An Ode to the Least Appreciated Great Invention

Posted byPaola Nadeau on Nov 2020 in Business | 0 comments

Dry erase markers may be one of the greatest inventions in human history. This is not an ironic statement or one meant as hyperbole to get a quick laugh. Great inventions share a few traits all of which dry erase markers fulfill.

• Elegance of problem solving: You have a complex problem and find a simple solution. The mechanics of discovering the solution may be complex but the use of it isn’t. For example, once upon a time humans needed a way to reliably bring warmth and light to their lives as well as make food last longer and taste better, and thus the ability to use and harness fire was discovered. Now it may have been a happy accident; such things often are. For the dry erase marker, it serves a valuable role: they allow on board demonstrations for teachers presenters and others in multiple colors without the risk of the dreaded chalk board scratch. They are also easier to clean than chalk and write better. The use of multiple colors that can show up clearly can help organize and differentiate better than chalk is capable of.

• Hard to discover/figure out: Supposedly (once again, serious) beer was the cause of much human civilization and advancement. It gave cause for people to move together and helped advance agriculture and civilization. Beer was discovered most likely by accident but it took clever work to find a way to reproduce it. The theory is that cut grain was stored in a clay jar and water got in. The jar was forgotten and then later discovered to contain an early version of beer. Beer was created through attempts to replicate the marvelous combination of water and barley. The dry erase marker had to be made to have an ink that could be rubbed off without curing and setting quickly, yet would not run and would instead be stable and legible. This had to take a lot of careful tinkering with the composition of the ink.

• Affordable: The wheel, fire, beer, and the other great inventions are common and often underappreciated, but they change our lives every day because we can buy and use them cheaply. The internet has achieved this by being nearly universal and free or cheap for most people. The dry erase marker is a boon to teachers especially but for certain types of thinkers they provide a great benefit. The actual dry erase markers themselves can be bought in multi-packs for $5. A board for dry erase markers (conveniently named dry erase boards) will vary in price. The boards are treated to absorb less ink and allow you to erase writing.

For anyone who wants to be able to make notes to themselves or others or spit ball ideas and change them freely if they don’t work, the dry erase marker is a god send. They are an elegant solution that required much tinkering to perfect and are now available at a cost so low they’re pure micro transactions.

Wink’s clear finish turns any paintable surface into a place to write, erase, and repeat. Just grab a dry erase marker and start sharing ideas, organizing and creating, everywhere, without the limits of a whiteboard. To learn more about Wink, visit website email info@wallsloveink.com or call 800.632.9465.