Bill’s Lost Site

Michael gives us the first look into the camp of the “Others”. The information below was provided by Michael and we can hope that it is truthful but I am very skeptical. Something happened to Michael and he is not his normal self.

— The Others sleep in canvas tents and teepees (a slight upgrade from our tarp town on the beach)
— The Others live off dried fish
— They walk around barefoot and in dirty clothes
— Michael did not see the boat
— The Others have a hatch with double steel doors - the doors are manned by 2 armed guards 24/7

We know that the Others dress down only to give the appearance of being shipwrecked on the island. The fact that Michael saw them this way could be a set-up … a plan to lure the Losties with a false sense of superiority.

Something or someone is definitely in the hatch. Michael mentions that someone is always guarding it. I wonder how long he staked out the place.

The fact that there was no boat leads me to believe that this is just one of many potential camps that the Others use.

My personal prediction is that the Michael we saw was not right in his mind. Something is going on which forced him to kill Ana Lucia. Why would he do that when he is trying to raise an army to get his son back? Going back to Prey I can’t help but think about the main character’s wife after she was infested with the nanobots. She looked normal, she acted fairly normal, but then she flew into fits of insanity. My guess is that Michael has been infested by the nanobots and is under their control. That would explain his killing of Ana as well as the potential betrayal to our Losties.

The preceding post discussed what we know about the monster. Now let’s talk theories.

There are two competing thoughts on this. One is the “Pull” method while I labeled the other the “Push” method.

The two methods refer to whether the monster is extracting/pulling data from Echo or whether the monster is implanting/pushing memories. They are vastly different theories that present different problems.

On the Pull method we see the monster as something that is able to read our minds. It can extract information from our minds in the form of images. What the monster is doing with that information is anyone’s guess. Is it reporting back to the “Others” information about that person? Is the monster even under control of the Others? Could the monster have been originally contained and then somehow gotten out and now does its own thing?

The Push method is the better theory in my opinion. This theory states that the monster is putting those images into Echo’s head. Echo didn’t really have a brother that died on the drug airplane. That was a planted memory in Echo’s mind. Echo wasn’t really a drug dealer - again another planted memory.

Now, I believe that Echo and Locke weren’t afraid of the monster because it was familiar to them. They don’t know why or how or what it is - but for some reason they have no fear. I believe the monster was used initially to plant memories in Echo’s mind. The monster was used to modify the memories of all our Lostie’s. The flashbacks they have are simply planted memories to reinforce the experience of the island.

Think about it this way … is it more likely that Echo’s drug plane flew from Nigeria to this mysterious island and crashed or that there was a crashed plane on the island and Echo’s memory was adjusted to make the plane have a connection with Echo’s past? Did the island heal Locke’s disability or did Locke simply think he was disabled based off the false memory’s implanted? We do know that modifying someone’s memory is possible and has been done (under categories click on Psychology for some stories on that) in the past.

Finally, I can see a lot of power in being able to plant memories in people’s minds - this would support the Push theory. I have a hard time seeing how the random flashbacks in Echo’s life would really benefit any scientist on the island or the monster for that matter.

In the latest episode Mr. Echo comes face to face with the “monster”. He becomes the 2nd person that we know of that has seen it. There are several facts that are beyond dispute.

First, the monster appears to have great strength since trees fly out of the ground when it appears, trees are pushed around as it travels through the forest (think back to Season 1) and it was strong enough to capture Locke and drag him down a hole.

Second, the monster does not appear to have any mass. If you had to describe the monster most would agree that looked like a cloud of smoke.

Third, the monster was intelligent. The monster moved with purpose, changing it’s shape.

Fourth, the monster showed images from Echo’s past. We don’t know what Locke saw at this point.

Fifth, neither Locke nor Echo appeared scared. Locke went on to say that what he saw was beautiful. Echo, when asked, said he was not afraid.

Great episode … one of my favorites. I won’t discuss the general plotline - you have all seen the episode. Rather, here are the items that I found interesting.

1. This is really a rehash of earlier episodes … just never thought of it before. We have a dozen or so survivors that the show focuses on. One of them is a druggie - not just any type of druggie but a heroine addict. Herione that is taken orally. Now, what are the odds that a plane smuggling heroine crashes on our mysterious island and that Charlie is one of the few people who know about it and discover the drugs?

