(Written text= 2/15/08, completed at 12:24 am, CST. Endnotes #1 and #5 were added on 2/15/08 at 11:58 am and 12:21 pm CST, respectively.)
(Note: This is a graphics-enhanced version. I've left the text-only, printer-cartridge- friendly version posted, too.) ** Point #5 dealing with '31-minutes' has been revised/expanded on 2/21/08 at 11:08am ** WELCOME TO THE NEW ECONOMY: A HIGH 'INTEREST RATE' FOR TIME PASSAGES- 31 MINUTES TO OPGUN THEORY Time Passages-  The '31-minute' time delay noted by Daniel Faraday in tonight's episode opens a myriad of creative and explanatory opportunities concerning our mutual obsession in exploring all that is Lost. Great minds like yours are clicking into high gear at this very moment, pondering permutations, possibilities, and probabilities: 1. Is the 31-minute time difference a constant? Or is the time difference relative to one's position vis-a-vis the island? Does the difference change as a function of distance from the island (a space-time connection)? Is the difference larger or smaller, the closer one gets to the island? Don't forget Daniel's admonition to Frank, before they headed out in the copter.... make sure you stay on the same bearing.... Which begs the obvious but intriguing question: Or what? Island-as-portal theorists will be quick to point out that one's bearing, to and from the island, should affect not only where but when you land. So if you want to retrace your steps, and not end up elsewhere and elsewhen, you want to follow Daniel's advice...
 From this perspective, the 31-minute time differential may not be a constant but may in fact turn out to be the product of where and when you are located, in space-time relations, with respect to the island. Hmmmm.... Might this not be a VERY interesting approach that BEN could use as he does his 'BOND, BEN BOND' globe-hopping covert ops 'Nummer Eins' schtick? Again, the creative possibility here is that one's bearing or trajectory to and from the island will produce different results, in terms of where and when you end up, due in no small part to the spatiotemporal distortion produced by the island.
 2. The time distortion most likely is due, in no small part, to the island's unique electromagnetic properties, operating on an ongoing basis, with nodes or zones of higher and lower EMP (see my 1/25/08 'The Island' posting, in this regard.) This raises another issue regarding absolute versus relative space-time distortion (and resulting differentials): In addition to Daniel's caution about one's bearing, might not the presence (or absence) of an island hot spot affect the distortion? For example, what sort of time delay would Daniel observe were he to conduct his 'payload' experiment near the super-charged  Swan hatch site, prior to Desmond's 'turnkey' experience and the subsequent hatch implosion? Furthermore, how do the more powerful and distinct EMP BURSTS affect time perception and reality? (Prominent cases in point.... The burst when Flight 815 flew overhead, and the burst when Desmond turned the key resulting in the Swan hatch implosion.) Might one not reasonably expect greater 'windows' of space and time distortion yielding, in turn, larger space and time differentials, between the island and off-island locations, including the mainland?
3. Alternatively, might the time difference not arise as an indirect, epiphenomenal result of the island's unique electromagnetic properties, properties which generate the more direct cause of the time difference in the form of an energy field surrounding the  entire island? Per my postings last year, the island appears to be surrounded by an energy field rendering it invisible, except at those moments when the field is disrupted through... you know what! Indeed, the boundary of this field may turn out to operate in some ways not unlike an EVENT HORIZON. To an observer on the island (Daniel Faraday), when someone outside this boundary sends something to the island, there is a 31-minute delay in comparison to what the observer outside the island boundary is perceiving. (Again, the extent to which this time delay is constant or is relative, depending on one's bearing and distance from the island, remains to be seen.)
 4. This TEMPORAL DISTORTION is not surprising. Consistent with my postings last year, this may in part be why the Others used a submarine to travel between the island and the mainland: In addition to leveraging the diamagnetic properties and benefits of water as a medium to diminish harmful effects of traveling through the island's boundary in the air, we may find that a second beneficial effect of traveling underwater is diminished negative temporal distortion effects on humans and other organisms.
