This was (wait for it) interesting, but every item in "The Index of the Interesting" could be generalized as "Counterintuitive" or "Surprising." Regardless of the details, they all involve subverting expectations, assumptions or conventional wisdom. They're what Merlin Mann would call (<i>checks username</i>) "Turns Out."<p>As someone who is interested in what makes something interesting, I think the author has only part of the puzzle—what I would call Contrast.<p>I think Pattern is also inherently interesting. Imagine a researcher releases one paper every year applying their theory to different domains. Even if the papers themselves are not that interesting, the pattern is. Humans love to find patterns. But patterns can become tiring (think of an endless checkerboard pattern). If the researcher suddenly stops after 20 years, that's interesting—because breaking a pattern is Contrast.<p>Another inherently interesting thing is Relation. The transition between the bone and the spaceship in 2001 is interesting partially because of Contrast but also because of Relation—they're both images of "tools." One reason why it's exciting when a theory from one discipline is applied to a different discipline is that it suggests new relations, new links. "Canadian Tuxedo" is mostly funny/interesting because of the association it creates, versus the contrast between formalwear and denim.<p>Finally, there are certain <i>subjects</i> which are interesting to most people, but this is far more variable. In order, people tend to be most interested in: themselves, people they know, humans like them, humans very unlike them, humans in general, certain animals, and some cool plants. We prefer a photo of our own child over a photo of a stranger's kitten, (and that photo of a stranger's kitten over a photo of lichen) for reasons that are baked into our DNA. And a theory about kittens is also going to be more inherently interesting than a theory about lichen to a lay person.