An eerie blue “X-Files” glow has alarmed residents near downtown Denver ever since Qwest Communications replaced the discreet US West logo on its high-rise headquarters with a garish neon monstrosity.
The sign glares all the way to the Rocky Mountain foothills 15 miles away. Its as bright as a Las Vegas casino—without the rest of the Sin City strip to soften the blow.
Neighbors are preparing a petition to tone down the wattage. Qwest has no response until it sees the complaints. (They sure wont need any extra overhead lighting to read them.)
Meanwhile, San Francisco-bound Bay Bridge drivers have noticed that a landmark billboard went dark on Feb. 15. The move triggered layoff rumors at a New Economy magazine that ran the billboard. A company spokesperson denies the rumors, and says it would be inappropriate to have a lighted billboard running 24 x 7 during Californias energy crisis.
But was it appropriate when the billboard merely distracted commuters?