I assumed the 24 hour rule from the Codex was universal, as it appears to be what everyone else in the Factory has been abiding by. To summarize, the 24 hour rule states that if a submission is placed as under review, the judge will have an answer, either pending approval or requests for edits/dev/clarification up within 24 hours of pending status. Arguments for the 24 hour rule are as follows:
1: Ensures even distribution of the workload. A judge logs on, sees what subs are available, sees which ones fall under their area of expertise, and claims them so as to let the other judges know that they're being attended to.
2: Allows the submitter to know that their submission hasn't simply been ignored. Knowing which judge they're going to have to deal with in advance of requested edits also gives them some time to prepare, as all of us have our distinct points of view on things.
3: Creates the perception of being on top of things. By ensuring that as few subs as possible remain unclaimed, we make it look like we're actually trying to deal with things in a timely manner. And so long as subs are handled within that 24 hour window after being remarked, they generally are.
4: Allows for life. Crap happens, sometimes literally in my case, as I have small children. It is entirely plausible that someone might mark a sub with every intention of following through on it immediately, only for some urgent business to arrive.
5: Some of us work at different speeds, and some submissions require more effort than others. I've had multiple subs that required extensive research, both here and in the Codex, and it simply wasn't plausible to do it all in one burst. It might not be immediately apparent that it's being worked on from the outside, but I'd wager that almost everyone at least scans over a submission when they first claim it to see how much work needs to be done on it and can schedule accordingly.
6: Creates the perception that we actually put some thought into the things. Let's face it, 90% of subs, we have a good idea of whether or not it's going to pass within the first thirty seconds of reading it. And sometimes the easy ones are immediately marked and immediately set to pending approval. Even the more problematic ones generally give us a good idea of what needs to be done almost as soon as we read it. If a submission goes up and is immediately bombarded with requests for extensive edits, some poor dumb bastard is going to argue that we're biased and mean and you all know the ones I'm talking about. If we have the option of letting it sit for a few hours and let the smell waft a little bit, we at least give the idea that we put some serious thought and soul searching into it.
7: In regards to those problem children, sometimes you just need to step away from the computer, because the alternative is to vent your rage and incredulity on the person who has so callously violated the sanctity of the Factory you hold dear. When I see people use the words "magazine" and "clip" interchangeably, for instance, I must immediately make my way to the shrines of Samuel Colt and John Browning, where I go through the extensive meditation and cleansing process that allows the stain of the transgression to be washed from my soul under a soothing shower of hot brass. Sometimes folks just need a minute to cope. Sometimes they need a few hours. Can it really be considered working on a sub if they're immersing themselves in Mario Kart or the 12th Level of the Way of the Firing Pin?
