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Comment by Luc | Hacker News Reader

> ubiquitous, functional, and necessary

I think it's like the plumage of the male peacock. It doesn't make sense at all to put on that display, but if everyone does it you can't be the only one out, because it's expected.

Here in old-timey Europe I know only one shop that has an open sign like that, and it's a massage parlor.

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Yeah, these LED "OPEN" signs indicate cheap/tacky to me, because I only ever notice them on places I would match in these categories. (I'm in Germany)

In Italy, I kind of associate signs like that with fast food - kebab shops, for instance.

Those are the first places I consciously registered seeing them myself.

And here in the USA I think of Italian sub shops. :)

Chinese shops and kebabs have it too. I agree it's ugly and makes me think the shop is of low quality.

Here in old-old-timey Europe (London), these signs (and others like the green cross on pharmacies) are an increasing scourge approaching epidemic proportions. Never mind street lights - shop signs are ruining the night skies.

What do you know of the sky in the UK? How was the eclipse by the way?

Just kidding, I was just too disappointed not to be able to see anything.

Apparently there was an aurora borealis visible over Europe few nights ago, but I couldn't see it because it was outshined by the city's aurora commercialis.

Aurora negotialis would be more correct, but I really love this expression!

A hard choice between something that is more correct and something that is more recognizable to a person who (like myself) doesn't know latin very well ;).

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