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Tuesday, November 15, 1988 / University Daily Kansan
Phil Carvalho/KANSAN
Plaster surgery
Focusing all of her attention on a plaster head, Trina Baker, Topeka junior, works in her beginning sculpture class. Baker was working yesterday in the Art and Design Building.
Pains of computer users include eye strain, aches
By Laura Woodward Kansan staff writer
When Greg Johnson comes home from a long day at the computer science lab, he usually has to stretch a lot before his body feels normal again.
"I guess it's not too much different from watching TV all day," said Johnson, a Topkaka senior. "But I don't like it for long." He is for a long time in these chairs.
Other KU students and employees who spend a lot of time working with video display units come home with a variety of ailments including eye strain, headaches, wrist acres and leg cramps. These ailments have been labeled "technostress" by science magazines.
But students and employees said that better lighting, good chairs and careful selection of video display equipment, few, if not most of these problems.
"With most video display units these things are a problem, said Travis Butler, Lenexa junior and a monitor for the computer science labs. "But the major problem is one ergonomics, the layout of the labs."
Ergonomics is the study of the anatomical, physiological and psychological aspects of humans in the working environment. People who study ergonomics hope to improve the design of electronic workstations.
"A problem we have in the labs is the mishmash of chairs." Butler said. "A lot of them are not in very good shape."
Tim Thurman, manager of computer resources in the computer science
department, said he discarded a chair in his office for another one that would give him better back support.
"P posture and the way you sit are very important," Thurman said. "You need to have your lower back supported."
Bad chairs are not the only problem in the computer labs, Butter said.
"I'd like to see more work on the computers themselves," he said. "Some of the computers are four and five years old and the video display units go down. There isn't as much contrast."
Butler said that, after a few years of wear, the phosphor, or the color on the screen, is not as pleasing to the eve. This can cause eye strain.
Video display units commonly use three main phosphors: amber, green or a black and white contrast.
"I think the color is a personal preference," said Kanishka Delanerelo, Sri Lanka junior and one of two systems managers for the computer science department. "Some say green or amber is easier on the eyes than white. It also depends on the resolution."
Resolution refers "to how well-defined characters are on the screen. Because the characters are built with a specific set of rules, how close the dots are to each other.
Another factor is whether the unit has a slow fade or a fast fade. Butler said the slow fade was better for controlling it, because there was no flicker effect.
A fast fade unit's characters will completely leave the screen before a new electronic beam can revive
them. When a character leaves the screen, a flicker, which can cause eve strain, will result.
A slow fade unit's characters will fade off the screen with a ghostly effect, never completely leaving the screen before a new electronic beam returns.
Richard Orchard, Lawrence optometrist, said he did not treat many people complaining of eye strain from video display units.
Ideally a computer should be
properly installed and have a
mobile screen.
"This sort of strain also applies to long reading sessions," he said. "What happens is you tend not to blink when you're focusing on something and the surface of the eye is not moistened enough."
"The keyboard needs to sit dead center," said Melva Alheide, secretary for the gerontology center. "If it stops working, you have to stop and adjust it myself."
Butler said headaches were a major problem, but that they sometimes resulted from overall fatigue — not just from video display units.
Thurman said he got shooting pains in his forearms, which he compared to tennis elbow, from typing a lot on his computer.
There also can be stress involved with using computers.
Dalenerolle said a source of stress in the labs was using a computer which gave feedback too slowly. Most personal computers can give feedback in less than one second. He said it was easy to get used to quick feedback and get irritated when a computer took too long.
Plaza permit discussed Conditions to protect bald eagles considered
By Cindy Harger Kansan staff writer
The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks may soon grant a permit allowing construction of the Lawrence riverfront shopping plaza, if the city and developers agree to certain conditions that would prevent the DBI from officials on the bald eagle, KDWP officials said last night.
"We're pretty close to the end point," said Bill Layher, environmental services section supervisor for the KDWP. "We've looked at all the biological information we can find. We've felt the environmental impact could be alleviated with certain conditions."
The KDWP released its construction permit draft at a public meeting last night in City Hall. About 40 people attended the meeting which allowed concerned citizens a chance to participate in the riverfront plaza construction and to make suggestions before the permit conditions become finalized.
The KDWP is responsible for issuing a permit to the city and the project developers, the Chelsea Group, because the proposed construction would take place in an area designated as critical habitat for the endangered bald eagles. In fast winters, many bald eagles have been reooting in cottonwood trees and feeding along the Kansas River.
