Six Degrees of Seperation: Prince William to Osama Bin Laden

As all the news sources are reporting Microsoft's exploration of Milgram's theory that we are on average only 6 degrees away from anyone else in the world (BBC, Guardian), it seems a good time to share my personal favourite six degrees of seperation (which is far better than the Daily Mail's examples): Prince William to Osama Bin Laden going through my own student house in Loughborough.

Whilst from the outside it may have looked like just another student terrace house, visitors included a classmate of Prince William's at St. Andrews University and a Finnish girl (or was she Swedish??) who was the nanny to one of Osama Bin Laden's brothers.

Microsoft found that 78% of messenger users could be connected in seven links or fewer. To me this suggests that six degrees is on the high side; most people have many more acquaintances than they message.