2. When Echo hears about the statue from Claire he immediately suspects it’s his drugs. Why would he do that? Last thing he knew was that his drug plane was leaving Nigeria. Would you naturally assume that because someone has a statue of the Virgin Mary that it is the statue from Nigeria?

3. For what it’s worth - when Locke is setting the combination to the gun room we see him turn the combination to 25 and then 29. Actually, this isn’t worth much.

4. Locke makes a comment to Michael about silent movies. Michael tells Locke he doesn’t think Locke is old enough to watch silent movies. Locke then says, “I am old enough.” This may be nothing but in light of the Hanso Foundation Life Extension program (which apparently worked) I wonder if there is a connection. Is Locke “older” than we think he is.

5. Locke showing Michael how to use a gun was pretty funny. Michael manages to hit a Costco size jar of mayo from about 20 feet away. Hurray … we have a sniper on our hands. It would have been humiliating had he missed.

6. Where in the world was the drug plane going? Leaving Nigeria I can’t imagine how it ended up in the South Pacific. I’m going to research plane routes and distances in a later post. Watch for that.

7. OK - the highlight of the show. If you ever needed to justify the expense of TIVO, HD, and a Plasma here it is. Echo sees the Monster. I am now convinced more than ever it is a nano swarm (do a search on my blog for other posts on nanotechnology). What was interesting was what appeared in the swarm as Mr. Echo was looking at it. Without TIVO it would probably be impossible to see. Slowing things down to 1/16 speed here is what I saw:

A. Face - couldn’t make out who
B. Church with a cross on top
C. Another face - couldn’t tell who it was but it appeared to have a head-wrap or hat on
D. The head of the man that Echo shot as a child
E. Woman carrying a basket on her head
F. His brother’s face
G. Appeared to be a woman in a floral print … may have also been army guy in camo - hard to tell
H. Holding his brother right after the brother was shot (shows this twice)
I: Crucifix

All that happened in less than 8 seconds and again there may be stuff that I missed. It is a very fair assumption that each of these images were from Echo’s life (although one of my major theories is that these are all implanted memories that are not real). Anyway, more to come on this topic as it deserves it’s own post.

UPDATE: Click HERE to see the images blown up and brightness adjusted. I think they missed a few but at least you can see what the images look like.

8. After the monster appeared Charlie asks why Echo didn’t move - wasn’t he afraid of it. Echo’s response was “I was not afraid of it.” That begs the question why not? The thing was uprooting trees and making a very disturbing sound. The reason he wasn’t afraid … Mr. Echo had seen it before. I don’t think he could place it exactly but for some reason he knew there was no reason to be afraid. Remember Locke is the only other person to come face to face with it. He too was not afraid. In fact his quote was that he saw into the eye of the island and what he saw was beautiful.

9. Another weird thing … right after the swarm left Echo is back to hunting down the plane. Didn’t spend more than 10 seconds thinking about what he just saw. Anyone else notice that he was in a trance like state once the swarm came up to his face?

10. Michael gets his alone time on the computer. He pounds away at the keyboard to no avail. Then he asks “Where are you?”. Immediately the computer fires up with a “message” from Walt. By the way, the only other time someone has used the phrase “Where are you?” (at least that I can remember) was Jack. That was right after Jack saw his deceased dad strolling through the jungle. I think Jack’s dad’s image is very similar to Walt’s (post kidnapping).

11. For those that missed the computer chat between Father and Son here is what the chat looked like. Anytime you see “>:” that would indicate a message from Michael. If the text is not preceded with those characters then the message is coming from Walt (or someone/something posing as Walt).

Dad?
>: Are you O K?
Yes.
Are you alone?
>: Yes.
Can’t talk long. They’re coming back soon.
>: Where are you?
You need to com

There appears to be some text that Michael reads before Jack comes in. However, we don’t see it.

Why would Walt care if his dad was alone?

12. Walt is a speed typer. He manages to type “Can’t talk long. They’re coming back soon.” all in 4 seconds (7 words in 4 seconds would come out to 105 words per minute). First time I tried it took me 7 seconds. I type close to 60 words a minutes. Not too shabby for Walt, a ten year old boy, who hasn’t been near a computer for a month. Blazing speed and no typos. Hmmm.

