Ship’s Log

The term "log" is a nautical one and, oddly enough, was first used aboard marine vessels. Originally, “log” referred to a device used to measure a seagoing vessel’s speed. A board or plank of a specific size and density cut from a tree and attached to a line which had knots tied at regular, measured intervals was tossed overboard and the number of knots passing through a sailor's hands in a specific amount of time indicated the ship's speed — in Knots.

Keeping track of speed, direction, tides and astronomical observations was mission critical for navigation. Over time, the term "log" was applied more broadly to indicate records of events which took place aboard ships at sea as well as in port. Log keeping was later adapted to accurate data collection in other fields; such as land navigation, scientific experiments, and guest registers in public houses.

In its modern context, the keeping of a “log” has been widely adopted in computation and information technologies. These logs are automatically generated chronological records of actions occurring within systems, such as computer programs, networks, and servers. These logs are invaluable sources of information for troubleshooting, monitoring, and analyzing system behaviors. And a “blog” is nothing but the convenient shortening of two terms, “web” and “log,” shortened via combination to “blog.”

If you have not yet done so, we invite you to sign the log by commenting below.