[Note: An earlier version of this was posted to the internet at 5:40pm Central DST, on 5/6/10. Pictures and additional text were added at 7:34pm CDST, 5/6/10.]
[5/9/10, 5:20pm CDST Update: If the skeletons in the cave do not turn out to literally be Adam and Eve, then a strong candidate for the identity of the cave itself sheds some light on just who it is that may have been laid to rest there:
If the cave does turn out to be a literal equivalent or some functional analogue to the CAVE OF PATRIARCHS, then the skeletons could well be Abraham and Sarah, or Isaac and Rebecca. Of course, another Lost twist could be a 'reveal' that it is actually the CAVE OF THE MATRIARCHS, and the skeletons are the mothers of Jacob and Esau/MIB, the good and evil mirror twin sons of different mothers.... But... Do they have the same father? And were they killed by Esau/MIB/Smokey....?
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DRIVING THE LOST ISLAND, DAISYCHAIN:
ADJUSTING THE MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC DRIVE
VIA THE FROZEN DONKEY WHEEL....
WATER AND MAGNETISM IS A KEY COMBINATION,
AFTER ALL....
In response to the initial disclosure of the Frozen Donkey Wheel at the end of Season Four (Episodes 4.13 & 4.14), Doc Arzt and others astutely pointed us to the historical function of donkey wheels as fluid pumps, used to draw water up from the depths. I concur with the good Doc and here propose that the FDW may well turn out to be a timeworn way to adjust the fluid levels and distribution within some core navigation and drive system on the island, perhaps even throughout the entire island proper.
I strongly suspect this fluid will be revealed as more than mere water, since it is used to drive and direct the island's movements not only across the ocean (SPACE), but also across TIME. This is why the record-skipping phenomenon occurred with Ben's botched attempt to move the island, throwing the FDW off-axis, skipping merrily away. Of course, the fluid appears to be very cold and this may come as no surprise if, as per the Mirror Matter crowd, it is partially infused with Dark Energy. If the fluid also turns out to be magnetized this, in conjunction with the known hot pockets of magnetism, may help to explain to Mag-Lev effect that appears to be keeping the island afloat in the first place....
In short, what I am proposing here is that in Episode 6.15 we may see the ancients-- including an appearance by HERO of Alexandria?-- discovering that they can effect changes in the position of the island by adjusting the level and distribution of the 'magical' fluid on the island, hence the installation of the FDW. And I would not at all be surprised to see the FDW linked to some Antikytheran-type of differentially-geared mechanism, in effect producing the world's first Spacetime 'GPS' fluid drive propulsion system....
Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) propulsion systems have been showcased previously in The Hunt For Red October and in Star Trek. Our current MHDs operate as:
"An electric current is passed through seawater in the presence of an intense magnetic field, which interacts with the magnetic field of the current through the water. Functionally, the seawater is then the moving, conductive part of an
electric motor. Pushing the water
out the back accelerates the vehicle in the forward direction. MHD is attractive because it has no moving parts, which means that a good design might be silent, reliable, efficient, and inexpensive. The major problem with MHD is that with current technologies it is more expensive and much slower than a propeller driven by an engine. The extra expense is from the large generator that must be driven by an engine. Such a large generator is not required when an engine directly drives a propeller. A number of experimental methods of
spacecraft propulsion are based on magnetohydrodynamic principles. In these the working fluid is usually a
plasma or a thin cloud of
ions.
[Smokey?] Some of the techniques include various kinds of
ion thruster, the
magnetoplasmadynamic thruster, and the
variable specific impulse magnetoplasma rocket." [Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetohydrodynamic_drive]
Yes, imagine the difficulties involved in using propellers to move the island! Better yet is to leverage a magnetohydrodynamic propulsion system ala ships and submarines, to move the island quietly and more effectively through the water, ACROSS THE SEA.... And yes, the Mag-Lev superconductive abilities associated with the FDW-controlled system would provide an even better means of moving the island across space, reacting against and responding to the prevailing magnetic fields on planet Earth. Throw in the potential for MHD-generated and directed gravity field effects, spiked by the 'punch' of Dark Energy infusion, and you have one Monster of an energy drink for traversing the Vile Vortex wormhole system, as well as moving through Minkowskian spaceTIME....
In summary, I would not be surprised to learn that the confluential importance of both WATER and MAGNETISM are at work in the inner recesses of the island, enabling it to move in and across space and time, leveraging fluid mechanics, 
magnetic fields, and more, perhaps even through manipulating gravity field dynamics.... This may mean that the core aspects of the island's MHD comprise a closed system, with no 'magical' fluid entering or exiting the island's drive system per se..... On this view, the fluid would be flowing throughout the island (the ship?), helping to keep it afloat through Mag-Lev capabilities, and using the fluid's level and distribution throughout the island to influence the island's own magnetic and gravity fields, enabling movement in and across space and time.... And yes, it would be intriguing to learn that the 'magical' island fluid controlled by the FDW were made of a magnetized PLASMA infused with a Dark Energy cocktail.... Hmmm.... I wonder what the color of a fully-charged, plasma-infused MHD propulsion system look like.... anyone for a PINK-HUED corona/halo, surrounding the entire island, prior to an FDW-programmed SpaceTime 'takeoff'....?
Hmmm... Is Smokey a magnetohydrodynamic ION cloud infused with Dark Matter/Energy, a DAEMON that I first identified in my 2/18/10 MIRROR MATTERS posting....?
Time will tell....
Dr. Todd J. Hostager