TITLE: OOPSLA This and That 3: Geek Jargon
AUTHOR: Eugene Wallingford
DATE: October 25, 2005  8:43 PM
DESC: 
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BODY:
Get a bunch of technology folks together for any time
and they are bound to coin some interesting words, or
use ones they've coined previously, either out of habit
or to impress their friends.  The
<A HREF="http://www.cs.uni.edu/~wallingf/blog/archives/monthly/2005-10.html#e2005-10-16T21_52_27.htm">
   Extravagaria gang</A>
was no exception.

Example 1:  When someone asked how many of us were
left-handed, Dick Gabriel said that he was partially
ambidextrous, to which Guy Steele volunteered that he
was <STRONG>ambimoustrous</STRONG>.  I like.

Example 2:  At lunch, Guy Steele asked us if we ever
intentionally got lost in a town, perhaps a town new
to us, so that we had to learn the place in order to get
back to a place we knew.  Several people nodded vigorous
agreement, and
<A HREF="http://louderthanblank.blogspot.com/">
   John Dougan</A>
noted that he and his colleagues use a similar
technique to learn a new legacy code base.  They call this
<STRONG>air-drop programming</STRONG>.  This is a colorful
analogy for a common pattern among software developers.
Sometimes the best way to learn a new framework or
programming language is to parachute behind enemy lines,
surrender connection to any safety nets outside, and
fight our way out.  Or better, not fight, but methodically
conquer the new terrain.

But the biggest source of neologisms at the workshop was
our speaking stick.  At a previous Extravagaria workshop,
Dick used a moose as the communal speaking stick, in
honor of Vancouver as the host city.  (Of course, there
are probably as many moose in San Diego as in Vancouver,
but you know, the Great White North and all.)  He had
planned to bring the moose to this workshop but left it
at home accidentally.  So he went to a gift shop and
bought a San Diego-themed palm tree to use in its place.
The veterans of the workshop dubbed it "the moose" out
of one year's worth of tradition, and from there we
milked the moose terminology with abandon.

Some of my favorites from the day:
<UL>
<LI> <EM>on the moose</EM> -- back in session; on the clock
<LI> <EM>moose cycles</EM> -- a measure of the speed of
     communication around the group, signified in the
     passing of the moose
<LI> <EM>virtual moose</EM> -- speaking without the moose,
     but with implicit group permission  (We didn't always
     follow our own rules!)
<LI> <EM>"Moose!  Moose!"</EM> -- "Me next!"
</UL>

Even computer professionals, even distinguished computing
academics, surrender to the silliness of a good game.
Perhaps we take joy in binding objects to names and
growing systems of names more than most.

I suppose that I should be careful reporting this, because
my students will surely hold it over my head at just the
right -- or wrong -- moment!
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