From ancient scrolls to modern toner cartridges, ink (in one form or another) has been around for millennia. And while we may take it for granted now, it was for much of that time a precious and coveted substance.
Ink makers closely guarded their recipes, spy agencies developed secret, invisible ink formulations, and even now, billions are spent to create the perfect printer inks. This hour we look back at the history of ink and ask whether its heyday might be coming to a close.
GUESTS:
- Ted Bishop - Professor of English literature and film studies at the University of Alberta and author of Ink: Culture, Wonder And Our Relationship With The Written Word
- Kristie Macrakis - Professor in the School of History, Technology and Society at Georgia Tech and author of Prisoners, Lovers, & Spies: The Story of Invisible Ink from Herodotus to al Qaeda
- Kyle Wiens - Founder of and writer for Ifixit, a Wiki-based site devoted to helping people fix their technology and devices
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Colin McEnroe and Chion Wolf contributed to this show, which originally aired on August 9, 2017.
