(Written text= 2/8/08; First half completed at 12:34pm, CST; Latter half completed at 2:50pm, CST)
(Note: This is a graphics-enhanced version. I've left the text-only, printer-cartridge- friendly version posted, too.)
LOST SIGNALS FROM THE CONFIRMED DEAD:
RETURNING TO CASIMIR
Hold Onto Your Led-Shielded Zeppelin: We're Returning To Casimir-
Ever since the Orchid hatch film was released last July, speculation has largely focused on one key aspect of the Casimir Effect, namely its ability to help contain wormholes. Quite naturally, widespread speculation proceeded to the next logical step: Wormhole-enabled time-travel, perhaps involving the Lamb Shift, per Dr. Edgar Halowax's fleeting referece to 'the shift', during the hurried activity once the second #15 white rabbit was discovered, sitting meekly on the shelf behind Halowax (Lewis Carroll would be proud, indeed!)
And we all noticed that the #15 was marked on the same side of both rabbits, strongly implying that the cause was Casimir-Effect-contained, wormhole-enabled, time-travel. Be careful not to touch yourself, when you meet your elsewhen self, else.... Big-badda-boom?! Hmmmm.... Did Marty McFly ever touched himself in the 'Back To The Future' film series? Now THAT would be a Divinyls moment!
Although there may be alternative explanations for the polar bear remains excavated in Tunisia, complete with DHARMA Hydra logo tag, depending on just how long that bear has been buried, the strong implication of that scene is that one of DHARMA's projects focused on leveraging the island's unique electromagnetic properties to enable time-travel through Casimir-contained wormholes. Moreover, it appears that this was not simply time-travel but instead comprised SPACE-TIME travel, i.e., movement across both space and time. Of course, if they continue excavating the Tunisian site and uncover another DHARMA hatch (the Scorpion?), we can still fall back on the time-travel hypothesis.
But is this all there is to it? What about the other kinds of strange occurrences we've witnessed on Lost? What about the two Flight 815 planes? Is there more to the Casimir Effect than contained-wormhole space-time-travel? Yes there is!
More Than One Charming, Quarky Flavor Of Casimir-
A close inspection and reading of the published material on the Casimir Effect reveals that there are multiple aspects of the effect that may in fact be in play on the island, responsible in part for a number of different strange and seemingly 'magical' phenomena. In short, we should not be so quick to restrict our Lost TOEs (Theories Of Everything) to the mutually exclusive realm of either/or logics.
Exhibit A: The two Seths, one ringed and one (apparently ringless. In my 2/7/08 Ringworlds piece, posted later in the evening after watching the Confirmed Dead episode, I explored the strong implications of Frank's remark that the pilot shown in the underwater footage of the Flight 815 plane was not Seth, as the pilot had no wedding ring on his left hand (to our right, as observers.) This piece of evidence supports a Multiverse Theory approach (see my 2/1/08 posting) wherein the Swan hatch EMP blast opened a portal through which an Earth B Flight 815 plane and its passengers passed, landing on the bottom of the ocean, with the ringless pilot Seth in a watery grave. Consistent with Multiverse Theory, it is entirely plausible that the Earth B version of Seth the pilot did not have a ring on his left hand, as in his parallel world he may never have gotten married, he may have gotten married and then divorced, or he may have even been left handed in his world.
As I reported in my 2/7/08 posting last night, if you go back through the series pilot episode, around the 33:33 mark you'll find a dazed and confused Seth touching his head with his left hand, showing the glinty gold gleam of a wedding ring. So the Earth A version of Seth the pilot, the one that Frank says always wore a wedding ring, did show up in the fractured debris of the Earth A Flight 815, the one that broke up in mid-air and landed on the island.
How interesting that the Earth A 'mainlanders'-- Naomi, Frank, Daniel, Charlotte, Miles, etc.-- did not know what really happened to the Earth A Flight 815, the version with ring-fingered Seth that took off from their world, until they landed on the island. To that point, their perception of what happened to Flight 815 was based on the Earth B version, with ringless Seth in the cockpit, now on the bottom of the ocean!
