Lost: Orientation

Seth

Wow!

Not exactly the episode I wanted or expected, but very good nonetheless. Again, I’ve got a list of takeaways:

  1. Gotta love that Dharma Initiative, brought to you by the Hanso Foundation – look below the last link and you’ll find the hidden link.
  2. The fact that Jack and Desmond both remember one another, despite the brief nature of their encounter.
  3. Are all the “others” merely survivors from the back of the plane like Ana Lucia, or has she made some kind of an alliance?
  4. In season one when Locke is on the phone with “Helen” was it Katey Segal’s voice on the other end? Did they break up? Did he replace her with some phone-sex operator with the same name? Somebody with the DVDs please look into this issue!
  5. Can Jin really speak English, or is this a case of someone else speaking Korean and we’re privy to the translation? See oceanicflight815.com, type ‘theislandiswaiting’ into the barcode prompt and see the new script page for more details.
  6. My wife reminded me tonight that Jack is a nickname for John. Is it more than a coincidence that both Johns (Locke and Jack) are now apparently the tandem in charge of inputting the code every 108 minutes?
  7. Anybody come up with any good anagrams for Alvar Hanso or Dharma Initiative?

That’s it. If you’ve got other theories, wild speculation or you just want to chat, leave a comment.

Until next week, buy a Lost Dharma Initiative T-shirt from me.

UPDATE: Additional notes –

  1. The two polar bears from the orientation film
  2. Could Adam & Eve on the island be the two progenitors of the Dharma Initiative?

UPDATE II: how now, brown pau? has some cool theories about the Dharma Initiative, the ba gua, the numbers and the island. Check it out.

UPDATE III: If you’re interested, I also blogged this week’s episode of Lost, Everybody Hates Hugo.

UPDATE IV: If you’re looking for information on one of the many Dharma Initiative websites or a username/login/password, go here.

79 thoughts on “Lost: Orientation”

  5. Robin says:

    I have now found 6 hotspots, but i cant get the last 2 numbers to go green, no matter in what order i hover above them.

    I allso found something strange. Open http://kraftkost.se and then open another site an a new flap (if you have firefox). Then go to the flap with kraftkost.se and press F5 while you hover above the 3rd hotspot on http://www.horsegirl.us/hotspot.html.
    The first two numbers will go green, then quickly change to the other flap and back again. Now watch as the 5 following number goes green.

    This works with some of the other hotspots aswell, but the 3rd one is the one i’ve had most succes with.

  6. buffalojoe says:

    PD: Um, I agree with Seth! Um, thanks for setting me straight! Um, I already knew what Namaste is, but someone in an earlier post had asked about anagrams in the episode and I thought that one was kind of funny. Sorry you didn’t…

    Um, DUDE! Um, save the sarcasm and lighten up! It’s just a TV show!

    There are theories out there that Ethan Rom was actually Kelvin and he didn’t die as Desmond said, but they never mentioned what happened to the Other Man that was with Kelvin before Desmond got there.

    Ethan Rom anagrams to Other Man, so he was probably Kelvin’s original partner and he bailed out early.

    I’ve been wondering about Hurley saying there was food for one man for 90 days…if Kelvin and Desmond had been the original team (they weren’t) and Kelvin died 90 days ago, it would mean the survivors ARE the relief team, but Desmond says; ” It was 3 years ago. I was on a solo race around the world, and my boat crashed into the reef, and then Kelvin came.”

    I seriously doubt someone is going to show up on the island with a helicopter full of food…so if Kelvin and the other man were there for 540 days, that means there would have been a 1080 Man/Day food supply when they started.

    But if Desmond was there 3 years, he ate 1095 Man/Days worth of food, so he should have been out and there were 90 days worth of food left.

    Anyway, as twisted and detailed as this show is, it raises the question of why there was so much food left.

    And I liked that fact that Hurley was rich again (but this time it was with food, clearly his weakness) and he learned from his earlier experience with suddenly becoming rich.

    PD and Seth: DUDES! Um, feel free to comment, I like the input, but Um, save the “UM,” sarcasm. Lighten up and quit taking it so seriously, it’s just a TV show.

    PS: I like the posting from Tim; Dharma Initiative is an anagram for “Tim, A Haitian Diver”. Hilarious, that’s the key to the show, it’s about a Haitian Diver named Tim!

