Who is at the Centre of the Universe? The EBS Game!

[Roger the Horse]

I've co-authored a published paper on cancer, I've performed and released a tape with a member of Groove Armada and I've appeared on TV with Sabine Schmitz. Touring Mars worked out my Erdős Number to 6 for the first, Groove Armada gets to Sabbath in 2 for a Sabbath Number of 3 and Sabine Schmitz goes through Top Gear to Kevin Bacon (via Michael Fassbender) in for a Bacon Number of 4.

So, with my Erdős number of 5, and Bacon number of 4, and Sabbath number of 6, that gives me an EBS number of 15

Can't swear in response to two users having finite EBS number. Too many mods around.

 

[Famine]

It almost defies description that the two non-entities on the list of very famous, well-connected people are not only staff on the same website but real world acquaintances too

So now two of the EBSers have met!

 

[PeterJB]

PeterJB > Timothy Redmond > Valery Gergiev > Lang Lang > Katherine McPhee > Harry Connick, Jr. > Kevin Bacon

Bacon number of 6!

 

[Barra333]

I understand the principle of it, but how do you actually go about figuring out the Erdos number? Besides going through an ever expanding co-author list?

 

[Roger the Horse]

Does Rick Astley have a Sabbath number? I have played on stage to an audience with a guitarist who plays with Astley live. (With Astley on drums, he's a great drummer, bizarrely.)

 

[Touring Mars]

PeterJB > Timothy Redmond > Valery Gergiev > Lang Lang > Katherine McPhee > Carlos Santana > Peter Green > Mick Fleetwood > Dave Walker (Sabbath)

Carlos Santana covered 'Smoke On The Water' (co-written by Ian Gillan) on this album, and Ian Gillan is a former member of Black Sabbath... so if cover versions count, which I assume they do, then you'd have a Sabbath number of 6

Does Rick Astley have a Sabbath number? I have played on stage to an audience with a guitarist who plays with Astley live. (With Astley on drums, he's a great drummer, bizarrely.)

Yep. Astley performed on Ferry Aid alongside Suzi Quatro (see above ) (I wonder if Suzi Quatro published any science papers??)

That would give you a Sabbath number of 4: You - your mate - Rick Astley - Suzi Quatro - Cozy Powell (Black Sabbath)

 

[Roger the Horse]

Carlos Santana covered 'Smoke On The Water' (co-written by Ian Gillan) on this album, and Ian Gillan is a former member of Black Sabbath... so if cover versions count, which I assume they do, then you'd have a Sabbath number of 6

I don't think cover versions do count. Otherwise I could just cover a black sabbath song next time me and my band play to an audience or record some demos or something and say we have a sabbath number of one! Simple.

 

[Famine]

I understand the principle of it, but how do you actually go about figuring out the Erdos number? Besides going through an ever expanding co-author list?

That's pretty much the only way.

The Wikipedia page on Erdos numbers gives you a good list of names with Erdos collaborations. There's also a good resource on a university website with an Erdos Number Project that I can't recall right now, giving various high-ranking academics Erdos Numbers - which also includes good linking resources to academics in other fields with high numbers of collaborations.

 

[PeterJB]

Carlos Santana covered 'Smoke On The Water' (co-written by Ian Gillan) on this album, and Ian Gillan is a former member of Black Sabbath... so if cover versions count, which I assume they do, then you'd have a Sabbath number of 6

Even better!

 

[Famine]

if cover versions count

Only for the people it's performed with.

Amy Winehouse's cover of Valerie doesn't give her a Zutons Number of 1.

 

[Touring Mars]

I don't think cover versions do count. Otherwise I could just cover a black sabbath song next time me and my band play to an audience or record some demos or something and say we have a sabbath number of one! Simple.

As I understand it, you'd either have to perform with a member of or publish a recording of a song written by a member of Black Sabbath, since that would count as a joint writing credit. Simply performing a Black Sabbath song in a pub wouldn't be enough. Performing a live gig in a pub with someone who performed with someone who performed with someone who performed with someone who performed with someone who performed with a member of Black Sabbath does count though, as is the case for me

Only for the people it's performed with.

Amy Winehouse's cover of Valerie doesn't give her a Zutons Number of 1.

Ah. In that case, PeterJB's Sabbath number will probably have to be re-done, since I reckon that the Santana - Peter Green connection is Santana's recording of 'Black Magic Woman' and not a joint performance/collaboration.

edit: Nope... that's OK, because Peter Green did actually perform the song with Santana.

 

[Barra333]

That's pretty much the only way.