And how interesting that the temporal distortion/field boundary approach is consistent with the SNOWGLOBE hints about, and perspectives on, the island. Hmmmm.... Does it really take 31 minutes to travel through the 'force-field' boundary surrounding the island, or does the travel time only appear to observers on the island as a delay of 31 minutes, due to the temporal distortion arising while passing through the boundary? 5. And yes, now to the $64 Million Dollar Question: Is it possible to exploit the time distortion to one's benefit, through leveraging a temporal window of opportunity to see into the near future? The apparent answer is no, as Faraday's calculations would put island time BEHIND mainland time. But there are two potentially viable mechanisms for leveraging the time distortion for material and financial gain.  ---> Faraday's warning to Frank, to use the same course/bearing to leave the island, is intended to help Frank et al. to return to the same place (Earth A) that they left from. This yields a time differential with the island 31 minutes behind Earth A mainland time. If the bearing one takes while leaving the island matters, then one reason the exit bearing matters is that it affects WHERE and WHEN you arrive, once you cross the island's energy field 'event horizon,' experiencing turbulence while crossing this boundary. What Ben, Mikhail, and others may have discovered is that it is possible to intercept radio signals from the Earth A mainland, to see what is happening in financial markets, world events, etc., and then to take a different bearing than the Faraday group, off the island, taking them somewhere on the Earth A mainland, PRIOR to the events they have already observed as happening. This approach may enable Ben to finance his 'Fight (for the) Future' force. The Maxwell Group may also be using temporal distortion effects along the same lines, to finance their ops. (Please see below, for more on this Fight for the Future....)  ---> A second possible mechanism for exploiting the island time differential for material and financial gain is through leveraging the island's function as a 'Maxwell's Demon' portal, enabling the transfer of material, people, etc. between the parallel worlds of Earth A and Earth B (please see below for more on this view of the island portal function.) This is consistent with my prior postings this year. According to this view, a second possible explanation for the 31-minute time delay on the island is that the island is REALLY on EARTH B, not on Earth A. So the Faraday group flew in a helicopter from Earth A mainland, through the energy boundary surrounding the island, and traveled through the turbulence to arrive at the island, which is really located on Earth B, near the Crab Nebula. And yes, this is why the stars/constellations looked kinda funny to Karl, etc. This is the big ending in the series finale.... The island is not really on Earth A, but instead is really located on Earth B, near the Crab Nebula.... So the time distortion does not work as a means of gaining temporal advantage if one travels from the mainland Earth A to the island, as the payload did, since this puts one 31 minutes BEHIND Earth A mainland time. But the island inhabitants could use the ability to view Earth A events and then take the proper bearing to exit the island, traveling to mainland Earth B, to exploit being 31 minutes AHEAD (i.e., Earth B is 31 minutes behind Earth A, so knowledge of Earth A events gives one a 31 minute advantage to leverage this information on Earth B, for material and financial gain.) Again, this may be how Ben is financing his covert 'flashforward' ops (including Sayid as 'hit man'). And recall Elsa's statement that her boss-- THE ECONOMIST-- deals in 'emerging markets', suggesting that Ben and crew may be after someone/group exploiting the island's temporal distortion effects for financial and material gain. R. Goodwin? Or is the 'RG' working for someone else.... like Charles Widmore? What, No Sympathy For Ben, That 'Ol Devil?
 Ben looked as though he was savoring his Faustian moment at the end of tonight's episode.... I'm not surprised to see these themes again, as in my posting last year-- 'The Final Solution'-- I explored some implications arising from the fundamental notion undergirding DHARMA's mission, namely to solve for the Valenzetti Equation in such a way that the destruction of the world may be averted, or at least delayed indefinitely.  In whose best interest might that outcome be? Why none such other than good 'ol Scratch himself.... as by stopping or infinitely delaying the end of the world, one also prevents the coming of the Messiah, thereby ensuring a continued reign in a fallen, LOST material world.... So is he, or isn't he (Ben, that is)? Given their penchant for intriguing twists, I would not be surprised to find that Ben actually turns out to be 'the good guy', battling against those who would leverage the island's powers for evil.  ----> And, in a 'nod' to the classic 'Millennium' TV series, starring none other than Lance Henriksen and good 'ol Locke, stockade and barrel himself-- Terry O'Quinn-- I am not surprised to see the flash-forward battle on the mainland between two factions aimed at ensuring their vision of the future wins out, with Ben and Sayid on one side. This structure, of course, mirrors the 'Owls' vs. 'Roosters' story arc in Season Two of Millennium.  Interestingly, the 'Owls' and 'Roosters' differed in no small measure in their views regarding when, and through what means, the END OF THE WORLD would occur. Sounds a bit like what DHARMA and the Valenzetti Equation were concerned about. And don't be surprised if this key theme shows up in later Lost episodes, as one of the central points of difference among the Ben-led 'future force' and those who are on their 'hit list'. 1
Hold On, Maverick: 31 Minutes To OPGUN Theory- In my 2/8/08 piece on 'Confirmed Dead,' I outlined four aspects of the Casimir Effect that may be operating on the island to produce several of the seemingly magical occurrences we've observed on the show, to date. This more inclusive perspective was proposed as part of our ongoing effort to expand the breadth and depth of our 'collective consciousness' regarding not only what is happening on the show, but the implications of these myriad insights for enriching our lives together on planet Earth. References to Ben-as-devil in The Economist, coupled with Doc Jensen's invocation of Maxwell's Demon in Doc's 2/14/08 column2, got me thinking about how the series may actually end. As Doc duly noted in his column, the physics behind the Maxwell's Demon concept can get Excedrin-headachy, fast. (Of course, fans of our columns will rush to Wikipedia for an accessible portal to the concept.)
