MDWigs: The humble power pole. We see similar images a number of times throughout the series (and real-life shots of them in EoE, too). They're not quite so overused as in Serial Experiments Lain,though. ^_^
Gundampilotspaz: However, in NGE, they are used as a sign of civilization, very different from the case in Lain. Starting with the inundated city ([#cut008 C-008] ) and continuing onward through EoE, they are depicted as burnt, bent, and destroyed where civilization no longer exists.