This sign, with some of its letters burned out, reminded me of the Department of Light, an idea that crossed my minds in 1998 when the view from my office looked toward a Sheraton hotel sign.

I called it the "heraton" because the letter S was obscured by another building, but I also noticed that other of the sign's letters had a tendency to burn out, flicker, or otherwise not work right.

I am always looking for ways to make myself useful in life, so to that end I printed up some blank forms that I mailed to the Sheraton and a few other businesses whose neon signs had fallen into disrepair. I thought it important to let them know that the public noticed these things. I also sent a few of these notes out to businesses whose neon signs worked perfectly.