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Blackboards are better, but the argument about superior chalk is pretty dumb. I had/used everything from blackboards to digital whiteboards. I still like black
by tenfingers 11y ago
Blackboards are better, but the argument about superior chalk is pretty dumb.
I had/used everything from blackboards to digital whiteboards. I still like
blackboards better, but it's only going to last as long as digital displays
improve.
Blackboards lasts forever. Whiteboards, especially the cheap ones, inevitably
start to have stains that you cannot clean without some solvent.
Blackboards work with any chalk, essentially. You have to be careful about
whiteboard markers, because many stink to oblivion (I get asthma out of them),
and many others don't erase properly. One of the best markers I tried are the
water-based made from Edding, but they're harder to clean, and you have to
clean within a couple of hours in order to be able to clean at all. Chalk, on
the other hand, lasts forever and can always be cleaned. If you want a perfect
blackboard, just use a damp cloth.
There's this illusion that whiteboards are cleaner. Actually, they're not.
Whiteboard "dry" markers work by depositing a fine powder on the surface. It's
initially suspended in a liquid, and then sticks on the whiteboard "ideally"
only due to electrostatic tension. Dry marker powder is often toxic, the
suspension liquid is often toxic (especially when you breathe it), and the
powder sticks fucng everywhere. If you're careful when erasing, a blackboard
can be kept very clean. I have one in the kitchen.
The markers are expensive. Especially when you want the good, water-based ones.
I often have to order those. Chalk is inexpensive, I can buy it anywhere.
Why the hell are we using whiteboards??
I built several whiteboards myself. They suck. The best approach to a
whiteboard is buying a piece of glass the size you want, and gluing a piece of
white adhesive plastic on the back side. Dry marker on the glass always
cleans. You might get stains if you leave the marker for days, but they come
off easily, with just water.
Now what.. digital whiteboards. It's a love-hate relationship. They're
completely clean, which is what I like about them, but there are many downsides
too. You need power, which means that you need to switch the screen off. A
white/blackboard on the other hand shows you stuff all the time.
The screen is large, but the pixels are too large. The DPI, at close distance,
is ridiculous. They're also too bright when seen at close distance. There's
glare. The "pens" suck. But if you did the same with some e-ink technology, I
would switch to digital whiteboards instantly, as it would solve all these
problems at once. It looks like a dream application where the price of the
display wouldn't matter much (ardesia costs a fortune nowdays anyway).
I had to use at some point an Epson projector which had some whiteboard
capability on it. The pen had an infrared sensor/reflector on top, which meant
that you had to hold the pen without making a shadow between the projector and
the pen. Who's the idiot that thought this would work??
- mrgoldenbrown 11y agoSo you get asthma from whiteboard markers but chalk dust doesn't bother you? In my anecdotal experience, that is anomalous.
- tenfingers 11y agoThe smell of the marker has an almost instantaneous effect, like many perfumes. I'm not immune to chalk, but chalk doesn't smell/make enough dust by simply drawing. Things are different when you re-use the cleaning pad too often. In my place, I always wipe with a damp cloth to avoid the problem.