Big post: updates on Shinywatch, Shinypad and Screechysongs
I sent an official complaint to the BBC regarding the lack of strobe warnings in the first Eurovision semi-final.


During the show, there were a number of performances that featured flashing imagery that could have triggered seizures in those with photosensitive epilepsy, or other reactions for other photosensitive individuals such as some people on the autistic spectrum.

Specifically, there were a number of rapid bright flashes of light on the entries from Azerbaijan, Finland and Ireland. In particular, the Irish entry saw repeated flashes within a short period of time, covering large parts of the screen, contravening what I understand to be current Ofcom legislation.

Last year, where such lighting existed a warning was heard from the commentator immediately before the song started, both in the semi-final and final. No such warnings were heard in this instance.

Given that at least one, and probably several, of the songs contained lighting that would necessitate a warning, and that these were not 'unknowns' due to the rehearsals before this evening which I presume the BBC would have been privy to, it strikes me as inexplicable and dangerous that no warnings existed.


Dear Quirks

Thank you for contacting us.

I understand you feel there should have been announcements regarding flashes which were in the first Eurovision Song Contest 2008 semi final.
There are regulations over how much screen area a flash can use, how many flashes can be in a sequence (three a second) and what patterns and particularly stripes can be displayed.

The guidelines are not absolute rules and material that presents a low risk, such a repeated flash photography, is often broadcast with a warning. I appreciate that you felt an announcement should have been made on this occasion.

I've registered your complaint on our audience log. This is a daily report of audience feedback that's circulated to many BBC staff, including members of the BBC Executive Board, channel controllers and other senior managers.

Thank you once again for contacting us.

Regards

Gary Sullivan
BBC Complaints

Should have complained separately about the second one, as Bulgaria was on another level altogether... whether that light show should even have been allowed is another issue, possibly one where the burden falls on the host broadcaster. And whether the song should have been allowed is yet another, but daweaver has already pointed that one out.

The mentioning specifically of stripes is a sign that someone's learned a lesson from the Crass Spectacle video, which triggered three reported seizures. The fact this complaint was necessary is a sign that someone else has not.

If it were not a dangerous activity for me, I would go back and check the clips again...

(Of course, one should note that the regulations themselves are set up entirely for those with photosensitive epilepsy, and that leaves some omissions for the far larger minority who are photosensitive for some other reason, as my letter hinted at. That's why the flash frequency is capped at 3Hz; the vast majority of light-triggered epileptic seizures are triggered only at flash rates far above this. The triggers for my panic attacks are rather more varied than that, and a dim fast-flickering strobe can be less painful than a constant blazing light.)

Anyway, at least I got a proper reply, not sure what to make of it beyond that, but I'm at least slightly impressed.

The Weymouth wing of the family - well, Stan and Mum, Mark was working - turned up to-day, went with me to three viewings. Dornan-house was ruled out instantly, and we are rather wishing the London-based investment landlord ill-fortune; Cranbury-terrace couldn't be more of a contrast, and severely tempts me; Adelaide-road isn't as spacious as I thought, and isn't a match for Cranbury-terrace. Seems like the decision's made, right? Wrong. Because this place will not be empty for long, and nor can I claim it with a view to moving in later in the summer. That means paying rent from July, and that means being placed under such pressure to stay in halls next year that I really did feel like a contestant on Noel's Gambling Party.

Then I came up with a cunning plan. Refuse to accept the nonsensical non-offer from Glenn Hugillthe university, come back in August, recheck the market, particularly through this agent (they did seem terribly good). The family had been constantly talking throughout about 'next year' and 'after university' and, to extend the metaphor to silly levels, I thought to myself, 'it's rather like the barrier of eleven-box in Bristol. Beyond that you have free will, until then you do not.' - but this suggestion got them thinking. Didn't stop them, but I kept arguing my case, asserted perhaps more strongly than is really true that I did not want to stay in halls (but then again, this place does have some notable flaws for someone like me - an unergonomic cooker and shower, and a distinct inability to keep the room cool on hot summer days) and somehow won them over.

We'll be back starting all over again in the summer, looking to move in during early September; that's probably four weeks to write as much of my dissertation as possible, hopefully all of it. Well, if the drunken masses can do it in four weeks along with other essays and after a busy year, I can do it sober with no other commitments in that time, surely? I'll also probably do some of it commuting from Fareham, as I did last year; I may even end up with a couple of weeks to spare, which I shall use for composition purposes, specifically the musical. By a rather nice coincidence, EM's final recital for her performance Masters is on September 24th (provisional)...

...EM, of course, produced a rather high note within the Eurovision party (to rather tie the two preceding threads together), and this (and the mention of the chart success of Defying Gravity) has got me thinking of something. A series of concurrent lists, denoting the distinct bias towards high male and low female voices in popular music and musical theatre. The latter more rational than the former, although then I would say that.

This reminds me, had a lovely chat with EF (soprano) on the bus on Friday, a very talented singer with a very mature voice for her age, one that I senses is a little out of her control right now; her vibrato seems to be making diction a problem, as I noticed when she took the lead in The Beggars' Opera. I had a chat with her, mentioned my opinion of her weaknesses, she seemed genuinely interested to hear them. And she's a lovely person to talk to and her brother's on the autistic spectrum and as such she entirely understands things I'm looking for and it is wonderful.

Anyway. The lists. All male-sung pop that does (not) go above F4, and all female-sung pop that does (not) go above F5. I'm taking F as the dividing mark for two reasons: firstly, there's a certain symbolism to it, it being the top line on the treble clef; secondly, it's the highest note in that almost-clichéd definition of a pop song for a high voice, Wuthering Heights. (It's where that piece sits that's really notable...)

There'll be a separate and regularly updated post for these lists.