Approaching planet Earth with a newly refurbished website.
Huh, I Googled “log” and the first hit is: “natural logarithm.” I would have expected the first definition to be “a long piece of a tree trunk.” Yes, in the dictionary. The second definition is the one we’re looking for:
2. Log (Nautical)
a. A device trailed from a ship to determine its speed through the water.
b. A record of a ship’s speed, its progress, and any shipboard events of navigational importance.
When did “blog” enter the language? The first usage of “web log” was in December 1997. It was truncated to “blog” by 1999.
What do I want to say in my blog. I got a new computer and upgraded my site because things are different now and I had to make a fresh reassessment of what I do and how I can help people.
Things are different now.
So am I.
Vessel speed at sea was measured using a ship log: a quarter-circle of wood attached by line to a reel.
It presented substantial resistance to the water moving around it.
The ship log was “cast” over the stern of the moving vessel and the line allowed to pay out. Knots placed every eight fathoms (47 feet 3 inches) passed through a sailor’s fingers, while another sailor used a 28-second sand-glass to time the operation.
The knot count would be reported and used in the sailing master’s dead reckoning and navigation.