These two signs on I-93 at Exit 15 in Concord have different patterns of reflective materials, and were placed to study which works better. The sign at left has one coating for the background and a different coating for the letters. The sign at right has the same coating on both background and letters, which makes the words harder to distinguish at night. The left sign is now the state standard.
About Granite Geek
Dave Brooks has written a weekly science/tech newspaper column since 1991 – yes, that long – and has written this blog since 2006, keeping an eye on geekish topics in and around the Granite State. He discusses the geek world regularly on WGIR-AM radio, and moderated the monthly Science Cafe NH sessions when they were still a thing. He joined the Concord Monitor in 2015.
Brooks earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics but got lost on the way to the Ivory Tower and ended up in a newsroom. He has reported for newspapers from Tennessee to New England. Rummage through his bag of awards you’ll find oddities like three Best Blog prizes from the New Hampshire Press Association, Writer of the Year award from the N.H. Farm and Forest Bureau (of all places) and his 2024 induction into the New England Newspaper Hall of Fame.


Return to the Concord Monitor