Google Search Feature Plays Six Degrees to Kevin Bacon

September 27, 2012

Google has made large strides in simplifying search with their OneBox feature recently, yet seems to be making a big splash with a completely different search attraction. The search engine’s take on the classic “six degrees of Kevin Bacon” is amusing to say the least. We learn in “Yes, It’s True: Google Added ‘Six Degrees to Kevin Bacon’ as a Built-In Search Feature” on MakeUseOf that the new application allows users to search for “Bacon number [name]” to get that person’s Bacon number. The feature is based on Google’s newly released Knowledge Graph and provides the actual connections that led Google to that answer.

Not familiar? The article fills us in:

“So what is a Bacon number? The game originated almost 20 years ago, and treats actor Kevin Bacon as being the center of the entertainment world (if not the universe). Every other actor, actress or entertainer gets a ‘Bacon number’ according to the number of jumps needed to get from him/her to Kevin Bacon, using movies and TV shows.”

This enhancement to Google is interesting and has perhaps led to a bit of procrastination already with this work-from-home writer. Groundbreaking? Not by any means. However, it is a fun feature that is sure to guide some mindless, entertaining-seeking traffic to the search giant.

Andrea Hayden, September 27, 2012

Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext

Written by Stephen E. Arnold · Filed Under Google, News, Search

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Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his high-tech nerve center in rural Kentucky. He tries to winnow the goose feathers from the giblets. He works with colleagues worldwide to make this Web log useful to those who want to go "beyond search". Contact him at sa [at] arnoldit.com. His Web site with additional information about search is arnoldit.com.