Blackboard at Home? | Numb3rs TV Show

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the use of blackboards and whiteboards in personal spaces, inspired by the TV show Numb3rs. Participants share their experiences and preferences regarding writing surfaces for mathematical or creative work, exploring both practical and whimsical aspects of using these tools at home.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express curiosity about the practicality of using blackboards outside of traditional settings, suggesting that individuals might use them for personal reflection or problem-solving.
  • Others share their experiences with various writing surfaces, including whiteboards, sketch pads, and unconventional surfaces like windows and mirrors, indicating a preference for larger spaces to work on complex problems.
  • A few participants discuss the feasibility of creating homemade blackboards or using special paint to achieve a chalkboard surface, with differing opinions on the effectiveness of such solutions.
  • Some mention the nostalgic or humorous aspects of blackboard use, including personal anecdotes about childhood experiences with blackboards and the challenges of maintaining them.
  • There are discussions about the benefits of using colored markers on whiteboards versus traditional pen and paper, highlighting individual preferences for visual organization and creativity in their work.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally share a common interest in the use of blackboards and whiteboards, but there are multiple competing views regarding the best types of surfaces and methods for using them. The discussion remains unresolved on certain practical aspects, such as the effectiveness of homemade solutions versus commercial products.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express limitations in their current writing surfaces, noting that smaller boards may not be suitable for longer problems. There is also mention of personal preferences that may not apply universally, such as the use of color in writing tools.

danne89
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I was watching this new show called numb3rs. The main character is a mathematican and has a some blackboards he is using. http://www.numb3rs.org/gallery/albums/userpics/10002/NUMB3RS_S01E01_033.jpg I couldn't stop wonder if someone in real life is standing like this and write on blackboards outside school, just for themself.
 
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Heh, in one episode he had blackboards on every wall AND on the ceiling. :rolleyes:
 
i have some whiteboards I work on at home. I also like to work long problems on artist sketch pads because they are large and unlined.
 
Whiteboards are nice, the volatile solvents in the pens always stimulate good thought processes :wink: .

I do have chalk boards at home one, in my son's room for him to be creative with and another in the kitchen for the ever-evolving grocery list.
 
They cost a lot of $$$, so be preprared to pay up.

Or you can settle for something less, like a homemade blackboard.

Note: I have my own big whiteboard... so yes people in real life do this.
 
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I have a whiteboard at home plus, last week when I was working through thoughts for a manuscript I'm working on, I was also spreading out to a few windows and the bathroom mirror. Yeah, what a geek, I know, but I think better while standing than sitting, so it works for me.
 
I have a small white board i wanted to use for working out stuff but it was pretty much nearly handheld so it was too small. Some problems are very long and involved so blackboards would be nice :)
 
There isn't some color one can paint on a wall to get a nice blackboard.
 
The color isn't the problem. How would you make it hold chalk?
 
  • #10
HackaB said:
The color isn't the problem. How would you make it hold chalk?
You can buy special paint that creates a chalkboard surface.
 
  • #11
I find that what works best are 8.5 X 11" used printer sheets, napkins, little notepads, piles of Mead Composition notebooks, yellow pads (legal and standard), manilla folders, envelopes, and the backs of receipts, and stored as a homogenous and isotropic distribution all around my office. :cry:

For me the trick is to have a really big table .
 
  • #12
Evo said:
You can buy special paint that creates a chalkboard surface.
Oooh neat. Didn't know that. In that case I would pick black or dark brown.
 
  • #13
Mmm blackboard paint.

My little sister always used to ruin her blackboard by painting it with nail varnish and other assorted nasties. The number of times we had to repaint it...

http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/sea/searchresults.jsp;jsessionid=WL45DSHGIRKSJCJO2C3CJ0Q?_dyncharset=UTF-8&q=black+board+paint&n=&pn=1&pd=1&pi=1&cn=1&cd=1&x=0&y=0
 
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  • #14
Evo said:
Heh, in one episode he had blackboards on every wall AND on the ceiling. :rolleyes:
I can't help thinking that Moonbear's probably the only woman in the world to have a blackboard over her bed instead of a mirror... :-p
 
  • #15
Danger said:
I can't help thinking that Moonbear's probably the only woman in the world to have a blackboard over her bed instead of a mirror... :-p

:-p No, no blackboards on the ceiling in my house. I'm short, remember? I could never reach it to make any use of it.

It's really nice to have a blackboard or whiteboard though. When I stop working on something at night, it's right there in big letters for me to review in the morning to remember where I left off. I like to diagram and outline ideas on it. And I get to do it in multiple colors. I got a pack of dry erase markers with 8 different colors. :biggrin: When I used to do this with pen and paper, I used to work with lots of colored pens too, but some of those colored pens just don't show up well on paper. But I'm weird about a lot of things. If I need to start writing and am suffering a bit of writer's block, I'll buy a new pen, or pick up a calligraphy pen I have with a pretty glass handle. Then it's just fun to write with a pretty pen, and when I focus on making pretty letters, it gets me inspired to put lots of words on that paper, which is all I need to get started.
 

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