If it wasnt for the Na Pali Pass, I couldnt imagine getting from one side of Oahu to the other, especially if I couldnt buy supplies at a 7/11 every couple of hours

My only thought is Morse code. I haven't been able to translate anything from the symbol yet though.

whotony posted this a few weeks ago:
http://www.fiftythings.com/Images/feng.gif

redrum posted this version:
http://www.crystalinks.com/pakua.gif

Basically, each of the different combinations of long and short lines represents a different concept.

that theory was tossed out, because it wouldn't explain why desmond would be so afraid to not enter the #'s. If he's missed it before, and he didn't die or the world didn't blow up, why would he freak out trying to get the computer fixed, and then running away because he's 'going to die'.

I'm sure he is capable of doing that, but they still don't understand *why* the numbers need to be entered (or if they do at all). Right now they have zero details, so I think the plan is to continue entering the code exactly as they have been told until they know more.

Even though the code appears to be some sort of silly behavior experiment, it makes sense to continue entering it until they have more information. They don't know if automating it will cause different results...


... I have to assume that a later plot point will be someone wanting to mess with that computer. There's a garbled portion of the orientation film that basically says not to use the computer for anything other than entering the code. I've got to figure that a later episode will feature people wanting to hack the machine -- either to automate the task or to see if they can attempt to send/receive messages.

What good is a computer if you can't view online porn?

Question is, would you trust a 25 year old computer for an automated task?

Why would the fact that it's 25 years old make me trust it do an automated task any differently than a manual task?
To the computer, it's just a task. At least with an automated one you aren't relying on the switch contacts in each of the keys not wearing out after being pressed 121,666 times!!

I do, and so does everyone else. You have no idea how many airline reservation systems, missile guidance systems, weather forcasting systems, mainframes, etc. are 25+ years old.

But does it have Global Thermonuclear War? I wonder when Matthew Broderick will show up on the island to save everyone?

I'm just thinking Office Space. If you are off just a fraction, you are screwed.

Which is what all leads me to also believe that its a behavioral experiment. If they wanted to enter the same numbers at a set interval, why not just automate it? Reminds me of Homer at his computer with the drinking bird...

Maybe the people who set up the station want to make sure that if anything happens to the people manning the station, that whatever the computer controls will be activated. By making them push the button every 108 minutes, they're proving that they're still there and they're still manning the station, for whatever reason.

The 108 minutes is "off." It seems to reset as soon as they hit execute. But if they hit it a few seconds or a minute early the whole thing would be off.

If they hit it 10 seconds early everytime than after just 6 button presses(just over 10 hours) then the whole thing is off by a minute, executing at 107 minutes instead of the 108. So that leads me to think it does zilch.

Who are those morons on that podcast? They keep saying that the Dharma logo on the plane is a just a photoshop job, but it clearly isn't. Unless someone stole my DVDs, replaced the originals with an edited version that includes the logo on the plane, then they are wrong. I see it as clear as day on my DVDs.

What the hell, if they just would have left Desmond alone down there and never destroyed the hatch - he would have sat down there until his dying days pressing the button. While everyone could have sat on the beach soaking up the sun. :D

Now there is talk of Automating the function - so that they will have free time to sit on the beach and do other things.

Funny, but isn't life like that:

As kids all we do is play, with no responsibilities in the world... but all we do is dream and talk about "when I grow up..."

Once we become older we try to find ways to deal with our responsibilities so we have more free time to play and day dream.

Sort of like the Hatch - Ignorance is Bliss





Reminds me of this :

The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied, "Only a little while." The American then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?" The Mexican said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs." The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?" The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos, I have a full and busy life."

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat: With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York where you will run your ever-expanding enterprise." The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?" To which the American replied, "15 to 20 years." "But what then?" asked the Mexican. The American laughed and said that's the best part. "When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions." "Millions?...Then what?"

The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

I tried the Lost Podcast a couple of weeks ago. They are some of the stupidest couple or Lost fans I know, especially the wife. Stupid bitch.

I'm only up pg. 3, but...
Interesting that you mention this. Am I the only one that kept waiting for the other shoe to drop? I mean for once they were having such a good time and were in such high spirits that I couldn't help thinking that a big (and most likely negative) revelation was coming round the bend. When the fade out came I was a little um... surprised? ...or maybe disappointed?

Haha. Even though I'm 99.99% sure it's not true, it would be hilarious if it was some sort of "deadman's switch" to alert TPTB that no one was manning the station. And, if standard operating procedure of Dharma Inc. in that situation was to immediately send help/relief. Damn, now that would be truly frucked up.


Hmm. After seeing all these theories about this being some type of grandiose psych experiment, I guess I'm in the minority.

I got the feeling from the archaic & derelict vibe of the project (at least what we've seen so far), that maybe the project is no longer run by anyone. The film gave me the idea that Dharma was a think tank of touchy-feely, "everything is connected" believers. The ying-yangish swan and the 8 trigrams reinforced this idea. I figured they found those underlying connections, and started tampering/tweaking the status quo before they truly understood them. If any scientists/staff were on the island I assumed they were savage "others". And that no relief shift ever coming for station #3.

Everybody seems to be thinking that TPTB:
1.)Still exist.
2.)Are still aware of the project.
3.)Still care.
4.)Still have any control.

So the common consensus is that these events are actually just following some Dharma Initiative plan?

Why in Hurley's dream would he dream Walt is missing on a carton of milk? He has no knowledge he is missing.
Unless Walt is trying to reach out to him.

I enjoyed this episode. It wasn't the standard Lost type show, but overall.


And, 16 weeks since the last winner.

I actually think it was more of the standard type Lost show. It was the season finale and first 3 episodes that made everyone forget about the first 20 episodes that were just like this one. Little development plotwise, lots of character development.

Was anybody else bothered by the fact that Hurley's lotto tickets were different throughout the episode?

Opening scene: Lotto ticket #1

At Mr. Cluck's: Lotto ticket #2

There's no way the props department made this big of a mistake *and* it slipped past the powers that be.

Also, the Lottery logos don't match between the tv and the ticket. Something's off...

My guess is the first picture is recycled (or unaired) footage from season 1. The second picture is new footage from season 2. Simple mistake.

Found som good images of the Dharma symbol from the second hatch.

Dharma dos

Look anything like the shark's logo?
Sharky

I agree. I just got a little bored with it as after Michael and Shannon/Boone, Hurley's character/backstory interests me the least.

I was fine with the rest of the episode. Actually a good bit of plot development IMO with the finding of the rest of the tail surviors and finding that most of them had since died or disappeared.