The Electronic Sound Show Begins

You turn on the television to watch the nightly news, and sink into the couch. Maybe five minutes later, a sharp singular “pop” noise, like a staccato cracking, bolts out from the television. At first you are stunned and wonder what on earth that was all about. Twenty minutes later, the same sound – this time slightly louder – occurs again.

You try to recall any cracking noise you have ever heard come from your television set, or from any piece of electronics for that matter. The first thing that comes to mind is that you never, once in your life have given this thought. But, you think you can remember that at times the TV will give off a slight crackling “pop” noise within a few minutes of being turned off. Yes, that does happen, you remember more clearly now.

But this is no subtle crackling pop. This sounds like the freaking TV is about to explode. It begins to sink in that someone is playing an electronically delivered trick on you; some distant bomber is pointing an electronic spear at your devise and firing it off. (You later learn via the Internet exactly how this is done.)

As the months go by, this sound occurs almost invariably whenever you sit down to watch TV. Your partner notices it as well, but argues vociferously with you that, “It’s just the goddamned TV! It is getting old. Stop being so paranoid!”

You point out the huge difference between the normal sounds of a turned-off TV, a sound everyone would recognize as familiar when they heard it, and THIS sound. This is not a “normal” sound. Your partner shrugs his shoulders, and you sulk.