The two Seths-- one with and one without ring-- strongly imply that one effect that periodically operates on the island is the opening of a portal between parallel worlds, ala Multiverse Theory. As I proposed in my 2/1/08 piece, this points us to a SECOND ASPECT OF THE CASIMIR EFFECT that DHARMA appears to have been investigating on the island, namely the attraction across seemingly empty space, between two mirrors (worlds). So in addition to containing wormholes and enabling space-time-travel, the Casimir Effect helps explain why a second, Earth B version of Flight 815 and its passengers was attracted into the Earth A realm, in that fleeting portal moment that was opened by the Swan hatch blast.
Exhibit B involves the two white #15 rabbits. Since the #15 appeared on the same side of both rabbits, speculation has largely focused on the interpretation that it is the same rabbit, sent through time via a Casimir-contained wormhole. This does appear to be a plausible theory. But once you accept that plausibility, it weakens the claim of some others who have proposed that the Flight 815 at the bottom of the ocean is NOT a clone, not a bilocation effect, and not a plane from a parallel world, but instead is the same plane as the one that broke up and landed on the island, only from a different time, or elsewhen.
Here I would invoke Occam's razor, the famous principle of parsimony (and yes, this name has already shown up in the land of the Lost!) To me, the time-travel hypothesis for the plane on the bottom of the ocean is not nearly as powerful and parsimonious as the parallel worlds/Multiverse Theory. For example, if you accept the two white #15 rabbits in the Orchid hatch film as evidence of Casimir-contained, wormhole-enabled time-travel, then how do you explain the watery-grave-Seth's missing wedding ring? Given the white rabbit evidence-- the number 15 was on the same side of both bunnies-- then watery-grave-Seth (apologies to wise-cracking Sawyer) should have a wedding ring on his left hand, like the island-crashed-soon-to-be-Smokied Seth, as shown in the series pilot episode.
No, to date it appears that there are multiple strange, weird, and magical occurrences on the island, including time-travel and periodic portals to parallel worlds. What is most interesting to me is HOW MANY OF THESE DIVERSE PHENOMENA INVOLVE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE SAME (CASIMIR) EFFECT!
Who Ya Gonna Call? Miles, Buster!
Tip 'o the hat to Doc Jensen for his great Entertainment Weekly columns and his entertaining pre-game 'cheat sheets'! Good 'ol Doc pointed us to the talented Mr. Miles Straume's skillset in his 2/6/08 column. And yes, I'm sure we all got the 'Maelstrom' connection implied in the name. But for me, the most telling and compelling aspect of Mr. Straume's neighborhood is a link to a THIRD fascinating Casimer Effect connection.
Recall that Mr. Straume's ghostbusting activity to locate the loot involved getting the entity to indicate where the loot was, and this was done in HEMAtic, poltergeistian manner, through a pronounced knock/noise. What's especially cool about this new character-- with his psychic powers and talents for tapping the Akashic realm and comunicating with those on other 'planes' of existence-- is that the ghost/poltergeist angle points to a third key aspect of the Casimir Effect that I highly suspect was being investigated by DHARMA: The ability of the Casimir Effect to produce repulsion, opening the door to such intriguing phenomena as MOVING OBJECTS:
"Parapsychologists William G. Roll and Dean Radin, physicist Hal Puthoff and head of electrical engineering at Duke University who specializes in electromagnetic field phenomena, claim that poltergeist phenomena [the movement of objects at least] could be caused by anomalies in the zero-point field, this is outlined in the above article and in Roll's book Unleashed and mention is made of it in a chapter of Dean Radin's book Entangled Minds. The basic theory is that poltergeist movements are repulsive versions of the casimir effect that can put pressures on objects. Thus, anomalies in this field could conceivably move objects. This theory has also been mentioned in the current book on paranormal phenomena Science by Marie D. Jones.... The theory is not complete, however, because it accounts for the movement of objects but not for the strange voices, seeming personality, and strange electrical effects displayed in some cases." (Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poltergeist.)
Wow.... So in addition to helping contain wormholes and causing attraction among mirror opposites, the Casimir Effect can be used as a force to pressure and move objects! This gets very interesting when we consider potential Star Wars similarities, ala 'The Force'. Put bluntly, the Casimir Effect, with all of its phenomenal aspects and effects, is a prime component of the 'Forces' operating on the island. It remains to be seen if/when Lost's producers/writers will disclose how the human/Mind component fits into all of this, as a factor in catalyzing, channeling, and directing the island's electromagnetically-enabed FORCE.