  7. mudbutt says:

    buffaloejoe…. This is probably old news but, ThankYou.Namaste. Good Luck…… Is exactly how Dr. Candle signs off of the orientation film…….

  8. buffalojoe says:

    Mudbutt;

    Yep, got that one too, thanks. And thanks for not starting your note with a sarcastic “UM,” Prior to my last post I was trying really hard to keep them short…maybe I shouldn’t leave out details about what I get and don’t get so I don’t get silly sarcastic remarks from people like PD and Seth…

    As I see it the producers started this show with several possible theories about what it all means and they’ve have hammering the theorists with little tidbits all along…and then in the final year they are going to spell it all out.

    Buff…Joe

  9. For the record, Joe, since this is my blog, I’ll make all the goddamn sarcastic comments I want to make.

    Having said that, I agree with your assessment.

  10. Hubi says:

    This fundation is a FAKE!
    Just see whois of this domain:
    Registred for ABC.com 😛

    Domain Name:THEHANSOFOUNDATION.ORG
    Created On:18-Jul-2005 19:25:55 UTC
    Last Updated On:17-Sep-2005 04:05:12 UTC
    Expiration Date:18-Jul-2007 19:25:55 UTC
    Sponsoring Registrar:Tucows Inc. (R11-LROR)
    Status:CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
    Status:CLIENT UPDATE PROHIBITED
    Registrant ID:tu8XYzBd1Q9n6Trn
    Registrant Name:ABC, Inc.
    Registrant Organization:ABC, Inc.
    Registrant Street1:77 West 66th Street
    Registrant Street2:
    Registrant Street3:
    Registrant City:New York
    Registrant State/Province:NY
    Registrant Postal Code:10023
    Registrant Country:US
    Registrant Phone:+1.8186233200
    Registrant Phone Ext.:
    Registrant FAX:
    Registrant FAX Ext.:
    Registrant Email:wdigdomainreg@dig.com
    Admin ID:tu2a7BJevHccITRa
    Admin Name:ABC.com .
    Admin Organization:ABC.com
    Admin Street1:500 S. Buena Vista Street
    Admin Street2:
    Admin Street3:
    Admin City:Burbank
    Admin State/Province:CA
    Admin Postal Code:91521
    Admin Country:US
    Admin Phone:+1.8186233200
    Admin Phone Ext.:
    Admin FAX:
    Admin FAX Ext.:
    Admin Email:wdigdomainreg@dig.com
    Tech ID:tuOpQDhFDNAbPuqa
    Tech Name:dig.com .
    Tech Organization:dig.com
    Tech Street1:506 2ND AVE STE 2100
    Tech Street2:
    Tech Street3:
    Tech City:SEATTLE
    Tech State/Province:WA
    Tech Postal Code:98104-2300
    Tech Country:US
    Tech Phone:+1.2066644000
    Tech Phone Ext.:
    Tech FAX:+1.2066644009
    Tech FAX Ext.:

  12. buffalojoe says:

    Seth:

    And apparently use all the profanity you want to too! I initially thought this site was interesteing, but I’m done with it. Have a nice day!

    PS: lay off the beer

  15. Nick says:

    “also do yall think Finding Nemo has anything to do with it. Because there was an episode where they talk about it. They just dont say the name of the movie.”

    I’m not 100% positive about this, but I don’t think they were referring to Finding Nemo. That’s what I thought at first, but it wouldn’t fit in the context. Rosseau has been there for 16 years and that movie came out a few years ago. Unless one of the hidden bunkers contains a Starz movie theater…

    Anyways, I’m sure this point has been proven elsewhere. The only other thing that popped into my mind was maybe the Little Mermaid? Animated film with fish.

  16. DLite says:

    Someone mentioned Hamsa.

    Want a comparative-religion major’s nerdy interpretation of the Hanso/Hamsa anagram idea? 8) Read on..

