Do you think after seeing this episode that the orchid station with the wheel is the "?" in the middle of the blast door map drawn by Radzinsky/Inman?

http://www.yuzsekiz.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/642px-blastdoormap.jpg
http://homepage.mac.com/c_bowers/.pictures/blastdoormap.jpg

I think that's a pretty good idea. The thought that the island's power radiates from its center certainly isn't too big a stretch.

I wonder how much of that map was accurate. The DI hid a great deal of their goals, pursuits, and activities from their members. Examples disguising the Orchid as a botanical research facility, Chang giving a different name in each orientation film hiding the number of stations. Roger Linus wasn't told of the conflict between the DI and the others. So Radzinsky may not have been aware of everything. A great deal on that map seemed to be conjecture. The notation Outside of 108 travel time was written on the map so he didn't have a great deal of time to explore the entire island. The other issue is, if Inman is telling the truth about Radzinsky's fate and he did kill himself Radzinsky wasn't in the best state of mind so that might affect the accuracy of the map. Kelvin worked on the map and he was shown to be a liar. There was no way of knowing how much he knew about the Initiative and if what he wrotte is accurate. Plus, he was leaving and working on the boat as a means to escapet the island so whatever he drew on the map could be a con to get Desmond to believe him so that he could finish the boat.

As I recall, the question mark was the hatch that Locke took Eko to and turned out to be the Pearl station, no?

As I recall, the question mark was the hatch that Locke took Eko to and turned out to be the Pearl station, no?

I've long been a proponent of the theory that the Pearl station was in fact NOT the '?' on the blast door map. If you look closely at it, you can see that the Pearl is clearly mentioned on the map, now why would there be a ? if they already knew the name. Eko's dream stated that they MUST find the question mark to restore Locke's faith. However the Pearl did nothing of the sort, in fact it almost destroyed his faith. I think they were sidetracked, and what they were really looking for was the 'limitless energy' that the island possessed. The true heart of the island. The '?'

I've long been a proponent of the theory that the Pearl station was in fact NOT the '?' on the blast door map. If you look closely at it, you can see that the Pearl is clearly mentioned on the map, now why would there be a ? if they already knew the name. Eko's dream stated that they MUST find the question mark to restore Locke's faith. However the Pearl did nothing of the sort, in fact it almost destroyed his faith. I think they were sidetracked, and what they were really looking for was the 'limitless energy' that the island possessed. The true heart of the island. The '?'

While I find it interesting. The pearl's location is in question on the Blast Door Map, (no pun intended) it seems that map may be quite vague because judging by hike time, the Staff was way closer than the Flame. The Flame was close to New Otherton, yet on the BDM the Flame is on the way from the Swan to the Staff.

And playing Mise en Scene's Devils advocate- they did see a question mark "salted" into the earth so grass wouldn't grow. On the BDM he has purpose unknown, you'd think if it was the Orchid it might say green house.
Just a thought.

i had always though that the Pearl was indeed the ?

I think that the Orchid is at the top right hand side of the island.

After all, they went to the ? based on johns knowledge of the BDM.

I don't know but i have the sensation that the swan station goal was to control the power of the wheel or something like that...because when Desmond didn't push the button and turn the key there was a big flash of light and Desmond started travelling in time...

I don't know but i have the sensation that the swan station goal was to control the power of the wheel or something like that...because when Desmond didn't push the button and turn the key there was a big flash of light and Desmond started travelling in time...

I like to think of the Swan and the Orchid as two different, yet related, phenomenon.

So the large amount of electromagnetism was caused by one thing and the Exotic matter is entirely different. Who knows what else could be stored on the island. Maybe different stations house different phenomenon to experiment on.

Like the island is a laboratory from the future. (you know, stargate style, where everything is super advanced and looks ancient) All of the different and equally massive phenomenon were an attempt to change time.

Perhaps Jacob was part of a science team, like a future DI, working on a way to stop the end of mankind. They accidentally got stuck back in time after an experiment failed.

While all the others frantically tried to get back to the future (ala the losties trying to get back to the real world), Jacob found peace on this place (ala John Locke), and realised that they didn't have to save the earth in the future, as long as this time loop of the island going back in time continues, they essentially cheat time, forever.

I suspect Jacob found a way to live forever inside this self-contained island time loop, he does not have a physical body anymore, not at the moment anyway, only at the start of the loop, before he finds a way to free himself of mortal constraints.

I also suspect that Widmore was part of the original team, He was in charge of the operation, and is trying to get the island back to return to the future and continue their work, hence "My island" and the DI, his project to take back the island and find out how to manipulate time accurately to send them back to the future.

Jacob's aversion to technology is his paranoid fear that someone will succeed in sending the island back, however he made exceptions for the othersville crew, to give them a good life.

