With shift pressed, clicking this script enables the TrackSelectionOrder which is necessary so Maya remembers the order in which elements were selected.

After doing that once, select one first vertex and a bunch of others, then click the script and all selected vertices are connected to the first one

int $mods =`getModifiers`;

if ($mods % 2) //shift
{selectPref -tso true;}   
else
{        
	string $vertsSplit[] = `ls -os`;
	int $count = `size($vertsSplit)`;

	for ($i=1; $i < $count; $i++)
	{
    	select $vertsSplit[0];
	    select -tgl $vertsSplit[$i];
	    polyConnectComponents;
	}

	select $vertsSplit[0];
	string $parent[] = `listRelatives -p`;
	select $parent;
	DeleteHistory;
	doMenuComponentSelectionExt($parent[0], "vertex", 0);
}

Arranges all selected objects in an upwards spiral

string $objs[] = `ls -sl`;
$i = 1;
$r = 25;
string $locs[] = `spaceLocator -p 5 0 5`;
CenterPivot $locs[0];
for ($obja in $objs) 
{
    float $locpos[] = `xform -ws -q -rp $locs`;
    move -rpr $locpos[0] $locpos[1] $locpos[2] $obja;
    rotate -r -p 0 0 0 0 $r 0 $locs[0];
    move -r 0 0.5 0 $locs[0];
}
delete $locs;