Fourtoes
02-12-08, 06:55 PM
Note to Brian: Can we arrange for this thread to be moved to Theories once the episode airs, assuming the spoiler is correct on this point?
Spoilers for 4.3, "The Economist," include an odd statement from one of the Freighter folk that the island is "31 seconds different" from the Freighter. I have some ideas about what this might mean, and it's certainly not totally unexpected to those of us who have been discussing possible SLOW TIME or LOST TIME effects of anomalies on the island.
Frustratingly, the information is unclear. Here are several ways to interpret it:
A. A minute off the island, will last 31 seconds less (29 seconds) on the island. In other words, 1 second on the island = 2.06897 seconds elsewhere.
B. A minute off the island, will last 31 seconds more (91 seconds) on the island. In other words, 1 second on the island = 0.659341 seconds elsewhere.
C. A minutes on the island, will last 31 seconds less (29 seconds) off the island. In other words, 1 second on the island = 0.483333 seconds elsewhere.
D. A minute on the island, will last 31 seconds more (91 seconds) off the island. In other words, 1 second on the island = 1.51667 seconds elsewhere.
F. For every second off the island, 31 seconds pass on the island. So one second on the island = 31 seconds elsewhere
G. For every second on the island, 31 seconds pass off the island. So 1 second on the island = 0.03226 seconds elsewhere.
H. A transmission sent from the Freighter will take 31 seconds to reach the island. The same delay will be experienced for a transmission from the island to the Freighter.
Folks can probably come up with other interpretations of this cryptic statement, but the implications of each of these is worth considering. First, let's talk about what isn't happening. The sun rises on the island. The sun sets on the island. It's the same sun that everywhere else is getting. Maybe people aren't watching the passage of time closely enough. But even they are losing or gaining seconds, they are just having longer or shorter days. The number of days will not be different from the rest of the world.
Can we say: Whew!
If there is a difference, however, it would throw off certain aspects of chronology.
- The number of transmissions of Danielle's message, and thus our calculation of when she arrived.
- The passage of time for a person. They would age at an unusual rate. This would be very noticeable in the very young. Especially in prenatal development. And in adolescent growth spurts. Think Walt. Think Alex and Karl.
There are reasons for thinking we're just talking about distortion and delay of the transmissions. It would mostly be the least complicated. But we didn't notice a 31 second delay when the Sat-radio was in use earlier. (Though it would make Hurley's "from another time" comment about Glen Miller that much more interesting.) However, if this is the case, it may explain a purpose of the Looking Glass prior to it's use as a signal jamming station: It may have been there to circumvent whatever was creating this delay.
Well, regardless, the ready explanation for any of these distortions can be seen in Faraday's comment about the light not dispersing quite right. It can also be seen in the unusual magnetic fields at the Swan, in the entire Swan device, in Desmond's time disconnection and in problems with the crash day chronology. The explanation is that a high-gravity anomaly exists on this island, probably a Dharma experiment gone wrong. The magnetic fields were being used to control the experiment, and then to contain it indefinitely once it had gone wrong.
Spoilers for 4.3, "The Economist," include an odd statement from one of the Freighter folk that the island is "31 seconds different" from the Freighter. I have some ideas about what this might mean, and it's certainly not totally unexpected to those of us who have been discussing possible SLOW TIME or LOST TIME effects of anomalies on the island.
Frustratingly, the information is unclear. Here are several ways to interpret it:
A. A minute off the island, will last 31 seconds less (29 seconds) on the island. In other words, 1 second on the island = 2.06897 seconds elsewhere.
B. A minute off the island, will last 31 seconds more (91 seconds) on the island. In other words, 1 second on the island = 0.659341 seconds elsewhere.
C. A minutes on the island, will last 31 seconds less (29 seconds) off the island. In other words, 1 second on the island = 0.483333 seconds elsewhere.
D. A minute on the island, will last 31 seconds more (91 seconds) off the island. In other words, 1 second on the island = 1.51667 seconds elsewhere.
F. For every second off the island, 31 seconds pass on the island. So one second on the island = 31 seconds elsewhere
G. For every second on the island, 31 seconds pass off the island. So 1 second on the island = 0.03226 seconds elsewhere.
H. A transmission sent from the Freighter will take 31 seconds to reach the island. The same delay will be experienced for a transmission from the island to the Freighter.
Folks can probably come up with other interpretations of this cryptic statement, but the implications of each of these is worth considering. First, let's talk about what isn't happening. The sun rises on the island. The sun sets on the island. It's the same sun that everywhere else is getting. Maybe people aren't watching the passage of time closely enough. But even they are losing or gaining seconds, they are just having longer or shorter days. The number of days will not be different from the rest of the world.
Can we say: Whew!
If there is a difference, however, it would throw off certain aspects of chronology.
- The number of transmissions of Danielle's message, and thus our calculation of when she arrived.
- The passage of time for a person. They would age at an unusual rate. This would be very noticeable in the very young. Especially in prenatal development. And in adolescent growth spurts. Think Walt. Think Alex and Karl.
There are reasons for thinking we're just talking about distortion and delay of the transmissions. It would mostly be the least complicated. But we didn't notice a 31 second delay when the Sat-radio was in use earlier. (Though it would make Hurley's "from another time" comment about Glen Miller that much more interesting.) However, if this is the case, it may explain a purpose of the Looking Glass prior to it's use as a signal jamming station: It may have been there to circumvent whatever was creating this delay.
Well, regardless, the ready explanation for any of these distortions can be seen in Faraday's comment about the light not dispersing quite right. It can also be seen in the unusual magnetic fields at the Swan, in the entire Swan device, in Desmond's time disconnection and in problems with the crash day chronology. The explanation is that a high-gravity anomaly exists on this island, probably a Dharma experiment gone wrong. The magnetic fields were being used to control the experiment, and then to contain it indefinitely once it had gone wrong.