Entropy (and its mirror twin negentropy) figure prominently in the Demon scenario.... In simple lay terms, entropy is akin to disorder, and negentropy is order. Living systems fight the good negentropic fight to stave off entropy/disorder, at the cost of necessary energy intake, to sustain order in the face of entropy.
----> But here's where it gets interesting.... While Doc was thinking in terms of people as molecules, with Ben, Matthew Abbaddon, and others as the 'Demon' gate-keeper, sorting molecules into groups, my own thinking is that while this may turn out to be true on the surface levels of Lost storytelling, on deeper levels, I would not be surprised to find that the ISLAND itself is the GATE, which the Demon gate-keeper qua 'trap door artist' is leveraging to influence the transfer of people, objects, and more: (1) between parts of the world, (2) between parts of the universe, and (3) between universes (as per Multiverse Theory.)
I went back to consider Damon Lindelof's comment that "Somewhere just outside the Crab Nebula is where it will all end, geographically" 3 They have promised us a shocking ending in the series finale, so one possibility is that the 'Earth B' I've been referring to in my recent postings is actually located in the Crab Nebula, and the island is a portal between these parallel worlds. If this does turn out to be the case, the 'money shot' we may witness at series' end may involve the revelation that the island we've been watching has all along been located on Earth B in the Crab Nebula, with a portal between Earth B and Earth A periodically operating (every 108 minutes?) between these two distant mirror twin planets. Hmmmm.... Is Ben aware of this, and leveraging the effect, to travel not only between the island and the mainland, but more importantly, to travel between Earth A and Earth B, using the island as a portal/waypoint?
 But there may be more to it than that! How's this for an even more mind-blowing second 'money shot' in the series finale? After we've discovered the Crab Nebula connection, the camera pans back even further to reveal.... a broader view of the universe, complete with 108-minute periodic purple flashes at various 'nodes' or locations, spanning the universe. There are more than two island/portal/waypoints in the universe. Indeed, we see that the universe is populated with purple nodes, flashing with the emergent and evolving, universe-spanning, consciousness that is the Omega Point.4 To wit: The entire universe is becoming self-aware and sentient; it is learning to learn. And the islands of our shared and mindful existence-- our Earths-- are functioning as neural nodes in a distributed, universe-al network of evolving consciousness. The big 'aha' moment is when we see the flickering flashes of purple nodal activity, across the entire universe, signalling to us the firing of neural nodes... The universe as/is a brain.... So what is OPGUN? Namely an acronym for the theory that we ultimately will learn at the series' conclusion that the universe is evolving as a conscious entity, along the lines of the Omega Point concept (OP), struggling through growing self-awareness and learning to become a self-regulating entity, a truly Gaia universe (G-UNiverse). So OPGUN stands for Omega Point Gaia Universe. One key component of OPGUN Theory is to step back from the smaller scale of things, to consider that the existence of multiple, parallel worlds, populated with living, sentient beings such as ourselves, may ultimately be functioning on a higher, universe-al scale as nodes or 'islands' of conscious processing power, part of a distributed neural network spanning the universe, comprising a sentient, evolving universe-al consciousness. From this perspective, DHARMA is but one example of a logical development, the equivalent of a 'program' running at the Earth A neural node, serving to heuristically explore ways that the Earth A node can keep operating (avoiding destruction/ shutdown), helping to preserve the integrity of the evolving OPGUN through averting nodal neural malfunctioning. In this sense, DHARMA and all sentient beings on Earth A are being 'used' as part of a security program being run by OPGUN to ensure neural nodal integrity. 5
 The black smoke monster is part of OPGUN's security system or program to protect the island portal enabling cross-world communication (neural connectivity, thought), as well as cross-world teleportation of matter and beings. So we share more in common than we think, as like Smokey, we humans in general (and DHARMA in particular) are/were functioning as part of a global sentience program to work to preserve the Earth A OPGUN neural node (nexus!), as instructed in part through the Valenzetti Equation. And when we step back further, we can see that the deeper purpose of DHARMA and its equivalents on all OPGUN neural nodes throughout the universe, is to leverage the processing power at these nodes to explore various ways in which OPGUN might be able to become increasingly self-regulating, helping stave off its own impending doom as a universe-al entity. In short, OPGUN has become self-aware of its own impending doom, and is currently and fervently working its neural nodes at peak operating level, working through a range of permutations to find ways that it can leverage Mind, Energy, and Matter relations (including electromagnetism, the Casimir Effect, wormholes, etc.) to find a way for it to survive, itself.... The sentient, evolving collective consciousness of the entire universe is working to find a way to self-regulate in Gaia-like manner, to find a way to stay alive (shades of Sawyer!) Quantumly Entangled Neural Nodes-
One manner of matter transfer among the various OPGUN neural nodes distributed throughout the universe occurs through Casimir-Effect-contained wormholes. This includes objects, people, etc. Communication among these nodes is nearly instantaneous, through leveraging QUANTUM ENTANGLEMENT. You may recall from my 'Quantum Connections' posting last year that quantum entanglement provides the basis for the strange but real phenomenon of quantum teleportation, which I invoked as a basis for the ability, shared by Walt, Rose, and other psychics, to instantly know what is happening non-locally, at a distance.
