DanSolo’s HQ

Whilst browsing around the blogosphere trying to understand what makes people want to write their thoughts and interests down in the blog format, and why it is so popular, I came across the following nugget:

A ship’s log owes its name to a small wooden board, often weighted with lead, that was for centuries attached to a line and thrown over the stern. The weight of the log would keep it in the same place in the water, like a provisional anchor, while the ship moved away. By measuring the length of line used up in a set period of time, mariners could calculate the speed of their journey (the rope itself was marked by equidistant “knots” for easy measurement). As a ship’s voyage progressed, the course came to be marked down in a book that was called a log.

I know, I know. You probably already knew this didn’t you? Alas, I may understand complex mathematics and logic structures, but it’s always the most basic of knowledge that I feel I must’ve missed a lesson or lecture on at school or at college.

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