Friday, January 30, 2009

Overheard in ATL

Listening in to convos is kinda fun.

"The national guard is the army retard."
...
"So get this, you know the woman that took me to the airport? Well she's going through this divorce and he's trying to accuse me of adultery."
...
"I know. Can you believe that?"
...
"I know. So what are you doing for the Super Bowl?"
...
"I know. We gonna smoke later."
...
"I know. Me too. I'm still a couple hours away."

Then like everyone around me started talking and I lost aural contact. 

Sounded fun though.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Fun Fact About the Real Jeremy Bentham (Is It Fun???)


Upon philosopher Jeremy Bentham's death, as requested in his will, his body was preserved and stored in a wooden cabinet, termed his "Auto-icon". Originally kept by his disciple Dr. Southwood Smith, it was acquired by University College London in 1850.

The Auto-icon is kept on public display at the end of the South Cloisters in the main building of the College. For the 100th and 150th anniversaries of the college, the Auto-icon was brought to the meeting of the College Council, where he was listed as "present but not voting." Tradition holds that if the council's vote on any motion is tied, the auto-icon always breaks the tie by voting in favour of the motion.

The Auto-icon has always had a wax head, as Bentham's head was badly damaged in the preservation process. The real head was displayed in the same case for many years, but became the target of repeated student pranks including being stolen on more than one occasion. It is now locked away securely.

In Lost, we have the body of a Jeremy Bentham that seems to figure in prominently in the future. The real Bentham wanted to keep his legacy alive. The Lost Bentham may have done just that as well. Are we facing some sort of vote down the rode, perhaps back at the island, that requires John Locke's vote??

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Whispers in the Dark


So how about those whispers in the forest on Lost? Well, now that we know we are doing with time travel, here's a theory. Those whispers are of people there...just slightly off time. Maybe those voices are of people who are just a few nanoseconds in the past or in the future. The space-time continuum makes it so those people can't be seen, but can be heard.

Maybe?

Big words...

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Saving Claire


I started to watch "Flashes Before Your Eyes" again from Lost, the episode that Ms. Hawking first appeared, because I felt it holds a lot of relevance to this season. And within the first few minutes I realized something really interesting.

Desmond saved Claire first.

Of course, we all remember quite well "ya gonna die, Charlie." We remember story after story of Desmond trying to save Charlie, but ultimately undone by "fate." The show drew us to Charlie being saved.

But Desmond saved Claire first.

At the beginning of "Flashed Before Your Eyes," Claire is drowning in the ocean and Desmond's intuition draws him to the water to save her. Now think of the other times Claire seemingly was in a situation that faced certain death when she was saved. It happened A LOT.

So if we go with the theory that time must unfold a certain way, that you can't beat fate, then Claire has been supposed to die for quite sometime. Her disappearance still remains a mystery. But maybe she's already been dead for quite sometime, like the other "dead" on the island. Perhaps she only came to terms with that fact when she saw Christian Shepherd, her dad.

I think Claire is dead. The question remains: when did she die?

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Oh Goody Gum Drops!

Remember her? The crazy lady that said Desmond had to go to the island and push the button? That it would be the only great thing he would ever do?

Here it is to jog your memory, from the episode when Desmond first had flashes after the hatch exploded.

Desmond goes to buy an engagement ring for Penny at a store where this Ms. Hawking works. When she shows him a ring and he tells her he'll take it, she seems upset and responds by telling Desmond he will not. After Desmond refuses to give the ring back she explains to Desmond that she knows his name, that he will break Penny's heart, he will not marry her, instead entering the sailing race to prove Penny's father wrong, and that he went to the Island and pressed the button for three years until he was forced to turn the failsafe key. She says that if he "doesn't do those things," that "every single one of us is dead."

Once Desmond refuses to give the ring back she decides to take a walk with him. While on their walk she draws Desmond's attention to a man wearing a suit and red shoes. As she and Desmond sit on a bench she tries to explain to Desmond that he must not ask Penny to marry him. She says that it is his "path" to go to the Island. 

Then all of a sudden a large crash is heard behind them as the scaffolding from a construction job falls to the ground. As she and Desmond turn around, a pair of legs with red shoes is shown sticking out from under the pile of rubble. As Desmond realizes this is the man she pointed out earlier, she admits to knowing that he would die. 

When confronted by Desmond as to why she did not warn the man she informs Desmond that he would have been hit by a taxi the next day, and if she had warned him about that he would have broken his neck in the shower. As Desmond stares blankly at her she explains that the universe has a way of "course correcting" (a phrase Desmond later recites to Charlie), and that death cannot be avoided. Her last words to Desmond are that pressing the button is the only great thing he will ever do in his life.

Remember? She's back!

Other thoughts from tonight.

You see the baby at the beginning with the Asian doctor from Dharma? Telling you, that's totally Miles. Think I got that one right.

And the last time shift? They were clearly on the island when it was controlled by Widmore, or at least when he is there. Those guards had British accents. I'd say there were there in the 1950s or 1960s, before Dharma came in.

I was convinced for a flash that Ben was just manipulating the Oceanic 6 to get back to the island so he could get back to the island and takeover again. But now we see he is at the mercy of someone else. Our dear Ms. Hawking.

What a season it shall be...

Monday, January 19, 2009

1809


This year marks 2 centuries since 1809, but I think it is of some note what a year it was in terms of people born into this world. Not only was the president I share a birthday with born, but quite a large number of notable people who have made an impact on our world today. Here is just a few:

Louis Braille
Edgar Allan Poe (who's birthday is today!)
Felix Mendelssohn
Abraham Lincoln
Charles Darwin
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
Kit Carson
William Gladstone

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Question...

How can water be velvety?