    Hamsa is sanskrit and basically means “swan”. Now, there are those who beleive that the prana energy in man (in chinese called “chi”) is a type of electromagnetism, and that it can be manipulated by electromagnetic stimulation (hence the large electromagnetic research facility in Lost?). This bodily prana is in Hindu-tantric lore divided into 5 “winds”, where the two main winds blow up and down from the upper-abdomen. One secterian definition of “hamsa” is that the word itself is related to the breath, “ham” on inbreath, and “sa” on outbreath, and that “hamsa” as such is the ultimate mantra, one that all living beings pronounce continuously. The breath keeps the tension between the upward moving wind “prana” and the downward moving wind “apana” constant, forcing it to move up and down, like the swan (hamsa) moving its wings.

    According to Hindu tantric lore, the world contains an unlimited amount of pranic movements, some manifest as beings, some as other movements. Who knows what can happen if you learn to manipulate these energy “winds”? So far we’ve seen insane “others”, overgrown polar bears, Locke having visions.. (well everyone else too), and a dark black inferno moving through earth and space at will.

    The number 108 of course has a very special significance in Buddhism, Hinduism and tantrism, but that’s another issue.

    I think the writers of Lost smoked some heavy s**t, and had a good laugh when they made that show.
    I love it. :)=

    D.

  19. DLite says:

    Very nice theory by PubClear there. I don’t know much about Atlantis, but I’ve decided to sit down and read about it some day. I need some good lit. on the subject.

    As for 108. In Hindu astrology it is believed that the planets (9 of them) in the 12 zodiac houses can be placed in 108 different positions (12X9=108).

    We know that according to this philosophy, the human consciousness is affected in different ways by the planetary constallations. In Buddhism they count 108 mental defilements, states of mind which cloud the clear ego-free consciousness – the enlightened state. According to this worldview, each and every one of us keep ourselves deluded (subconsciously) – (by constantly pushing our own “buttons”?), staying in the ego-confusion and its 108 mental states.

    Zen-buddhists sometimes use the “Mu” mantra, as a way of forcing all the stray prana-currents in the mind-body upwards to the highest chakra in the human consciousness twelve fingerbr. above the crown of the head (my understanding of it). Here they can get a glimpse of nirvana, often referred to as The Island (an island amidst the flood, the only place which cannot be immersed by the floods of selfishness.) Having reached this level, the yogin is said to have saved (or destroyed) the world within himself. I believe the expression “the rising of Atlantis” refers to the dawning of this clarity in man.

    I’d probably find it a bit boring if the entire research facility in Lost is just a big metaphor, but I don’t think it is. I think it’s a research project gone seriously wrong, and the survivors of the crash are now right in the middle of it all.. 🙂

    Can’t wait to see the next episode.. ;)=

    D.

  22. Jamie says:

    I somehow managed to hit all the hotspots at
    http://www.thedharmainitiative.info/
    once inside it shows a tiny computer screen like the one at the swan facility then it begins to beep and you must enter the numbers, no commas between them and the beeping stops and then you are pompted fo an id name…which as yet i cannot find….hope this helps.

  25. Vibys says:

    All u need to do with leave the mouse around hotspot 1 (the 7o’clock area). This is then bring u to a prompt…enter “the numbers”..you then need to enter a member ID. Which is where i am stuck.

  26. the goze says:

    Well, it turns out that the site http://www.dharmaindustries.com gets to more than just three green boxes. I have gotten them to all four green boxes, where it then says Access Granted. You then click to enter and it takes you to a place where you type in the numbers, and then it asks you for a member ID….and that is where I am stuck. Also, you only get three chances to type in a member ID and if you guess incorrectly all three times, the system lockes you out, and you have to go through everything again to get back to the login place.

    Any ideas anyone?

  27. ColdFuzzion says:

    Any one know morse alphabet? When looking at the Dharma svan logo I realise that thers bars suronding they are short and long like the morse alphbet. S.O.S woulde be short.long.short or the other way around I dont know… but if any one know morse plz have a look at the http://www.horsegirl.us/hotspot.html wher u clearly see the long and short bars also hotspots may indicat wher the sentence starts and stops.

  28. Anon says:

    If you look at the Dharma Inititive classification video on you tube ,its says that station 5 is Zoological Sciences and in the next scene it calls it number 4 is it just a typing error?There are 7 stations in total. I think also that the piolt was eployed by Dharma to crash the plane in the hope he would survive and know exactly what to do with the experiment.

  29. Tman says:

    I don’t know if this could be of any use to anybody, but in the Hindu belief system, Dharma is the responsibilities and duties one has as a meber of a certain caste, or social class.

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