I crave order!
November 18, 2014 9:39 PM Subscribe
I'm looking for ideas for "lists of things that are ordered". Can you help me think of some? Examples inside.
I correspond with a friend primarily through numbered lists of things in emails. It gets boring having our lists be "one, two, three", so I want to switch it up. To do that, I need a bunch of ideas of "groups of things that have a distinct ordering to them".
Some examples:
- Amuse-bouche, appetizer, salad, entree, dessert, apertif (meal courses)
- NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Wii (Nintendo game consoles)
- Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere (atmospheric layers)
- Cheetah, Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Lion, Mountain Lion (Mac OS versions)
Googling for ideas here is hard, apparently. Basically, if you have a themed list of 4-10 things that has a distinctive ordering to them, I'd love to steal it. The more random the better. Thanks!
I correspond with a friend primarily through numbered lists of things in emails. It gets boring having our lists be "one, two, three", so I want to switch it up. To do that, I need a bunch of ideas of "groups of things that have a distinct ordering to them".
Some examples:
- Amuse-bouche, appetizer, salad, entree, dessert, apertif (meal courses)
- NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Wii (Nintendo game consoles)
- Troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, exosphere (atmospheric layers)
- Cheetah, Puma, Jaguar, Panther, Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Lion, Mountain Lion (Mac OS versions)
Googling for ideas here is hard, apparently. Basically, if you have a themed list of 4-10 things that has a distinctive ordering to them, I'd love to steal it. The more random the better. Thanks!
Best answer: -- link, visited, hover, active (CSS link style order)
-- kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
-- red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet
-- exponents and roots, multiplication and division, addition and subtraction (order of operations)
-- Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith
posted by DarlingBri at 9:48 PM on November 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
-- kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species
-- red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet
-- exponents and roots, multiplication and division, addition and subtraction (order of operations)
-- Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith
posted by DarlingBri at 9:48 PM on November 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: --Metamorphic grade of rocks (degree of metamorphism through heat and pressure): *slate *phyllite *schist *gneiss *migmatite
--Periodic table of elements - there are various ways you could do it (i.e. order of gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn); order of metals, etc.) or just plain number of atoms.
--Mohs hardness scale from with representatives from soft to hard:*talc *gypsum *calcite *fluorite *apatite *orthoclase *quartz *topaz *corundum *diamond
--Order of evaporation of minerals from seawater: *calcite *dolomite *gypsum * anhydrite *halites *K and Mg salts
--Units of geologic time (all kinds of ways you could break it down)
--hydrocarbon compounds in increasing complexity: *methane *ethane *propane *butane *pentane *hexane *heptane *octane *nonane *decane
--order of countries annexed/invaded by Germany in WWII
--scales of grain size and roundedness (i.e. clay, silt, sand, pebbles, cobbles, boulders)
--fluvial systems from tributary to ocean (i.e. Yellowstone River all the way to the Atlantic)
posted by barchan at 10:06 PM on November 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
--Periodic table of elements - there are various ways you could do it (i.e. order of gases (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, Rn); order of metals, etc.) or just plain number of atoms.
--Mohs hardness scale from with representatives from soft to hard:*talc *gypsum *calcite *fluorite *apatite *orthoclase *quartz *topaz *corundum *diamond
--Order of evaporation of minerals from seawater: *calcite *dolomite *gypsum * anhydrite *halites *K and Mg salts
--Units of geologic time (all kinds of ways you could break it down)
--hydrocarbon compounds in increasing complexity: *methane *ethane *propane *butane *pentane *hexane *heptane *octane *nonane *decane
--order of countries annexed/invaded by Germany in WWII
--scales of grain size and roundedness (i.e. clay, silt, sand, pebbles, cobbles, boulders)
--fluvial systems from tributary to ocean (i.e. Yellowstone River all the way to the Atlantic)
posted by barchan at 10:06 PM on November 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer:
posted by MeghanC at 10:26 PM on November 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
- Alpha, beta, cupcake, doughnut, eclair, froyo, gingerbread, honeycomb, ice cream sandwich, jellybean, kitkat, lollipop (Android versions)
- A lot of movie franchises would work here--Vacation, European Vacation, Christmas Vacation, Vegas Vacation, Christmas Vacation 2; Motion Picture, Wrath of Kahn, Search for Spock, Voyage Home, Final Frontier, Undiscovered Country; Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom, Last Crusade, Crystal Skull (if you must). Wikipedia has a list of film series that you could refer to to find lists that you'd both get.
- Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene, Miocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene, Holocene
- Egg, larva, pupa, adult
- Mosaic, Netscape, Opera, Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, Chrome (internet browsers, 1993 - 2008)
- Raw, rare, medium, well-done, burnt
- Abstract, intro, background, results, argument, conclusion, works cited (academic paper)
- Title page, dedication, acknowledgements, body, appendices, bibliography, index (book)
- Periods in art history might work, and you could use as many or as few as needed
- Wars of the [whateverth] century, if that's not too crass.
posted by MeghanC at 10:26 PM on November 18, 2014 [1 favorite]
• List of solar systems by proximity: Alpha Centauri, Barnard's Star, Luhman 16, WISE 0855−0714, Wolf 359...
• List of TNG episodes featuring Q, by airdate: Encounter at Farpoint, Hide and Q, Q Who, Deja Q, QPid, True Q, Tapestry, All Good Things...
• States that start with the letter 'M': Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana
• Aircraft carriers of the United States in order of commissioning: Langley, Lexington, Saratoga, Ranger, Yorktown, Enterprise, Wasp, Hornet, etc...
• Aircraft carriers of the United States in order of sinking: Langley, Lexington, Yorktown, Wasp, Hornet.
• iPhones by release date: iPhone, 3G, 3GS, 4, 4S, 5, 5C, 5S, 6, 6 Plus
• Popes, in order of Pope
• List of model train gauges (there are more than you think there are): Z, N, TT, HO, OO, O...
• The American presidential chain of succession: President, Vice-President, Speaker of the House, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Secretary of State ...[...]... Secretary of Agriculture...
• List of people you've kissed
• List of entries in Wikipedia's List of Lists of Lists: Lists of books, Lists of 100 best books, Lists of The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers...
posted by bicyclefish at 10:39 PM on November 18, 2014
• List of TNG episodes featuring Q, by airdate: Encounter at Farpoint, Hide and Q, Q Who, Deja Q, QPid, True Q, Tapestry, All Good Things...
• States that start with the letter 'M': Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana
• Aircraft carriers of the United States in order of commissioning: Langley, Lexington, Saratoga, Ranger, Yorktown, Enterprise, Wasp, Hornet, etc...
• Aircraft carriers of the United States in order of sinking: Langley, Lexington, Yorktown, Wasp, Hornet.
• iPhones by release date: iPhone, 3G, 3GS, 4, 4S, 5, 5C, 5S, 6, 6 Plus
• Popes, in order of Pope
• List of model train gauges (there are more than you think there are): Z, N, TT, HO, OO, O...
• The American presidential chain of succession: President, Vice-President, Speaker of the House, President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Secretary of State ...[...]... Secretary of Agriculture...
• List of people you've kissed
• List of entries in Wikipedia's List of Lists of Lists: Lists of books, Lists of 100 best books, Lists of The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers...
posted by bicyclefish at 10:39 PM on November 18, 2014
More than 10 in some of these lists, but:
-- 11 names of undisputed English monarchs, from 1066 until the Acts of Union in 1707: William, Henry, Stephen, Richard, John, Edward, Mary, Elizabeth, James, Charles, Anne (and two more names since: George and Victoria)
-- 5 published volumes of A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, A Dance with Dragons
-- 10 Shakespearian tragedies, in chronological order: Titus Andronicus, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Timon of Athens, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus
-- 8 planets in the Solar System, with a 9th if you're feeling nostalgic: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune [and Pluto?]
-- 10 Poets Laureate since Wordsworth: William Wordsworth, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Alfred Austin, Robert Bridges, John Masefield, Cecil Day-Lewis, John Betjeman, Ted Hughes, Andrew Motion, Carol Ann Duffy
-- 12 Coloured Fairy Books: Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Pink, Grey, Violet, Crimson, Brown, Orange, Olive, Lilac
-- 7 animals starting with a 'c', in order of number of legs: cobra, cockatoo, capybara, cicada, crab spider, crayfish, centipede
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 2:27 AM on November 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
-- 11 names of undisputed English monarchs, from 1066 until the Acts of Union in 1707: William, Henry, Stephen, Richard, John, Edward, Mary, Elizabeth, James, Charles, Anne (and two more names since: George and Victoria)
-- 5 published volumes of A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, A Dance with Dragons
-- 10 Shakespearian tragedies, in chronological order: Titus Andronicus, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Timon of Athens, Macbeth, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus
-- 8 planets in the Solar System, with a 9th if you're feeling nostalgic: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune [and Pluto?]
