Right, in a list where the President of the United States of America comes in at 158th; Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd is at 133rd; "Google Guys" are 19th and Heidi Klum is 4th. The winner is the doyenne of video games design, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto.

Yes, Time Magazine readers gave Shiggy two million votes - 300,000 more than runner up Rain (Jeong Ji-hoon) a Korean pop singer and model.

Makes you think about 'influential' Time Magazine really - maybe Shiggy should arrange for the exit strategy from Iraq while Rain organises the whole Darfur mess?

The magazine's own panel were slightly less populist (slightly) voting in the following categories:

Leaders & Revolutionaries
No: 1 = The Dalai Lama (religious leader and bloke in dress.)

Heroes & Pioneers
No: 1 = Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie (stop laughing at the back!)

Scientists & Thinkers
No: 1 = Michael Bloomberg (New York mayor and media owner.)

Artists & Entertainers
No: 1 = Lorne Michaels (Saturday Night Live producer.)

Builders & Titans
No: 1 = Indra Nooyi (CEO of Pepsi Co in India.)

Looking at that lot, we're more inclined towards Shiggy and Rain as Most Influential for 2008.

^{Source: Time}