He tolerated Dharma because he believed that they wouldn't suceed, if the island has been looping in time over and over, he tolerrated them because they had never succeeded before. This time however, something has changed, and he is scared, not wanting to lose his time loop.

electromagnetism is related to negative energy. The stronger the EM, the less exotic matter production.

electromagnetism is related to negative energy. The stronger the EM, the less exotic matter production.

Care to elaborate? Spare the dumbed down talk too, i'm out for as much info and as many perspectives as i can find prior to writing my Grand Theory.

Anyway, what i meant is Electromagnetism exists independently from exotic matter, as you should know. their would be many potential applications from a huge electromagnetic field, regardless of exotic matter.

Sure the two are related in the context of this show, but i have already said that.

I had always seen the Swan and the Orchid as independent, although mutually beneficial. The Swan is on top of a source of electromagnetic energy and the Orchid above the exoitc matter, perhaps other stations are situated above other phenomenon also.

If the island is a laboratory sent back from the brink of earths destruction, as i believe at the moment, it would make sense that the advanced civilization would include all kinds of functionality in their lab. After all, they had the goal of preventing the end of the world, just like the DI

----Edit----

After a little research i'm pretty sure your information isn't that sound, a search of several websites, including wiki's related to exotic matter had little or no mention what so ever of electromagnetism, and when it was mentioned it it had nothing what so ever to do with levels of electromagnetism affecting the "production" of exotic matter, as i suspected, silly me for thinking i had somehow missed all this during my own research.

Unless by "electromagnetic production" you were referring to the Casimir effect, which does not produce exotic matter at all, rather it creates a region of negative pressure inside the plates, making the external pressure greater and pushing the plates together which, while being the closest real world comparison to Exotic matter, still is not exotic matter.

i believe that after the incident at the orchid caused by drilling way too deep, they decided to modify the original purpose of the swan as a EM research station to use its power to contain the leak at the Orchid. That's why I said, based on an article I found while doing research last year, that by increasing the intensity of the oscillating EM field controlled by the swan, they were able to prevent the Island from moving all randomly by itself. Now that the swan is gone, if the orchid is used, well we know what happens.
They probably used the wheel to move the island in space rather than time at some point to hide it from Widmore. We know that because we just saw the beechcraft crashing on the island which couldn't have been in the pacific at that time. That was possible because the Swan was still functiuonal

i believe that after the incident at the orchid caused by drilling way too deep, they decided to modify the original purpose of the swan as a EM research station to use its power to contain the leak at the Orchid. That's why I said, based on an article I found while doing research last year, that by increasing the intensity of the oscillating EM field controlled by the swan, they were able to prevent the Island from moving all randomly by itself. Now that the swan is gone, if the orchid is used, well we know what happens.
They probably used the wheel to move the island in space rather than time at some point to hide it from Widmore. We know that because we just saw the beechcraft crashing on the island which couldn't have been in the pacific at that time. That was possible because the Swan was still functiuonal

So an electromagnetic field oscillating at the right frequency/intensity would be able to form a barrier around the exotic matter? That might stop it from moving all the time after it is activated, a small burst of Exotic Matter could open the wormhole and then be contained again by an electromagnetic field allowing the island to slip through the wormhole only once, and not continuously.

How would this work? Exotic matter is made up of many phenomenon though, such as anti-gravity, negative energy, negative mass. Electromagnetism would only act to contain the negative energy, assuming that the negative energy is repelled by positively charged exotic matter.

How do we stop the Exotic Matter falling upwards and destroying the cavity, we need another station with another force i guess, although what exactly that would be is beyond me.

But, as Richard said, it isn't the island that is jumping through time, it's the lefties. Raises another conundrum.

unfortunately I gave up on the idea that they are gonna explain everything scientific in great detail. They might just leave it as that. A simple idea that sounds plausible for the majority of viewers.That's the way they are gonna go.

unfortunately I gave up on the idea that they are gonna explain everything scientific in great detail. They might just leave it as that. A simple idea that sounds plausible for the majority of viewers.That's the way they are gonna go.

I still believe that the inner physicist inside Damon and Carlton will want to let it all out :)

Um, the Pearl was definitely the question mark. If you'll recall, they found the Pearl under the plane because it was the point of a question mark made in the earth. If a literal question mark made in the ground doesn't mean that it's the question mark, I don't know what does.

Um, the Pearl was definitely the question mark. If you'll recall, they found the Pearl under the plane because it was the point of a question mark made in the earth. If a literal question mark made in the ground doesn't mean that it's the question mark, I don't know what does.

:) I like when people actually see something for what it is.

:) I like when people actually see something for what it is.

Agreed. The question mark identified the space of where the Pearl was located.