-- 10 Poets Laureate since Wordsworth: William Wordsworth, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Alfred Austin, Robert Bridges, John Masefield, Cecil Day-Lewis, John Betjeman, Ted Hughes, Andrew Motion, Carol Ann Duffy
-- 12 Coloured Fairy Books: Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Pink, Grey, Violet, Crimson, Brown, Orange, Olive, Lilac
-- 7 animals starting with a 'c', in order of number of legs: cobra, cockatoo, capybara, cicada, crab spider, crayfish, centipede
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 2:27 AM on November 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
Jorge Luis Borges' Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge in his 1942 essay "The Analytical Language of John Wilkins". The list divides all animals into one of 14 categories:
Those that belong to the emperor
Embalmed ones
Those that are trained
Suckling pigs
Mermaids (or Sirens)
Fabulous ones
Stray dogs
Those that are included in this classification
Those that tremble as if they were mad
Innumerable ones
Those drawn with a very fine camel hair brush
Et cetera
Those that have just broken the flower vase
Those that, at a distance, resemble flies
posted by thatwhichfalls at 4:12 AM on November 19, 2014 [3 favorites]
Those that belong to the emperor
Embalmed ones
Those that are trained
Suckling pigs
Mermaids (or Sirens)
Fabulous ones
Stray dogs
Those that are included in this classification
Those that tremble as if they were mad
Innumerable ones
Those drawn with a very fine camel hair brush
Et cetera
Those that have just broken the flower vase
Those that, at a distance, resemble flies
posted by thatwhichfalls at 4:12 AM on November 19, 2014 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Biological classification:kingdom, phylum/division, class, order, family, genus, species.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 4:53 AM on November 19, 2014
posted by St. Peepsburg at 4:53 AM on November 19, 2014
Pentateuch (Torah): Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
General (non-Pauline) epistles: Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude
posted by trip and a half at 9:34 AM on November 19, 2014
Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John
General (non-Pauline) epistles: Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude
posted by trip and a half at 9:34 AM on November 19, 2014
Best answer: You could do a band's records in order (pick a favorite band, or someone classic like The Beatles, or something totally random like Tool -- they're all listed on Wikipedia), or an author's books in order, or an actor's films in order...
posted by jabes at 10:27 AM on November 19, 2014
posted by jabes at 10:27 AM on November 19, 2014
Best answer: deci, centi, milli, micro, nano, pico, femto, atto, zepto, yocto
or vice versa
deka, hecto, kilo, mega, giga, tera, peta, exa, zetta, yotta
C, G, D, A, E, B, F#, C#, G#, Eb, Bb, F (Circle of Fifths)
A chemical one I learned in school:
K Na Li Ca Mg Al Zn Fe Sn
Not all bonds are chemical...
Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, Brosnan, Craig
Suck, Squeeze, Bang, Blow (4-stroke engine, for a short one)
The Biblical Plagues!
Teeth: Incisors, Canines, Bicuspids, Molars, Wisdom
This is addictive! One last one
Hitchhikers' Guide; Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the Universe, and Everything; So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish; Mostly Harmless;
posted by Wrinkled Stumpskin at 1:49 PM on November 19, 2014
or vice versa
deka, hecto, kilo, mega, giga, tera, peta, exa, zetta, yotta
C, G, D, A, E, B, F#, C#, G#, Eb, Bb, F (Circle of Fifths)
A chemical one I learned in school:
K Na Li Ca Mg Al Zn Fe Sn
Not all bonds are chemical...
Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, Brosnan, Craig
Suck, Squeeze, Bang, Blow (4-stroke engine, for a short one)
The Biblical Plagues!
Teeth: Incisors, Canines, Bicuspids, Molars, Wisdom
This is addictive! One last one
Hitchhikers' Guide; Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the Universe, and Everything; So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish; Mostly Harmless;
posted by Wrinkled Stumpskin at 1:49 PM on November 19, 2014
There's actually a book by the lady who wrote "14,000 things to be happy about" that is nothing but ordered items in all different categories. It's quite fascinating!
The Order of Things: Hierarchies, Structures and Pecking Orders
posted by missjenny at 4:42 PM on November 19, 2014
The Order of Things: Hierarchies, Structures and Pecking Orders
posted by missjenny at 4:42 PM on November 19, 2014
Oh and one from me:
The Stages of Grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance
posted by missjenny at 4:45 PM on November 19, 2014
The Stages of Grief: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance
posted by missjenny at 4:45 PM on November 19, 2014
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posted by Chocolate Pickle at 9:46 PM on November 18, 2014