Dharma Wants You: Custom Test - Name That Tune

For those of you who are playing along with the Octagon Global Recruiting/Dharma Wants You alternate reality game, I have created a custom quiz featuring lyrics from songs titled with Lost character names.

If you are registered and log in to take my test, I will receive 50 Dharma Points. Given that I have not been very successful with the first four official Dharma tests, I am not really concerned with earning points, as I am certainly not in contention to be 'recruited.' So just have fun with it!

And if you created a quiz as well, feel free to leave the link as a comment so that we can apply our random knowledge to YOUR test...

LOST Videos from Comic-Con 2008

(Special thanks to DocArzt/TapDawg and TheODI for these links!)

LOST Panel
Saturday, July 26
San Diego, CA

New Dharma/Pierre Cheng Video
Saturday, July 26
San Diego, CA

EW Panel w/Damon & Carlton
Friday, July 25
San Diego, CA

Damon, Carlton & Jeff Jensen at OGR/Dharma Booth
Friday, July 25
San Diego, CA

There are more, and I will update/post them soon.

Dear Dr. Pierre Chang: A Poetic Inquiry

Candle, Halliwax, Wickmund and Chang; the latter your real name.
What’s the connection between the first three, an eternal Flame?

Your left arm and Farmer Ray’s right are both seemingly prosthetic.
Did the loss of either occur because of something electromagnetic?

Who the hell is Jennifer and are you Miles’ dad?
Did Faraday travel back to warn you about something in his note pad?

First the Black Rock and now a Black Swan; are either related to ‘the incident?’
Because we know by now that fate, luck and faith have nothing on coincidence.

Thirty years ago, someone oversaw the Purge - how could it have been little Ben?
Was it the ageless Alpert, and his group of Hostile henchmen?

Bunny number fifteen, an accidental clone.
Does this relate to Charlotte’s discovery of the polar bear bones?

Reconstitute the Dharma Initiative; that is your request.
It seems to me a return to the island is what you suggest.

I signed up and passed the test; is it a journey to embark upon?
If so my only hope is that the captain isn’t named Abaddon.

Dharma Wants You: The Recruitment & Game

Today the website for the new Lost alternate reality game went live. Click here to register to be 'recruited,' and see if you pass. I just did. It was a very random experience.

While waiting in line for hours on Saturday for the Lost panel, I met a new Lost friend named Rachel. She was kind enough to transcribe for me her experience being tested in the Octagon Global Recruiting booth at Comic-Con. And she was in the right place at the right time - Damon & Carlton showed up to take the test, as well as EW's Lost guru Jeff Jensen!

Rachel showed up for her appointment after the EW panel on Friday, but one of the Dharma women on staff informed her that they were having 'technical difficulties'. Carlton, Damon and Jeff then appeared, and asked to take the 3 appointments in front of hers. Conspiracy much?

When it was finally her turn, Rachel went into the small pod chamber at the OGR booth. They immediately asked her to put away her cell phone. Two men with Australian accents and bleached blond hair in tan Dharma jumpsuits administered the test. Rachel put on headphones, and there was an introductory video to the session.

Rachel was then asked to say the word ‘parallel’ three times, each time consecutively louder. She selected test #7 (Elara). The following were her questions:

• What is your biggest weakness?
• Do you hate your father?
• Why did you want to do this today?
• What does kindness sound like?
• What would you sacrifice to stay alive?

She was shown a series of pictures to respond to. The first was of a hanging sheet w/bloody claw marks, the second a carrot shaped to resemble an arm, and the last a sign on a tree in the woods that read ‘survive.’

Overall, Rachel enjoyed the experience. Even better, she had the opportunity to chat with Damon, Gregg Nations (from The Fueslage) and producers Barry Jossen and Noreen O'Toole, who were all very nice.

If you were also fortunate enough to also be recruited on site, feel free to share details as a comment. And thanks, Rachel!

New Dharma Video/Pierre Chang: Analysis & Theories

I realize that by posting my theories about this video more than 24 hours after watching it live at Comic-Con, I'm certainly not the first or most original. However, I haven't had time to read analysis of it since I've been traveling all day, so it's still relevant and relatively fresh to me. Frankly, when it debuted during the panel yesterday, I was so focused on holding the camera without shaking...that I didn't fully enjoy or absorb the video itself until a second and third viewing online later.

While awaiting my flight this morning, I attempted to decipher the name Pierre Cheng as a possible anagram, with mixed results: Greener Chip, Rich Gene Rep, etc. I was leaning toward Greener Chip as a possible reference to The Orchid and Rich Gene Rep as a nod to the bunny duplication, but those weren't very exciting. So I moved on. (update: I now know it is Change, not Cheng; disregard the anagrams!)

