One of the urban curiosities I encounter daily during my commute downtown to the university.

It's a huge neon billboard with "Inglis" in big magenta letters across its face with one of those electronic ticker-things along the bottom, advertising for a company that manufactures home appliances. It's been in its position watching over the westbound Gardiner forever, though it seems a little out of place these days among all the IT ads and Blade Runner-esque video screens.

But thanks to Toronto's infamous rush hour gridlock, I can't help but notice what scrolls across the billboard every night:

"The future holds promise for those who have faith in it"

"The greatest remedy for anger is delay"

And so on, some famous and others... well, unique.

I don't know what other commuters must think in this great city of ours, but seeing these sayings scroll by at night on an ancient billboard owned by a washing machine company creeps me out--and some of them have been downright strange! (Though those particular messages escape me at the moment, probably for the better.)

What's the story behind this thing? Did the CEO have a late-night epiphany or something? Was he or she visited by the Ghosts of Christmas and now desperately wants to make it up to the world? Are they secret codes? Subliminal messages? How can an advertisement preach... wisdom?!?!?

Brrrrr... the Inglis billboard...

Update 2001/09/03:

The Toronto Star just published an article on it!

"Inspiration found in the blink of an eye", Sep. 01, 2001

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=999166665143
&call_page=TS_News&call_pageid=968332188492&call_pagepath=News/News

Ugly URL, but good pictures! (Too bad they were taken during the day--perhaps the photographer was creeped out as well?)

Update 2004/05/09:

urthpaw says re:The creepy Inglis billboard in Toronto: http://www.inglis.ca/feelGood.php