A CRT Computer Monitor refreshes at a rate of 60 Hz. Some people can see them blinking, and all people can see them blinking when played back on a video tape. The newer LCD screens don’t blink, but they have some issues on the periphery of the screen. The kids cartoon Pokemon caused a stir when it first came to the U.S. because it had caused seizures in children in Japan who were not known to be epileptic. TV commercials often bombard us with one image after another, I think of some of the Target commercials. I think it’s safe to say that the kids today are getting far more visual input from technology than in the past. I thought of all this when I attended Pre Drive: After Technology at the Mattress Factory annex. I felt overstimulated pretty much the whole time, but also a sense of nostalgia with the detritus of technologies past (nintendo, 8 tracks, vhs tapes, etc.). The opening was very packed full of people, and the annex is essentially just a house so no one room was humongous. Thus most of the night was spent shoulder to shoulder with a lot of “excuse me”s being said. This intensified the over stimulation. I liked everything, especially the video that featured kids from the neighborhood, but I will have to go back when there are less people and spend more time. By the end of the night, the exit sign was looking like a beacon of light and hope and the way out of all the stimuli!
EXIT
Excelsior! 