13. From my wife … she doesn’t think there is anything on the computer screen. Her opinion - Michael is imagining the conversations. Remember when Jack comes around there is nothing on the monitor. Michael could have turned off the monitor - but we don’t see him do it. That would also explain why the chatting starts right away when Michael gets at the computer and why no one else has seen the chatting. Previews for next week appear to show Michael losing it taking out Locke and forcing an armed manhunt to bring Michael back.

14. The next few are more trivial and have nothing to do with advancing the plot line. However, I thought they were funny. Starting with Echo hugging a decomposed corpse. I know it’s his brother and all but seriously … I broke the news to my wife that if I had the chance I would not hug her decomposed body.

15. Why torch the plane? Last check starting a fire surrounded by jungle appears to be a recipe for disaster. Along the same line - isn’t there anything in that plane that was worth salvaging? Sayid is like an A-Team member - he can make a toaster out of scrap metal. There had to be something on that plane worthy of saving.

16. Anyone wonder where all the tarps come from? Seems like everyone has one for their shelter (or multiple tarps for each shelter). I travel by plane all of the time and I can honestly say I have never packed a tarp. I have never seen anyone else pack a tarp. Maybe airplanes are filled with tarps in the baggage area in the event of plane crash on a deserted island in the South Pacific?

That’s it for now. Additional posts on topics from the episode will include:
Mr. Echo’s experience with the swarm - What do we know about the monster?
Beechcrafts - how far they can go
Air travel routes to likely drug drop-off destinations
Is that really Walt talking to Michael

This idea also comes from our faithful reader Patti:

If you haven’t done so already make sure you review the Hanso Foundation website. Under Projects there is a section for Life Extension. In the telex (why are they using a telex?) it attributes life extension to a suite of transgenic technologies. To quote the telex:

“… this milestone is clear proof that the suite of transgenic technologies that comprise the Hanso Foundation’s Life-Extension Project will someday help human beings achieve useful lifespans well beyond the current norm.” Click Here for the complete letter.

So what is Transgenic Technologies? Akin to cloning, transgenic studies focus on inserting foreign DNA into a life form to solve a certain problem. As an example, a large number of people get sick while drinking milk because of the contents (or ingredients) in the dairy product. The content for milk is controlled by DNA inside a dairy cow. Transgenic technologies would look at the situation, identify what specifically coded piece of DNA is responsible for the problem and replace it with another code of DNA that produces a different result. Of course, that is a very simplistic example but hopefully it makes sense.

Transgenic studies currently appear more focused on plants/crops than on mammals. However, that shift is changing as scientists toy with growing human organs in pigs, as one current example.

How could this apply to Lost? Thinking conceptually, if you could take out the bad in humans (for example, remove an attribute like anger) what would that do? Or, what if you replaced DNA that controlled strengh and replaced it with DNA from a much stronger animal? Since the show is grounded in science and pseudoscience the possibilities are really endless.

The point is, the Hanso Foundation, hardly a bastion for moral science, has an island full of people that would make great test subjects. They can’t leave, they can’t communicate to the outside world, they have nothing to defend themselves. At the end of the day our Losties could very well be very large lab rats.

Walt has made 3 appearances since his capture by the “Others”. After re-watching all of the episodes it appears that Walt is doing exactly the same thing in each instance when he appears to Shannon. The finger to his lips indicating to Shannon to hush. Speaking backwards. Dripping wet. Same clothes.

Either Walt has his routine down pat or we are not really seeing Walt.

First of all, I am not a Star Wars nerd. However, I am going to make a Star Wars reference. Remember in the 1st Star Wars, the one from the late 70’s, when the Princess has a message on R2D2 that is to be played to Ben? She is projected out in a hologram. There is a brief message where she is asking for help and provides some direction. It wasn’t really the Princess in the cave - it was her image.

Getting back to Walt … We are not really seeing Walt. We are seeing an image of Walt being projected. He isn’t actually there at all. His message is being replayed over and over again. And Walt doesn’t speak backwards, that’s a glitch in the system. He was recorded speaking properly but in the playback something got mixed up which caused the audio to be replayed backwards.

