Subscribe to observable array for new or removed entry only

Question

So yes I can subscribe to an observable array:

vm.myArray = ko.observableArray();
vm.myArray.subscribe(function(newVal){...});

The problem

Answer 1

I am using a similar but different approach, keep track whether an element has been instrumented in the element itself:

myArray.subscribe(function(array){
  $.each(array, function(id, el) {
    if (!el.instrumented) {
      el.instrumented = true;
      el.displayName = ko.computed(function(){
        var fn = $.trim(el.firstName()), ln = $.trim(el.lastName());
        if (fn || ln) {
          return fn ? (fn + (ln ? " " + ln : "")) : ln;
        } else {
          return el.email();
        }
      })
    }
  });
})

But it is really tedious and the pattern repeated across my code