How might quantum entanglement relate to Desmond's neat ability to alter timelines, in a Minkowskian manner? Here J. Wood is right on the money... I would even go so far as to say that Desmond is 'rewriting' or 'authoring' new versions of 'reality' through his actions and inactions. Although a 'Butterfly Effect' interpretation is certainly viable-- namely that Desmond's causal actions/inactions will take time to ripple outward, through space and time, to produce their ultimate effects in producing/authoring a new story/timeline-- a competing interpretation is suggested by quantum entanglement and the work of Bohm, Deutsch, and others: Desmond's causal actions/inactions may produce instantaneous effects in the past/present/future timeline, through altering the pattern of quantum entanglement among the diverse set of existential possibilities comprising the universe.  Yeah, I know that's a bit highfalutin'.... What I mean here, is if Bohm and others are indeed correct that all possible outcomes and relations exist all at the same time-- a strongly Schrodingerian interpretation-- then whether or not Charlie is dead or alive depends on which of those existential options happens to be 'entangled' in the story/timeline we're observing. Instant change in story/timeline, backward and forward, is possible in a quantumly entangled universe, through shifts in which existence or phase states are entangled, and which are not. So the Schrodinger cat, like Charlie, is alive and is dead, and which of these states is 'true' for an observer depends on which state/phase is entangled. Desmond shows how it is possible to author new story/timelines through causal action/inaction, which from a Bohmian view can indeed produce an instantaneous shift in terms of which phases/states of existence are entangled, and which are not.... So which account is true? Is Desmond's Minkowskian rewriting of story/timelines instantaneous, or accretive across space and time, per a 'Butterfly Effect' interpretation?
 In Heisenbergian fashion, the answer depends on where/when/how you sit, as an observer.... As a species, we are not 'wired' to perceive the entire universe of possible existential phases/states, all at once, so to us it appears as though the effects of Desmond's causal actions/inactions play out across space and time, ala the Butterfly Effect. So in addition to seeing only one of two (or more) possible phases/states-- seeing the cat as dead AND alive-- we see one or the other, depending on which phase/state is quantumly entangled with other phases/states in the story/timeline we are observing.
 But the apparent playing out of cause-effect relations, across space and time, is really an artefact of how we're wired to perceive and operate in the world. Fortunately our species is graced with the ability to extend and amplify our sensory, perceptual, and conceptual powers through learning, communication, and technology. As a result, we are learning more about the strangely nature of 'reality' as we probe beyond the limits and constraints of our perceptual 'wiring.' Quantum entanglement is but one of the weird phenomena we are uncovering in our collective attempt to shed further light (albeit scattered) on 'reality.'
And Desmond does hold the key, as he has shown that it is possible for the author to 'learn', i.e., to retain information or knowledge of patterned relationships, even when the author is rewriting the story/timelines in a Minkowskian manner. Although like us, Desmond's best intentions are not always borne out through his causal actions/inactions, he learns and retains knowledge, carrying this accretive information forward, through story/timeline shifts. This is the great heuristic and negentropic ability which undergirds the whole of the OPGUN project to stave off its own universe-al destruction, and to work to ensure its continued survival.
 Is the fleeting, ephemeral 'Jacob' evidence of movement from corporeal human to Omega Point existence? Is 'Walt' following in these footsteps, climbing Jacob's ladder toward OP? Are Miles and Desmond tapping into different yet higher OP 'planes' of perception? (Point to ponder.... Was Edgar Cayce tapping some of the same 'Akashic' territory?) And will we observe a larger realization of the OP concept, writ large on a universe-al scale, in the final episodes of Lost?
