Max's Musings

Listing Lists of Lists

It's amazing what you can find on the internet.

I recently wanted to find a list of positive words in order to construct an acronym from the word "nice" -- see "Standards Based Learning and Contests" . What I came up with was this:
         Nurture talent;
         Inspire excellence;
         Celebrate creativity; and
         Encourage improvement.

But what's interesting was that I found an internet page of positive words.   Who knew such things existed?

I tried to use the list of positive words to construct an acronym for how I try to write reviews:
         Respect the author;
         Promote Excellence;
         Value what is done well; ;
         Suggest ways to Improve;
         Encourage creativity; and
         Affirm the Worth of the creative impulse.
Well, okay, that didn't work so well, but you get the idea.

I confess to a bureaucrat's delight in acronyms. Sometimes they are less direct. In jest, I suggested a colleague in the school of electrical engineering name his lab the "Wireless Electronic Compatibility and Advanced Design" Lab because you could pronounce WECAD as "wicked." He loved it, and that's now the name of his lab.

Of course, finding a list of positive words naturally led me seek out a list of negative words. Turns out there are several pages with such words, including one that charges for the list. That struck me as avaricious. For what it's worth, I didn't need a list of negative words come up with that description.

Thinking about it, I don't generally need help coming up with negative words. You know old conundrum: "is the glass half full or half empty?" My daughter pointed out it didn't apply to me, since I'd think the glass was poisoned. She knows me so well.

Anyway, this list of negative words   includes a list of links to other word lists. There's even one for math   words.

I have to say the math list is pretty disappointing. Key words from calculus like integral and derivative don't appear. More advanced words like transfinite, accretive, induction, and topology are absent. Mathematicians also name things after people, like Zorn's Lemma. Who couldn't love something with that name, even if it does involve the controversial Axiom of Choice? Then there's Peano arithmetic, which has nothing to do with counting to 88.

But I've digressed. Chances are, if you want to find something on the internet, you can. Even a pointless
         Banal
         Lousy
         Out of touch
         Grumpy
blog.







Max Griffin
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