HEMA Theory readers will recognize Dr. Hal Puthoff's name, from my HEMA Theory postings of last year. This guy figures strongly in the background of Lost-- not only in terms of Casimir-enabled repulsion/propulsion, but recall his groundbreaking work on remote viewing-- and I strongly suspect we'll learn more about the remote viewing experiments conducted on the island, in future episodes.
Don't believe for one moment that these experiments were focused only on remote viewing across SPACE, in time. No, we will find out how DHARMA was attempting to take remote viewing to a higher 'plane', to the next level, through developing and leveraging Casimir-enabled wormhole-lensed, remote viewing capabilities across space AND TIME.
And we're not done, yet.... I would not be surprised if we learn, in future episodes, that DHARMA was conducting yet another line of experiments investigating the means to leverage Casimir Effect repulsion through devices tapping the island's unique electromagnetic properties, enabling not only the ability to MOVE OBJECTS without physically touching them, but also to achieve LEVITATION....
In Season Three, we've already seen Jacob's ability to effect Material Applications through moving physical objects. In some future episode, will we see Walt at the Temple, levitating into view, able to move objects and people through Casimir repulsion-enabled HEMAtics?
Meet The 'Prestigious' Mr. Hutchison!
Last year I proposed that Nikola Tesla's work would eventually show up on Lost. Well, Jacob's poltergeistian tantrum last season, and Miles' ghostbusting poltergeist connections suggest this might be not too far off in the future. We're all familiar with Tesla's fascinating electrical and electromagnetic inventions, and David Bowie's interesting turn as Tesla in the movie 'The Prestige', but someone else has more recently attempted to build on Tesla's work by developing devices to achieve LEVITATION and other strange effects-- John Hutchison:
"In 1979, Hutchison claims to have discovered a number of unusual phenomena, while trying to duplicate experiments done by Nikola Tesla. He refers to several of these phenomena jointly under the name "the Hutchison effect", including: 1. levitation of heavy objects. 2. fusion of dissimilar materials such as metal and wood, while lacking any displacement. 3. the anomalous heating of metals without burning adjacent material. 4. the spontaneous fracturing of metals. 5. changes in the crystalline structure and physical properties of metals. 6. disappearance of metal samples. Hutchison has maintained a number of websites over the years, in which he posts videos and pictures of the purported effect, including short low-quality clips of objects flying around or rising from the ground, and metallic objects moving without being touched. He has offered mail-order VHS tapes of the effect for $100 each, though videos are now sold exclusively through Gryphon Productions..... Supporters like Mark Solis, his former webmaster, maintain that none of these effects can be the result of known physical phenomena, such as electromagnetism. Hutchison and his supporters surmise that these phenomena arise from zero-point energy or the Casimir effect." (Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutchison_effect.)
Again, this is a THIRD key aspect of the Casimir Effect that is operating on the island, namely the ability to leverage the effect to generate REPULSION (and perhaps even PROPULSION), enabling levitation and movement of objects at a distance, with no physical contact.
It will be interesting to see how many of the Casimir-enabled Hutchison Effects are shown/used on the show, in the coming episodes/seasons. I recall with great fondness the humorous X-Files episode (with Michael McKean) and the not-so-humorous fusing of a pilot with a rock/boulder, echoing the second Hutchison Effect listed in the above quote. Will we see that effect displayed in a future Lost episode? And the sixth effect listed above is quite interesting, too.... (Although we should not be too quick to use that as a means of explaining how watery-grave-Seth's ring may have gone missing..... After all, there was lots of other metal present and accounted for, on the scene... the plane!)
Here is a Youtube video illustrating the 'low-quality clips', mentioned in the above Wikipedia excerpt. I was especially amused by the use of an experimental assistant in the form of a classic 'Dam Thing' troll:
So What's The Point? It's One Big Zero-
No, this is not an obscure reference to Mister Zero, lead guitarist of the Canadian rock band 'The Kings', known for their classic 'This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide' Friday afternoon-get-off-work-and-crank-it-up 80's hit.... This is the FOURTH key aspect of the Casimir Effect that is operating on the island, hinted at in the Hutchison Effect Wikipedia excerpt: ZERO-POINT ENERGY.
I know, I know... Isn't this the very stuff of incense-burning, crystal-rubbing New-Agers? Well, yes and no....