The Name: Dr. Pierre Cheng

I believe it is significant that his real name does not relate to flame/fire, as did his three pseudonyms: Marvin CANDLE, Edgar HalliWAX, Mark WICKmund. The following are my thoughts about the origination of those names, and how they might relate to this new video:

The Flame station

It was the central communications center for the entire island, as well as for underwater (Looking Glass) and off island contact. It seems unlikely that Dr. Cheng would have been stationed there, given that he was an astrophysicist. However, there were cows (and a cat) on the premises with Mikhail, which to me indicates that The Flame may have doubled as a storage facility for animals that were accidentally replicated in the Vault (see: the Casimir effect & Cheng in the Orchid orientation film). Random aside: It has always bothered me that The Flame was not located in a more logical position on the island for reception purposes; why station it in a valley instead of further up the mountain?

The security code to warn of Hostile encroachment near The Flame was 77, which is the atomic number for Iridium; a chemical that is believed to have determined the extinction of dinosaurs via asteroid impact. Now, before your head starts spinning off its axis, allow me to further elaborate down this road. Cheng was an astrophysicist - this chemical would have been in his wheelhouse, so to speak. [There are also reports that Iridium is of volcanic origin, and not only was there a vague reference to a volcano on the island (in young Ben's Dharma class), there was a line of volcanic ash surround Jacob's cabin. None of which relates to Cheng, but is quite fascinating.]

In addition, Bea Klugh was so loyal to the cause that when she was captured by Sayid & co., she insisted Mikhail shoot her rather than disclose any information. Keep in mind that Ben and the Others made a point to never kill anyone, so that was a rather monumental moment that has not truly been addressed since.

We also see Cheng (as Candle) on a recorded computer message when Locke wins a chess game at The Flame. He notes that communications and sonar are out of order, and he is wearing a Flame labcoat (as opposed to the other orientation films; his coats feature the Swan logo).

Given the obvious astrological symbolism in the new Dharma Initiative/Octagon Global Recruiting ARG, I must also mention the Flame Nebula, which is in the constellation Orion. Hey look, more astronomy. Paging Dr. Cheng...

Smoke

The Dharma Initiative created New Otherton and built the Barracks, including Ben's secret spy Black Smoke Monster-unleashing room. Obviously Smokey has been around for some time; thus, the Barracks (which appears to be the only successful tool to repel Smokey). Cheng was probably living/working there at the time and perhaps encountered our strange, polymorphous friend. I venture to guess that Cheng eventually loses his left arm after said unpleasant meeting. And why he referred to the security system as one which protects from 'wildlife' on the island.

Moving on, once again...

The Baby

We only hear but do not see a baby crying in the background. Cheng speaks to an off-camera woman named Jennifer as well. We shouldn't assume that this is his wife; he has never worn a wedding ring on camera. I believe that the baby is Charlotte and Jennifer is her mother. If this is true, could it be that Charlotte is the first and only child to have been conceived and born on the island, and live to tell about it? Of course that brings up a plethora of other questions, such as...does she not remember because she brainwashed before leaving the island (in Room 23 perhaps)? Did she start to research her history, leading her to the Dharma collar in Tunisia? How did she leave the island, and did her family perish in The Purge?

The Man Behind the Camera

It will be a common assumption that Daniel Faraday was the one videotaping Cheng in the Swan.

Pros:

• Cheng and Faraday are both professors; Faraday speaks his language.
• Faraday's experience with time travel, and Cheng's attempts in the Orchid.
  
• The chalkboard in Faraday's Oxford office featured the Kerr metric, which Cheng mentioned was his area of study on the island.
  
• Damon and Carlton confirmed the importance of the information in Faraday's notebook of island and science secrets.
• Faraday could be another ageless wonder, a la Richard Alpert. He looks exactly the same in 2008 as he did in 1996 when he was a professor at Oxford.
• He may have been recruited by Abaddon for the mission with the other Freighter Folk specifically because of his previous experience on the island and inside knowledge of Dharma (even if Faraday himself doesn't recall due to his memory loss issues).
  
• Cheng's statement that "time is not just of the essence, it IS the essence."
  

Cons:

• It seems unlikely that Faraday would risk his life to travel back in time via the machine he created, the one which killed his rat Eloise when he proved that he could make her consciousness travel in time.
• The man videotaping Cheng appears to be a reluctant accomplice, and not one who traveled back in time to urge someone to create a warning message before his impending death.
  
• Although his age is unclear, if he's not ageless, Faraday would have been far too young at the time that this tape was created.

If Faraday was indeed the man behind the camera, his blast to the past would have had to occur between 1996 and 2008 before he departed for the island (because Desmond is his Constant and anchor for his consciousness). At what point did Faraday learn of The Purge and how? Was it in his notebook?

A Clue From the DVD Extras?

Perhaps I'm reading far too much into this (too late?), but during the Season 4 DvD segment about The Freighter Folk (link courtesy of Watch with Kristin) which aired during yesterday's Lost panel, L. Scott Caldwell (Rose) jokingly inquired why Faraday would wear a tie on the beach. Sam Anderson (Bernard) answered with: "I think he's lived in that necktie for the last 30 years." Cheng videotaped that message 30 years ago. Coincidence? Never, in the Lost world.
---
I have more, but after 4 days in San Diego, I need to peel myself away from the laptop and enjoy being home.

I'm sure that this won't be the last you hear from me about this particular video, nor do I imagine the debate to remain simply inside my own head. So, your thoughts?

The LOST Panel at Comic-Con 08: New Dharma Video!

