Unused drafts: The Moose

As I prepare to switch to Hugo, I’ve decided to go back through my drafts and publish unfinished works that have some value. This article was last edited Jan 22nd, 2013.

The Moose is a special prize within the programming and IT communities. It is claimed, not awarded. The way it works is that you will catch yourself doing something stupid (by your standards), and you will then “claim The Moose.” When you do so you must announce that you are in custody of The Moose, so the next person that takes it knows where to go to find it. The Moose should be displayed in an area of high visibility on or near your workstation.

Notice that the Moose is claimed, it is not awarded. If you catch something that is so stupid as to be spectacular, and it affects the whole team (for example, somebody breaks the build AND then commits the broken code into the repository) then the person is AWARDED a different prize: The Albatross. The moose hunts you. You try and try to evade it but the moose stalks you like fog in the night.

“Listen, and understand. That Moose is out there. It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are exposed.”