"In physics, the zero-point energy is the lowest possible energy that a quantum mechanical physical system may possess and is the energy of the ground state of the system. The concept was first proposed by Albert Einstein and Otto Stern in 1913. The term "zero-point energy" is a translation of the German Nullpunktsenergie. All quantum mechanical systems have a zero point energy. The term arises commonly in reference to the ground state of the quantum harmonic oscillator and its null oscillations. In quantum field theory, it is a synonym for the vacuum energy, an amount of energy associated with the vacuum of empty space. In cosmology, the vacuum energy is taken to be the origin of the cosmological constant. Experimentally, the zero-point energy of the vacuum leads directly to the Casimir effect, and is directly observable in nanoscale devices." (Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-point_energy.)
So yes, you can begin to see that the Zero-Point Energy concept is grounded in physics, and it is intimately linked to our cherished Halowax/Orchid hatch film, white rabbit 'Easter egg', the Casimir Effect. But what is the point of Zero-Point Energy (ZPE), for Lost?
It may in fact turn out that the true, foundational, purpose of DHARMAs work on the island was to find a way to leverage ZPE as a source of abundant power. Others have proposed this, in a range of different commentaries posted on the internet, throughout the past seasons of Lost, so I'm not going out on the veritable limb, here. Indeed, that's an important part of the point.... Our collective sense-making as Lost aficionados, channeled through and enabled by the internet, not-so-surprisingly produces convergent thinking about what is happening on the island, and we may ultimately find that there is an Akashic, Sheldrakian 'Morphogenetic Field' of subconscious dreams informing our moments of 'Zeitgeist'....
However, from the perspective of the scientific method of inquiry, we are engaged in more than mere moments of 'Morphogenetic Zeitgeist'; through iterative/recursive/ heuristic processes of proposing our Lost theories, examining these theories in the context of the evidence provided by the show, and reexamining these theories with every relevant bit of information provided by new episodes, we progress in our understanding of the show, ourselves, and our place on the planet and the universe (and I mean this quite literally.) So it is not at all surprising to find us revisiting ZPE and other previously proposed Lost theories, especially in the new light of a recent episode, even if the light of this evidence is a bit scattered (thanks, Faraday!)
Getting back on the point of the point of ZPE for the show, the above Wikipedia excerpt raises some relevant and intriguing points for us to consider:
1. If you're wondering about my 'Flashes of Flashes' approach to Charlie-- especially my invocation of quantum harmonic resonance harmonics (QHR) and notions of appearing and disappearing on a 'plane' of existence as achievable through slowing and speeding up one's QHR-- my theory is based in part on the quantum harmonic oscillator concept which, when considering the strange and unobservable (to us) source of ZPE, helps explain how SOMETHING CAN APPEAR TO APPEAR OUT OF NOTHING, and then APPEAR TO DISAPPEAR INTO NOTHING. (Think Charlie's last talk with Hugo, near the end of the Beginning of the End episode.)
2. (Again, this one has been proposed by many others before....) DHARMA's key goal may have been to explore ZPE as a solution to an impending energy crisis, exacerbated by overpopulation and more. What intrigues me is that in a show which thrives on delighting us through the Jungian synchronicity of remote associations, I find it very interesting to consider the range of different ways the Casimir Effect intersects with phenomena on the show, including how it loops back to ZPE!
3. In addition to providing a plausible explanation for how it may be possible for an object or a person (Charlie?) to appear and disappear, the confluence of the Casimir-Hutchison-ZPE concepts does in fact open a portal of possibility for 'getting something out of nothing', at least in terms of how it appears to us. Might this not shed some additional light on how it is possible for objects and persons to move through different space-time dimensions, and among the parallel worlds of the Multiverse?
4. How interesting that "the zero-point energy of the vacuum leads directly to the Casimir effect, and is directly observable in nanoscale devices" (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-point_energy.) Hmmmm... If it is observable in nanoscale devices, those who have previously surmised that the SMOKEY MONSTER involves some sort of nanoscale device should consider exploiting these concepts to flesh out a theory regarding how such devices are powered through the ZPE-Casimir relations operating on the island....
Digital Lost: What's Up With That Big TOE Fixation?
I know, you're still wondering what's the point with me going on and on about the missing TOE on the four-toed island statue representing (at least in a figurative context) the ongoing and yet-to-be fulfilled search for a Theory Of Everything (TOE). And yes, I hinted that our own ongoing search for a Lost TOE (Theory Of Everything on Lost- TOEL?) may turn out to have some things in common with the search for a TOE in the physical sciences.
