Thursday, July 24, 2008

7 ways to make a list

I just read a comment about numbers and why they're so important to me.  I'm guessing young David was kidding, but I should tell you, I do love them.  I love lists and lists are generally numbered.  One of my favorite books when I was a kid was The Book of Lists.  It was about four inches thick and had nothing but lists.

Many people write about the popularity of lists on the web.  People often like lists so they can poke holes in them.  If someone wrote a list of the 5 greatest running backs of all time and left off Franco Harris, well that'd just be silly.  I'd like to see that list even if I disagreed with it.  In fact, I'd like to see the list because I disagree with it.
Numbers are also helpful outside of lists.  I use them daily to count (just one example).  It's sometimes difficult in meetings to use the story of your friend who loved something, when someone else pulls out a survey that shows that 74% of the people hated it.  I heard a guy on the radio the other day say that most Americans don't really care about language or violence on tv these days and was giving example after example of how violent tv was when he grew up.  His point that tv was less violent.  This was a monologue and not a debate.  In a debate he would have lost.  The numbers aren't on his side.  The facts aren't either.
(not really my point, by the way)
Numbers is a book in the Bible...so if you're against numbers then obviously you hate Moses and are anti-semitic.  Why do you hate Moses?  It's the name, right?

Without numbers Bib Ben would just be ridiculous.  Numbers help me to know how deep the water in the pool is before I do my triple Lindy.

I love me some numbers.  In a dark alley, who do you want on your side - the letter "h" or number 7?

I think I've made my point here.

10 comments:

  1. I too am a list lover from way back.

    First: They make me happy because it's usually a compilation of something interesting.

    B) I'm anal and love the way they are organized. I think better in list form.

    Some of my favorites are Top Ten Lists (thanks Dave Letterman). And here is one that always makes me giggle: http://www.unwind.com/jokes-funnies/family/amishteen.shtml

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  2. my favorite
    http://cms.dt.uh.edu/faculty/RedlT/topten21-30.html#30

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  3. yes, i was kidding :)

    i know that you love people more than just for the seat they fill. you wouldn't serve those you serve if you didn't.

    keep loving people. the more you get to love, the better.

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  4. oh, and i told my sister she should do the improv stuff if you ask her again.

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  5. lastly,

    of course i would rather have the number 7 on my side. he invokes fear. why? because 7 ate 9.

    and that is why you didn't invite me to be in the improv group. my sister is the funny one.

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  6. My favorite...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8px_KyIFyo

    Fast forward to about the 1:00 mark to skip the boring introduction.

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  7. speaking of numbers

    http://youtube.com/watch?v=EpGH02DtIws

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  8. Jim Brown, Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, & Eric Dickerson

    The Owner of the white bronco and the stylish gloves was bumped due to off field issues.

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  9. Thurman Thomas could be in the mix.

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