Over in this thread, there was this exchange:
Which got me thinking. How many Dopers am I one degree of separation away from? I’ve met Cat Whisperer and Spoons in real life, so that’s my baseline. How many of you am I one degree away from?
(And, if anyone else wants to play and ask about their own degrees of separation, feel free, just so long as you remember that I am in fact the central focus of this thread. 
)
I’ve only met one other doper of whom I know, and he’s my brother. I doubt that he’s met anyone but me. I think we’re an island.
No man is an island, entire to himself.
I don’t think I’ve ever met Cat Whisperer or Spoons, unless they’ve changed their names, so I’m not almost-real to you. I met a variety of Northeast Ohio Dopers at a 'fest once, including samclem and tomndebb; I’ve met C K Dexter Haven once when he was passing through Bozeman; I used to go to school with Achernar, who was very active back in the day but hasn’t been on in years; and I saw a talk by The Bad Astronomer once and chatted with him a bit afterwards.
I’ve met Samclem at my place.
And I’ve met an entire HOST of Dopers at my old place in Virginia and various other MD/DC/VA events. That includes some well-travelled ones like Opal and such so there’s likely quite a few who are one separation from the Chance clan.
Well, I’ve also met Sunspace, trupa, and Frank, so there are three.
Do postcards count?
I’ve met a lot. Thanks to Democritus, I’m probably one degree of separation from pretty much any Doper in CA who I also haven’t already met.
For all I know, I could have met you, or Gorsnak or Speaker for the Dead without knowing it.
But I’ve never actually met a Doper. I think we need a Saskadope meetup.
I’ve never met a Doper. But I have like three who are willing to fake-marry me if I ever need to migrate away from the US. Woo!
:waves:
I’ve met Demo, psy, Kyla, gundy, and Hamadryad. I figure that covers a lot of Dopers.
I’d say two: Cat Whisperer and Spoons. Whoever else they know, you’re two degrees of separation from: one degree from you to the people you know, and one degree from them to the people they know.
I’ve only ever met Commasense, so unless he has met any of you guys, I’m quite far from being “real”.
I’ve never met a Doper. Does this mean I don’t exist?
I’ve met Spoons. For that matter, I could have met you if I hadn’t been so wiped out that evening.
In hindsight, knowing that I wouldn’t have taken the job in Edmonton even if offered, I regret not making the drive more slowly. I missed the opportunity to meet a number of people I would have liked to meet.
Ah well, it’s tougher in the UK - fewer of us about.
I’ve only met one Doper IRL, which was Kal. I think he may have met jjimm (or however you spell it), and I have a feeling he travels a bit, so I might be 3 degrees from some of you - or I may not. More information needed!
The only one I’ve met in real life is MsWhatsit, before I was on these boards (and likely before she was as well). We discovered based on a response that I made in another thread that we were in the same dorm at Northwestern. (She was a freshman my sophomore year, IIRC.)
No, you exist, it’s the rest of us that don’t.
To be clear, in the OP example, Cat Whisperer is one degree separated from Spoons (and reality), two degrees from Sunspace.
Unlikely. I haven’t met anyone from here and there are hundreds more like me.
I’m like Kevin Bacon. I’ve met over two hundred dopers at various meetings in at least six different states and provinces.