No, I don't have a big foot or toe fixation ala Quentin Tarantino's podiatral love for Uma Thurman's feet, in the Kill Bill series.... Actually, it all goes back to: (1) a theory I posted last year, based on the classic British sci-fi miniseries 'The Prisoner' (Lost Legacy Theory), and (2) Doc Jensen's column following the cliffhanger (actually, the back-stabber) Season Three finale.... In that column, the Doc lauded the focus of the finale on the human side, saying in so many words that it was much more satisfying than having us (the viewers) sit through some dry, dull lecture on ZPE. I totally agree with him, and here's how it all ties together....
Study the history of classics like 'The Prisoner,' shows with enduring legacies of stimulating ongoing debate regarding basic themes (free will vs. fate, the individual vs. society, etc.), and you will find that they invariably apply a Mies van der Rohe/ Buckminster Fuller/Alfred Hitchcock approach: Less is more...
"Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe adopted the motto 'Less is more' to describe his aesthetic tactics of flattening and emphasizing a building's frame, eliminating interior walls and adopting an open plan, and reducing the structure to a strong, transparent, elegant skin. Designer Buckminster Fuller adopted a similar saying, 'Doing more with less', but his concerns were oriented towards technology and engineering rather than aesthetics." (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimalism.)
So what's the point? Per my 'Lost Legacy Theory', I firmly believe that despite our fervent desires to know the answers to those nagging questions on Lost, it is in our best long-term heuristic interests if the show's producers/writers leave key questions unanswered for the ages. Why? Because it is this open-ended approach that fuels a vibrant, vital, ongoing, recursive, interactive, and mutually-reinforcing social process of learning, promoting and sustaining a learning community spanning years and decades of debate and discussion. Again, the 'Exhibit A' here is the classic 'The Prisoner.'
How many times have we been let down by series that answer most or all of the pressing questions, in the season finale? The recipe for 'Richard Alpertian' immortality on the small screen is to stimulate interest, engagement, debate, and dialogue during the show's run, through asking deeply important and probing questions, while refusing to provide 'pat' answers in a dull and uninvolving classroom manner. So Doc, I hear ya, and I agree with you on this one.... I, too, would not want to sit through a dull and extended exegesis on ZPE.... I'd rather retain the intrinsic motivation and internalized heuristic drive for inquiry, stimulated by and through the more 'scattered light' of a minimalist approach to engaged, involved, and participative learning.
So as much as I hate on some levels to say this, although we all truly delight in 'finding' the 'lost' answers to the invigorating questions they've posed to us through the show, I hope some of the key, nagging questions do indeed remain unanswered for the ages, including the series finale and any subsequent 'big screen' offerings. In short, if the show's producers/writers want to leave us with a Lost Legacy in terms of years and decades of continued dialogue, vibrant learning, and heuristic exchange, they will follow the proven track record and the lead of such classic shows like 'The Prisoner', and will leave key questions open. 
Of course, you can imagine my ambivalent, bated-breath reaction to Locke's query at the end of last night's episode: "What is the Black Smoke, the Monster?" I know it's easy to write Ben's reply off by pointing to his reputation as a liar and a manipulator.... But from a behavioral standpoint, that does not really matter, at all, since regardless of his motivations and intentions, Ben did not answer the question. So while on the one hand I wanted to learn what Smokey really is, on the other hand, I was greatly relieved that they left that nagging question unanswered, at least for now....
Although they may ultimately tell us what Smokey is, here's hoping they leave some key questions unanswered, including one of the most basic questions of all: Just what is the island? I hope we get bits and pieces of clues and answers, but no firm, comprehensive, end-all-be-all answer. Hopefully that island statue will remain four-toed, and we'll never find that veritable, figurative 'missing TOE'....
I can see it now.... instead of a panel discussion at the 'Prisoner Appreciation Society' meeting in Portmeirion, Wales.... years after the Lost series conclusion in 2010, I can see a 'Ten Year Anniversary' panel discussion at a Lost convention in Eleuthera, Bahamas, with Doc Jensen, J. Wood, Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse as panelists and, of course, with Jorge Garcia as emcee and with Michael Emerson as a thorn-in-your-side discussant, all still engaged in debate on key unanswered questions! Pass me that umbrella drink.... Dude, I'm there....!
Copyright 2/8/08
by Dr. Todd J. Hostager