The plus and minus index

Surname letters minus first name letters. That's it.

Jul 27, 2026

They think I’m losing my mind; I mean, losing me friggin’ marbles! They could be right.

It comes and goes like the tides—the index, the plus and minus index that is. It can last for weeks, or just days. I’ve never tried to categorise the outcomes, I just hear the name and then do the calc.

Here's how it works. Surname letters minus first name letters. That's it. What an index.

Recently I was connected with Mitch Grace—Corio CC president, passionate cricket geek—perfect fit for PlayStats. On the index (not spectrum) he's a zero. (5/5) Fitting, somehow. The introducer is plus six (4/10)—somewhat of anomaly, not inline with her personality.

I don’t know where it started, or if it came to me second hand—not sure. They’ll be nick-pickers who’ll argue full names against used names—Nicholas or Nick. It’s just what people call you—within reason. It’s just weird stuff; don’t pick holes. I’m a plus one.

Golf’s been in commentary recently—no apologies from me. A New Zealander won the Open—Ryan Fox, a minus one. The world’s #1 golfer looks an interesting study—Scottie Scheffler—a plus one with an Americanised first name. See Woo Kim had a chance to win the Open but faltered on the back nine—I’ve always had trouble with three-name players—I guess he’s a zero, although his published name is Kim Si Woo—does that make him a minus one?

Categorising personalities by the index feels dangerous. Probably why I have resisted. Maybe now is the time? Calling Claude. Let’s see what he/she makes of it.

The prompt: “Apply the plus and minus index (previously explained) to 30 names across different genres—sport, music, film, politics, business—male and female. Then group the results and look for any personality patterns emerging across the groups."

Table below, and here are the patterns from Claude (absolving me of responsibility):

Plus camp — Federer, Serena, Oprah, Djokovic, Thunberg, Blanchett, Reynolds, Johnson, Beckham, Stone, Streep, Adkins, Bezos. Quietly relentless. They build, accumulate, endure. Cate Blanchett at plus five makes everything look effortless. Boris Johnson is the exception that tests the rule. (No surprise)

Minus camp — Swift, Obama, James, Messi, Ronaldo, Rihanna, Curry, Trump, West, Bolt, Biles, Michelle Obama. Magnetic, polarising, impossible to ignore. They arrive with presence, not patience. Cultural forces rather than just performers.

Zero camp — Grace, Musk, Woods, Beyoncé, Eilish, Osaka. The most interesting group. Perfectly balanced—and somehow the most complex personalities in the room. Tiger and Beyoncé contain multitudes. (Strange observation) Elon Musk contains something else entirely. (OK)

Dangerous, unreliable, and completely compelling. (Also from Claude)

Don’t say I didn’t warn you. (From me)

Where are you placed on the index? It’s just a not-so-serious, beep-beep-Monday.

Nick