The permit draft included the following requirements:
towing requirements:
■ All windows on the river side of the plaza building would have to be designed so that the eagles wouldn't see human activity inside of the building.
All human foot traffic on a planned walkway/wirelane would be prohibited during January and February. However, most likely be feeding the area.
■ The city would grant conservation easements, or land free from development, near the city's wastewater treatment plant and land on the left bank of the river.
The city and developers would be
responsible for planting at least 15 new trees by the wastewater treatment plant.
Some Lawrence residents, how-
ever, were not satisfied.
"The permit conditions are good,
but I don't think they go far enough."
said Michael Almon, a Lawrence
representing Kaw Valley, Permaculture.
Almon and others said they thought pedestrians should be restricted from the walkway/firelane for longer than two months. Eagles have been known to roost and feed in the area from November to March, but the eagles were not observed during two peak months. He also felt that conservation areas should be created in places where the eagles would be more apt to use them.
Stephen Hill, owner of the Bowersock Mills & Power Co., where the plaza is to be built, said that eagle wings would help noisy industrial area for about 114 years, so the plaza should not affect the eagles much.
School funding changes
Kansas committee endorses measures to reduce levy impact
The Associated Press
TOPEKA - A special legislative committee yesterday endorsed measures designed to reduce the impact the current statewide property reappraisal is expected to have on state aid for urban school districts.
The Special Committee on School Finance, attempting to rewrite the state's school funding formula, endorsed three measures intended to reduce the changes in local property tax mill levy that could result from reappraisal. devices in some school systems could drop after the new property values across Kansas are in place.
ticular concern about the financial blow big-city schools could suffer because of an increase in urban property values and a decrease in rural values.
The state is now involved in the first reappraisal effort in more than 20 years, which is expected to result in an increase in property values in rural areas will remain about the same or decrease.
Lawmakers have expressed par-
The three recommendations endorsed by the committee are:
state income tax collected within the districts. However, districts must deduct 85 percent of that rebate from state aid. The proposal would eliminate that deduction, thus benefiting larger school districts where residents have higher incomes.
- Elimination of the deduction from district's state aid of 85 percent of the income tax rebate they receive. Presently, school districts receive 20 percent of the
A provision guaranteeing that all school districts will receive at least half of the state aid they receive presently. This measure is intended to help a crowded in-state aid that some school districts might experience.
Averaging the property values over a two-year period to come up with the figures that state officials would plug into the formula.
City Commission to consider amending parking ordinance
By a Kansan reporter
The commission meets at 7 p.m. in City Hall, Sixth and Massachusetts streets.
The Lawrence City Commission will discuss amending a zoning ordinance for off-street parking requirements at its meeting tonight.
The amendment, if approved, would change the off-street parking requirements for 2-bedroom or larger apartments. The ordinance would adopt standards based on square footage and consider adopting a parking permit system for districts within Lawrence.
the commission's agenda also included:
* a site plan for Quail Run Hollow, 13th and Inverness streets
- the revised site plan for Jayhawk Storgard site, 23rd and Haskell streets
- text amendments to the city zoning ordinance and text amendments to the joint city-county subdivision regulations.
- request to rezone from single family residence to multi-family on the northeast corner of
              12th Street and 31st Street.
■ authorization of $16,500,000 of taxable industrial program funds for the given project.
a book of promise and a letter to seahorse
chapter.
- a resolution declaring 533 Walnut St. blighted.
- a public hearing declaring a portion of an alley between New Hampshire and Rhode Island streets and a portion of Pinkney Street vacated for public right-of-way for the planned riverfront project.
several traffic safety commission recommendations.
You don't need your parents' money to buy a Macintosh.
Just their signature.
It's never been difficult for students to convince their parents of the need for a Macintosh* computer at school.
Persuading them to write the check, however, is another thing altogether.
Which is why Apple created the Student Loan-to-Own Program. An ingenious loan program that makes buying a Macintosh as easy as using one.
Simply pick up an application at the location listed below, or call 800-831 LOAN. All your parents need to do is fill it out, sign it.
and send it. If they qualify, they'll receive a check for you in just a few weeks.
There's no collateral. No need to prove financial hardship. No application fee.
*Offer open only to full-time KU students
Best of all, the loan payments can be spread over as many as 10 years. Which gives you and your parents plenty of time to decide just who pays for it all.
Introducing Apple's Student Loan-to-Own Program
Loan applications are available in the
computer store at the Burge Union.
* 1988 Apple Computer; Inc. Apple, the Apple logo, and
Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc.
Come by and talk to us about your computer needs today!
Burge Union 864-5697