"How did the term "logging in" get associated with computers?   The term "log" comes from the chip log historically used to record distance traveled at sea and was recorded in a ship's log or logbook. "The noun login comes from the verb (to) log in and by analogy with the verb to clock in. Computer systems keep a log of users' access to the system." "To sign in connotes the same idea but is based on the analogy of manually signing a log book or visitors book." Maybe login in and sign in got used to differentiate them from clocking in at the factory.  And in so doing, elevated logging in to a professional sort of activity. Clocking in is a well-understood expression in the industrial era applied to "workers".  Before industrialization, workers didn't need to line up at a factory entrance every day to "punch in" or "clock in".   "The fires of the forges and kilns could not be allowed to go out — otherwise precious hours were lost to relighting them. Bobbins of thread in the textile mills needed to be continually replaced lest the cloth be ruined. Production in most places had to be steady and running near capacity for the business to be profitable." It was the factory that demanded precise timed activity.  Clocking-in was followed by time procedures in the work place.  "By the early 1800s, the timed workday was expected in almost every factory. In Troy, New York, Benjamin Hanks designed a large clock with multiple dials that let workers know the time and tracked production processes in his iron mill."  As long as there's "industrial", there will be time clocks for employee attendance and work activities.  Hourly employees are generally ruled by the clock - formally or informally.  Now you can look up labour law guides for clocking in and out of work. There are best practices for your business on clocking and out.   Clocking-in  turns out to not be a subject for jokes and laughter. The informal network of joke collections show only one joke so far.  I assume that it is because these are not jokes for children.  There are lots of cartoons about time clocks - cartoons seem more adult.  Here'sone site. Here's the joke that was found: DEREK: Why did the worker put a clock under his desk? GEORGE: Why? DEREK: Because he wanted to work overtime!   And I wonder who would "clock-in" at the Niagara Falls Floral Clock.  Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

Login to Christmas

I saw three ships come log-ing in on Christmas Day on Christmas Day. Where did login come from? From ships - it comes from the 'chip log' that was used to record distance travelled at sea, recorded in a ship's log. As part of computers, its humble beginning was to keep a log of users' access to the system.  Today it is the all powerful gatekeeper: the act of logging in to a database, mobile device, or computer, especially a multiuser computer or a remote or networked computer system. a username and password that allows a person to log in to a computer system, network, mobile device, or user account.   Only Dictionary.com covers its problematic word form: "Many who are neither professionals in the computer field nor amateur tech enthusiasts condemn the use of the solid form login as a verb, and with reason. It doesn’t behave like a normal verb. You cannot say you have loginned, and you are never in the process of loginning. Moreover, you cannot even ask someone to login you; you must ask that person to log you in. Clearly, it is the two-word phrase log in that functions fully as an English verb and not the solid form. Normally, we would expect log in, the verb phrase and login, the noun to behave in the same way as similar pairs: blow out/blowout, crack down/crackdown, hang up/hangup, splash down/splashdown, turn off/turnoff,where the two-word phrase is a verb and the one-word form a noun. And yet, this gluing together of terms like login, logon, backup, and setup as verbs is common, especially in writing about computers. Not for everyone, however. Some well-known software companies, for example, carefully maintain the distinction in their programs and documentation." For such a common expression, there aren't very many jokes:   How do trees use twitter? They log in. Why did the tree fall on the computer? It wanted to log in. I tried joining a lumberjack site for some strength tips. I couldn't log in. Today's picture was in the Cuba images - part of a statue and a great image for tomorrow's  Winter Solstice at 11:19p.m. This angle makes the sun look like he is sad with a tear in his eye.  But actually, he has a smile, and knows that the shortest day will be done.

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