When I arrive at work in the morning, the first thing I do is turn on my computer. Then I usually walk to the kitchenette to put my lunch in the fridge. By the time I return to my desk, the Windows login prompt has usually appeared. After I enter my password, it usually takes three or four minutes before I can actually do anything with my computer.

This NYTimes article calls booting up your computer "the black hole of the digital age." And for some, it's not just time that disappears into that black hole... it's money, too. Some employees are suing because they're not paid for the time it takes their computers to boot:

During the past year, several companies, including AT&T Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Cigna Corp., have been hit with lawsuits in which employees claimed that they were not paid for the 15- to 30-minute task of booting their computers at the start of each day and logging out at the end.

We'll explore this on an upcoming episode of Spark. And we'd like you to help out. Here's what we'd like you to do:

1. Dial 1-877-34-SPARK (1-877-347-7275)
2. Turn on your computer
3. Give us a real-time play-by-play of what you do while your computer is booting up

Maybe you get a cup of coffee, or feed the cat, or spy on your neighbours. Whatever it is, we want to hear how you fill the time it takes your computer to boot. Call now, operators are standing by!

[via NYTimes and The National Law Journal]