The Wikipedia page on Erdos numbers gives you a good list of names with Erdos collaborations. There's also a good resource on a university website with an Erdos Number Project that I can't recall right now, giving various high-ranking academics Erdos Numbers - which also includes good linking resources to academics in other fields with high numbers of collaborations.

Thanks. I know I have an Erdos number, and probably a Bacon number based on appearing in the background of a doco while my supervisor was being interviewed. As long as I can count people who appeared in the same episode, I can probably get somewhere via Tim Flannery.
Sabbath, no way.
EDIT: I think this might be the page you were thinking of Famine

 

[Hayden]

Very interesting idea this EBS stuff. So, lets see.
I've never published a scientfic journal, so no E
I've never acted publically, so no B
I've only ever performed music solo, so no S

Which gives me an EBS number of

 

[Touring Mars]

Past my bedtime, but I'm now hooked - and I can't sleep anyway...

I've got a Bacon Number of 3 now...

Me --(Murder Rooms)-- Charles Dance --(Michael Collins)-- Julia Roberts --(Flatliners)-- Kevin Bacon

That should bring my EBS number to 14



edit: OMFG, I found the clip Believe it or not, I've never seen this before myself...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSpdE43JrN8#t=1188s

I'm on the right, standing at the door, and I turn to face the camera as Charles Dance walks in (who then proceeds to stand right infront of me!! )

Blink and you'll miss it

 

[Keef]

Damn, Natalie Portman really gets around. I'm not sure I want it anymore.

EDIT: Being that mathboy has left, it stands to reason that Bacon and Sabbath may not be the most prolific contributors to their fields. Bacon certainly isn't - John Wayne was the lead actor in 172 films. Mostly Westerns, of course, but considering how famous Wayne was he surely had many friends.

I think Howard Hughes would be a good person to either study or create a number for. Everything about the man was prolific, and not only was he Hollywood elite but was also a brilliant engineer and fanatical businessman.

I'd suggest throwing a race car driver in there but they're not usually too bright. They just drive. If there does happen to be an accomplished one I'm sure it would open up a whole lot of new doors.

Steve McQueen?

 

[hellnback]

Oracle of Bacon will have the answer, I believe last time I looked the centre of the 'hollywood' universe was Christopher Lee (edit: It has changed! Dennis Hopper now)

http://oracleofbacon.org/

http://oracleofbacon.org/center_list.php

 

[Famine]

Past my bedtime, but I'm now hooked - and I can't sleep anyway...

That should bring my EBS number to 14

Do you want to "go public" with it? Real name and all? Turns out that there's now three of us civvies and the other one wants to be out there for employers to Google

EDIT: Being that mathboy has left, it stands to reason that Bacon and Sabbath may not be the most prolific contributors to their fields. Bacon certainly isn't - John Wayne was the lead actor in 172 films. Mostly Westerns, of course, but considering how famous Wayne was he surely had many friends.

The idea of Bacon wasn't based on his appearances alone, but his cross-genre acting. He's been in just about everything except snuff, so he'll have worked with multiple fields.

Same with Sabbath - my own connection to Sabbath is keyboardist Adam Wakeman who not only plays for Sabbath (to give him 0), but the-face-of-inoffensive-pop Will Young. Oh and his father is also the father of prog rock opera, Rick Wakeman...

I think Howard Hughes would be a good person to either study or create a number for. Everything about the man was prolific, and not only was he Hollywood elite but was also a brilliant engineer and fanatical businessman.

I'd suggest throwing a race car driver in there but they're not usually too bright. They just drive. If there does happen to be an accomplished one I'm sure it would open up a whole lot of new doors.

Steve McQueen?

Like Edison, their problem is Sabbath. Edison qualifies for a Sabbath number, just, by virtue of being sampled for others' tracks - like They Might Be Giants, oddly.

Oracle of Bacon will have the answer, I believe last time I looked the centre of the 'hollywood' universe was Christopher Lee (edit: It has changed! Dennis Hopper now)

http://oracleofbacon.org/

http://oracleofbacon.org/center_list.php

That's just Bacon though - and Dennis Hopper's too dead to be the centre of anything. It's a good resource to find Bacon Numbers, mind.

 

[niky]

Seeing as I've only been in two bands, and the closest I come to a Sabbath number is playing on stage with one or two guys who might have actually played in the US (though they're famous here)... that I've not ever published a paper (stickies count?) though I've published articles in a number of places... and that I've only ever appeared on local television with local celebrities, my EBS number, if it does exist, might be in the hundreds.

