 2003)
http://partners.nytimes.com/2003/08/12/science/12MAIL.html
See you all in October. Hope you are having a dry summer somewhere other then in Japan.;>}