Now, what is this image or projection? I’ll give you a hint … you have seen them before. Little, lots of them, can be confused with a wisp of smoke. Nanobots. Intelligently compiled these nanobots can assemble to take the shape of an object or person. They can record and transmit audio communication. They would disappear quickly and become invisible to the human eye.

What we are seeing is the nanobots recording Walt. They then take the form of Walt and communicate to Shannon (and now Sayid) the message. The question is, did the Others who are holding Walt want the nanobots to make the recording in order to play for Shannon and others or is this something the nanobots did on their own? Walt was wet at the time of the recording - was that from the ocean or is he being held in a location where you have to pass through water to access it (for example, a location behind a waterfall)?

I am really sure about the following; (1) Nanobots are on the island, (2) They were being studied by Hanso, (3) They have been released (or they escaped) on the island. The Swan hatch that studies electromagnetic stuff is what keeps the swarm(s) from leaving the island. If the button isn’t pushed every 108 minutes does that somehow drop the field allowing the swarm to leave? The Hanso orientation film discussed an accident - was the original accident the swarm breaking out of its secured labratory confines? Now, the only protection is the 108 minute security reset?

A few years ago Michael Crichton (writer of Jurassic Park, Congo, etc) wrote a book describing the dangers of nanotechnology. While the ideas in the book are NOT scientifically feasible today Crichton is describing how the world could be in the not so distant future. His book is a very good read that I would highly recommend to any Lost fan. In the book there are some interesting aspects that I believe tie fairly closely to Lost. Here are the highlights:

- The facility where the nanobots are manufactured is in the remote desert of Nevada ~ far away from prying eyes of the government or any regulatory body
- The work is top secret ~ even those that work for the company don’t really know the extent of the project
- The development of nanotechnology is for the benefit of society ~ the company started with altuistic motives
- The nanobots are housed in a very secure location that involves a super high power magnet
- The nanobots escape unexpectantly in an accident ~ kind of
- The only safe place to be with the nanobots outside the facility is to remain inside the very secure facility
- The nanobots infest people ~ they can give strength to people and sap that strength away ~ they can also alter the state of someone’s mind making them irrational and compulsive
- The nanobots travel primarily in a swarm, a black cloud
- The nanobots learn and progress ~ the AI advances much more quickly than anticipated
- The nanobots can swarm into any shape ~ they take on the appearance of humans and are indistinguishable from real people
- The nanobots learn to “speak” or make sounds to replicate speach

With those points in mind think about the similarities to Lost. A deserted island. An accident that occured. Locke’s ability to walk after 4 years of disability. Quarantine on the hatch telling folks to stay in the bunkers. A black cloud that moves and is organized. The monster that is so large it moves trees yet the Losties haven’t seen it, it’s footprints, or anything else that would indicate that the monster ever existed. Walt’s appearance? Was it really Walt or was Shannon seeing something similar to a recorded message being played back to her?

Anyway, something to think about. If you can think of any additional commonalities please write and in and let me know.

Nanotechnology involves very, very, very small machines. Machines that are built at the molecular level. By themselves nanobots are too small to be effective for much of anything. However, collectively, nanobots can be used to do amazing things.

The stuff of science fiction just a few years ago, we have now entered nanotechnology in it’s infancy. Most, however, agree that in the future most everything we do will have nanotechnology involved in one way or another.

Nanotechnology provides several advantages that hold great promise. First, the ability to organize material at the molecular level allows for far greater control in the development of products. You will see steel-like products developed that will be 10x stronger and weigh just a fraction of what steel weighs now. How will that impact you? The car you drive, the plane you fly in, the building you sit in can all be structure differently, more efficiently.

To get you started on what Nanotechnology is I would recommend:
Nice Beginners Overview
The Future of Nanotechnology and It’s Impact on You
Early Vision of Nanotechnology
The Center for Responsible Nanotechnology

So, with that being said, how in the world does this relate to Lost? It’s my opinion that Nanotechnology is one of the disciplines being studdied on the island by the Hanso corporation. Review the links from above and then come back and read how nanobot swarms are present and are interacting with our Losties.