Very cool. But quoting the article: > The light coming from EL Wire has varying intensities depending on the type and thickness you buy. They do not compete wi

Very cool. But quoting the article: > The light coming from EL Wire has varying intensities depending on the type and thickness you buy. They do not compete with traditional neons in terms of intensity though. But you're getting a compromise for an easy do-it-at-home alternative. All EL wires naturally slowly degrade in UV light, but they're just fine for most purposes. If you need extra UV protecion, coolneon.com's "Phat" wire have extra UV protection, so they could work indoors or out (but you probably should keep it away from bright sun anyway). I did, while reading the original post, had to wonder: why don't more signs use LEDs to light up coloured plastic from behind? It might look nicer... But it might also end up costing more, so perhaps I have my answer. And of course, this is all assuming you want a tacky open sign instead of something more useful, or redesigning a storefront to more clearly indicate if you're open or not. I hate when people forget to turn off the open signs.