Lots of dried out markers signal a workplace culture where people are too lazy to throw the markers out and replace them or where working markers are not available (possible money issues).
This could also be a good test for interviewers: do they toss the dead whiteboard marker in the trash, or put it back in the bin. Though, that could also correlate with self-confidence.
"Now, mostly-dead, it's slightly useful. Now, all-dead... well, with all-dead, there's usually only one thing you can do: Join them all together to create a modular lightsaber."
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I think all-dead markers aren't a big problem, what you have to watch out for are teh mostly-dead ones, which tend to stick around "just in case the good one isn't available."
About that, could we have a similar article on blackboards and chalk? All I know is that there was much ado [0,1,2] about a certain Japanese manufacturer shutting down a couple of years ago. They, allegedly, made the best chalk and prices on the secondary market rose high after the news came out.
[0] https://www.reddit.com/r/math/comments/3a05u3/why_mathematic... [1] https://www.reddit.com/r/math/comments/3axqxe/hagoromo_presi... [2] https://www.reddit.com/r/math/comments/3rciv0/an_update_on_w...
Very similar to leaded/unleaded solder.
It's funny the reaction this gets. Some people seem almost offended that I would destroy office property or something like that. Look, non-refillable markers of the type we use (Expo) are an expendable item. Keeping bad ones around just produces irritation for everyone down the line.
Or use refillable markers, of course.