Titanium screen spasms! Epilepsy?

[Bart Dame]

For the last week or so, my Titanium 500 has been experience screen 
spasms. What happens is the a part of the display twitches, then 
spasms, then starts freaking out in a schizoid display. It almost seems 
similar to when I used to run the old display tests under Norton 
Utilities. It lasts for varying lengths of time--the longest about 5 
secs. Others are shorter in duration. The problem seems to be getting 
worse.

I have done no recent major modifications of my system. The problem 
also occurs when I boot with a clean system (I keep an unmodified User 
Account for troubleshooting purposes). I do not have an external 
monitor that I can plug in to further isolate the problem.

Related problems have sometimes been attributed to a pinched wire as it 
passes through the hinge, but the problem appears unrelated to any 
moving of the screen. It happens whether it is on my lap (and being 
slightly jiggled as I shift) or when sitting on the tabletop, so it 
does not appear to be related to moving the computer. It does seem to 
occur more frequently as the computer heats up.

I have tried to take a picture of the screen with my digital camera 
while it is freaking out, but it happens with unpredictable intervals, 
perhaps 2 or 3 times an hour once the computer gets hot. And, by the 
time my camera can take the shot, the episode has passed. I find myself 
perversely hoping that an episode will last long enough that I can 
catch in "on film", but I suspect that would mean the problem would 
have to get worse. By next week, that may be the case.

I suspect it is the video card going bad, but such a diagnosis is 
beyond my skills. I have not had very good luck finding other reports 
online that are described in ways that give me confidence that they are 
describing the same problem.

Has anyone had (or heard of) similar problems? Any wisdom, insight, or 
troubleshooting tips on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Bart