Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Lab Books and Lawyers

Author:Ralph Hempel
Posted:8/4/2000; 8:34:19 AM
Topic:Lab Books and Lawyers
Msg #:19464
Prev/Next:19463 / 19465

I worked as an embedded systems designer for a company that insisted we all keep a lab log. I'm a consultant now, but I still keep a lab log. There were many reasons for doing this, most of them concerned with legal stuff.

  1. If the company was sued because of perceived liability, then the lab log was evidence that due diligence was performed.
  2. If there was a patent issue the lab log was evidence of the timeline in establishing prior art.
  3. The lab log was internal evidence that test plans and other internal proceduresd were executed
  4. If the designer was terminated or unexpectedly absent, the lab log was a written record of theie train of thought

The primary requirements for a lablog include numbered and dated pages in a bound (not looseleaf) book. Attachements were glued in using tape or other suitable adhesive. The entries were made in ink.

From a legal standpoint (and I'm not a lawyer) the log is a permanent unalterable record of events. From a users standpoint, the log is an unalterable record of a train of thought and events. Until we can draw data structures and schematics and do "back of the envelope" calcualations and paste content into an electronic lablog easily, there is no substitute for the hand-written lab log.

In fact, I choose one of three personal fountain pens (Lamy, Pelikan, or MontBlanc) for writing. I love writing in my lab log - it's easy to do in between compiles, while I'm connecting to the Web, or while the soldering iron is heating up. It's really fun to look through old logs and see schematics of half-baked ideas that evolved into a product. When I go to meetings, I bring a pen and a lab log, not a laptop for taking notes. I can doodle if the meeting is really going nowhere...

So, I guess I agree with Dave that a public weblog is the next lab log, but the transient nature of digital information, the difficulty of sketching ideas, and the fact that I really like my pens and paper will make me a tough convert...

Cheers, Ralph Hempel, P.Eng

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