Author, Author! OPGUN Meets Multiverse-
Hmmmm.... If Desmond is authoring new story/timelines through Minkowskian flashes at one of the portals located throughout the universe, once we move back up to the broader level of analysis, doesn't that mean that what is really happening on the grander scale is that OPGUN is trying to find ways to save itself by learning how to author or rewrite its own story/timeline? Yes, that's exactly right.... How ironic that the superb Lost writers are heading toward a denouement that leads us to see how, in addition to having the power to author our own lives, the very nature of the evolving, expanding, increasingly sentient OPGUN is authorial.
In short, through recursive, iterative cycles of drafting and redrafting different versions of story/timelines, learning and knowledge is progressing not only at each of the neural nodes in the universe; through learning occurring at the nodes, and material transfers and informational exchanges occurring across these nodes via electromagnetically- charged, Casimir-enabled, quantumly-entangled 'island' portals, OPGUN is using DHARMA, Desmond, and others to find the means to avoid the loss of constituent neural nodes and, more importantly, to avert its own ultimate demise. In short, the emerging, evolving universe-al consciousness that is OPGUN is following Sawyer's 'prime directive' to stay alive... But wait.... is that all there is, to it? Well, we may also witness yet another layer/level of mind-blowing revelation in the series' finale.... The next-to-last 'money shot' may be a depiction of the universe revealing that more than one OPGUN or universe-al author has been evolving, consistent with the multiverse theory. Ironically, not altogether unlike the cadre of Lost writers authoring our favorite show....
 And for the last 'money shot,' we see Hugo, Jack, Kate, and the other Oceanic Six members reunited with the rest of the Flight 815 survivors, on the island, in one big happy family gathering. The sun is shining brightly, and the clouds are quietly drifting by, when all of a sudden a rending, searing noise punctuates the festivities to reveal.... Another plane flying high above the crowd, breaking apart.... and Hugo in his own inimitable style, utters the final words on Lost....
"Dude, oh no... here we go again!"
Copyright 2/15/08 by Dr. Todd J. Hostager ENDNOTES: 1. Even more intriguing are the potential plot/structural similarities with shows that have previously explored the effects of 'fighting for the future' through changing the past, as well as the future. Examples include the Temporal Cold War in (Star Trek) Enterprise, and the War Without End arc in Babylon 5. In addition to the Ben-Sayid et al. force operating to influence the future, on the mainlaind, will we also see attempts by this same force to leverage time-travel as a means of changing the past, to effect changes in the future. Of course, Desmond's 'flashes' have shown us that actions/inactions aimed at producing desired results (saving Charlie, etc.) inevitably alter the quantumly entangled phase/state patterns comprising our perceived story/timelines, in some surprising and unanticipated ways. These changes occur backward and forward across space and time, instantaneously through quantum entanglement, but appear to us to play out in 'regular' space time, as perceived through our Homo sapient sensory/perceptual/conceptual apparati. Per my 'Final Solution' posting last year, I would not be surprised to see Desmond or some other 'flash' story/timeline rewriter in the Ben-force-fold, carrying out his orders to rewrite past and future history. [This endnote was added on 2/15/08, 11:58am, CST.] 4. For more information on the Omega Point concept, please see my posting 'Psychic Kids.'
5. Hmmmm.... What if the big threat that the Ben-Folds-Sayid future force is fighting is the discovery that the multiple 'island portals' distributed throughout the universe--including the one located near the Crab Nebula-- are being misused by one group (the Maxwell Group?) to 'cheat' other worlds by sucking order (negentropy) through the portals, channeling energy, material, wealth (The Economist's emerging markets!), etc. to the group's homeworld, all through leveraging the teleportational powers of the island portals? Now this would be a truly 'Maxwell-Demonic' (mis)use of the island portal system. Put in the context of the OPGUN Theory, a key part of the universe-al system of distributed sentience-- the island portals-- perhaps are being misused by some nefarious force (likely a self-interested homeworld group) that is using the island portal system to decrease its homeworld entropy while increasing entropy/disorder/destruction on other homeworlds that are host to, and connected through, their own island portals. So ironically, by fighting against the 'giant sucking sound' of island portal misuse on Earth A, Ben's group is not only fighting for the future of terra firma, but at the same time is unwittingly pursuing a deeper mission/agenda, namely insuring continued survival through maintaining the integrity of each island portal neural node, in the distributed, evolving universe-al sentience--OPGUN.... [This endnote was added on 2/15/08, 12:21pm, CST.]
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