 

[PeterJB]

I just thought, I've never published any papers or anything, but Stephen Hawking made a cameo appearance in The Big Bang Theory, would that acceptable as a way of calculating my Erdos number?

 

[Famine]

I just thought, I've never published any papers or anything, but Stephen Hawking made a cameo appearance in The Big Bang Theory, would that acceptable as a way of calculating my Erdos number?

No. That'd be a Bacon number.

A Bacon number can only be arrived at through mutual film or TV appearances.
An Erdős number can only be arrived at through mutual academic publications (non-fiction books may count)
A Sabbath number can only be arrived at through mutual musical performances or media releases.

 

[Famine]

GTPers with Known, Finite EBS Numbers​

Famine - E6, B4, S3 - EBS 13
Touring Mars - E5, B3, S4 - EBS 12

GTPers with Non Finite EBS Numbers​

PeterJB - E, B6, S8
Jordan - E7, B?, S
homeforsummer - E, B3, S
Soloracer - E, B3, S
GTP_Ingram - E, B4, S
PrudentBear - E, B4, S
TiZzLa - E, B4, S
trackripper123 - E, B, S6
thesrdic - E, B, S8

 

[Solo]

Hmm I have a Bacon number of 3 (I think) I've appeared in the crowd of an episode of Robot Wars which is hosted by Craig Charles.
Me -> Craig Charles -> Ben Elton -> Kevin Bacon.

Now for the Sabbath number that I think I can get... most likely not though

 

[Famine]

What's Ben Elton acted in with Craig Charles? Or Kevin Bacon?

 

[wfooshee]

According to the Oracle, Ben Elton has a Bacon number of 3. Craig Charles's number is... well there are two Craig Charles, and one has a 2, the other has no connection unless you turn on ALL the possibilities. I don't see how to determine which Craig Charles is which, though.

Anyway, if it's the right Craig Charles, then Soloracer's a 3.

According to the Oracle.

 

[Solo]

On the oracle it is Craig Charles (I). His Ben Elton link was Comic Relief: The Invasion of the Comic Tomatoes (1993) (TV). And Ben Elton was in "Breakfast" (2000) {(2005-11-11)} with Kevin Bacon. It can also be done via other pathways to get my number to be 3 through Craig Charles and just films (e.g. Craig Charles (I) was in Fated (2006) with Katrine De Candole was in X-Men: First Class (2011) with Kevin Bacon)

 

[Famine]

Hilariously spurious, but accurate

According to the Oracle, Ben Elton has a Bacon number of 3. Craig Charles's number is... well there are two Craig Charles, and one has a 3, the other has no connection unless you turn on ALL the possibilities. I don't see how to determine which Craig Charles is which, though.

Click the link. It takes you to IMDB which confirms that Craig Charles (I) is the Red Dwarf/Robot Wars/Coronation Street one.

 

[Solo]

Hey its not a spurious claim!

 

[thesrdic]

Strangely it's conceivable that I have one/may do soon..

For the Sabbath number, I played the piano with a couple of people from our school who were on the school choir, who on a tour sang with the guy that sang 'Walking in the Air' (Alled Jones?).. It could be possible to find a connection there..

For the Bacon number, I recently (Le Mans the other weekend) photobombed (in the background) a panning scene of the pits for Mobil 1 - The Grid, and was getting stuff signed by the Strakka drivers as they were being interviewed by the same TV show, would either of those count? If so, I'm sure those drivers/the interviewer will have appeared with Sabine Schmitdz or an F1 driver, which you could get to Top Gear from

For the Erdős number, my lecturer (Dr. David Martill) is writing/has just finished a paper on an ammonite I found in Morocco (it might be able to re-date a whole formation (the Kem-Kem) by as much as 20 million years , and I did ask about co-authoring.. Whilst he wouldn't let me write it with him (no degree yet), he did say he'd think about putting me as a co-author, although I might just get a small mention in the paper..

If they are tangible enough, it'd probably in the 20s-30s anyway I'd assume.

I'm too busy at the moment preparing for the next two weeks dissertation fieldwork that I don't have the time for working it out at the moment anyway..

 

[PeterJB]

Hmm I have a Bacon number of 3 (I think) I've appeared in the crowd of an episode of Robot Wars which is hosted by Craig Charles.
Me -> Craig Charles -> Ben Elton -> Kevin Bacon.

Now for the Sabbath number that I think I can get... most likely not though

Were you an audience member or a contestant? (Though if you were the latter I would have noticed since I worshipped that show )

 

[Solo]

Audience member in the following episode http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4Pf5ZExHcE