I just left the official Lost panel and am sitting in the hallway of the convention center to post this report.

As expected, it was fantastic. Amazing. Worth getting up at dark to wait in line from 5:30am until noon (hey, I'm dedicated but I draw the line at camping out the night before).

The Heroes panel, featuring the premiere of the first episode of Season 3 and the entire cast on hand, took place immediately before the Lost panel. It was pretty stellar. More about that on my other blog later.

You can find a detailed play-by-play of the panel over on DocArzt, written by Tapdawg (my new friend, who was seated next to me; he also appears in the OGR video, undergoing testing!). I held the camera while he blogged, because he taped the entire panel. Stay tuned for that footage, plus the brand new Dharma video featuring Dr. Candle!

Damon Lindelof & Carlton Cuse talked briefly about Season 4, and said that it was logistically impossible for the cast to gather during Comic-Con (because they're all off living and filming movies elsewhere). Lo and behold, Matthew Fox appeared!

Darlton (Damon + Carlton) had Lost-related gifts for anyone who asked a question. Each gift related to their inquiry. It was quite strange and damn funny. I have to say to the guy who literally asked the very same question I asked Darlton yesterday (about Bentham and the panopticon) - not cool, man. Create your own very specific inquiry next time.

OGR/New Dharma Video

Not only were Darlton drinking from new Dharma Initiative sponsored cups, the infamous Hans Van Eeghen from Octagon Global Recruiting appeared to discuss the results of the tests administered in the booth here at Comic-Con. He said they were abysmal (to great laughter). However, they 'recruited' 5 people who appeared to be actors and not actual CC attendees.

One of the recruited members was quite loud and obnoxious. He later interrupted Darlton and Fox to scream about unauthorized footage he'd obtained from inside the pod at the booth. Turns out it was a brand new Dharma video of Dr. Marvin Candle, who said his real name was Pierre Chang (Cheng?). He was being videotaped by an unknown man, and you could hear a baby crying in the room. It appeared as if he taped the message in the Swan hatch, and kept touching his left arm (which we know he loses at some point in time). Chang referenced 30 years from that time (he knew about the future from a 'credible source;' that GWB was president, etc.). He also said that "we're all dead now." Again, I refer you to the actual video.

My first instinct was to say that the baby crying is Charlotte. Now that we know she was probably born on the island or at least brought there at a young age, it would make sense. She's about 30 years old, right?

Anyway, I will simply post the 'best of' from my Twitter updates during the panel, to review the main points:

• The panel opened with a pseudo-documentary style video about the Oceanic 6, questioning how their real rescue, followed by a brief look at the Freighter Four
  

• They also played a hysterical video featuring Damon & Carlton in flash-forward form. Carlton was sporting a 'stache and 4 More Years Obama tee, and Damon had an eye-patch.
  

• Someone asked if Jin and Locke are really dead. The response? "Dead is a relative term."

• When asked if Rousseau would get a flashback, they said that we will definitely see her story.
  

• Vincent is alive and well, FYI.

• At the beginning of Season 5, we will not know where we are or during what time.

• Richard Alpert is in fact old, and we will also learn more about him.

Phew. Mission accomplished. See you soon.

p.s. Who knew that Hurley had a bad twin?!

Dharma Doh! Not Recruited by OGR at Comic-Con

Although there is still a chance for all of us to qualify for 'employment' with the Dharma Initiative via Octagon Global Recruiting beginning Monday on their new site, apparently I do not have what it takes. Either that, or the 50 billion people who signed up before me and stalked the booth at Comic-Con put more effort into it.

Whatever. The adult onesie khaki jumpsuit wouldn't be flattering on me, and I wouldn't respond well to a Mittelos roofie OJ cocktail, nor a climb out of a submarine in high heels. Wait, I don't own any high heels...

I did manage to talk to a guy immediately after he emerged from the OGR pod. His condition was a tad alarming; he was literally shaking and sweating profusely. I inquired about his experience, and he said that he was shown a series of images that he had to respond to, followed by a series of psychological questions. Sounds perfectly odd and very Dharma.

Tomorrow, I will be attending the EW Showrunner panel featuring Damon & Carlton. I hope to meet some fellow Lost fans, as it has been a challenge to identify them among the costumes and crowds thus far.

More tomorrow night...

Octagon Global Recruiting at Comic-Con: The Flyer

Hi, I'm back. Barely awake, but wanted to include a photo of the flyer that the Dharma suits were handing out at the Octagon booth.


Pardon the lame photo. Here is the text:

The
Dharma Initiative
WANTS YOU

The Dharma Initiative is recruiting volunteers
for its latest groundbreaking research project

Eligibility Testing
at the
Dharma Initiative Booth
EXCLUSIVE
at Comic-Con

By Appointment Only
BOOK NOW with a Dharma Initiative recruiting officer
at booth number 3529

Help us guide the world
to a brighter tomorrow

If you can't make it to Comic-Con
our eligibility test will be available
at www.dharmawantsyou.com
from July 28th

And I couldn't capture it with my camera properly, but the octagon symbol in the upper right corner is not the one we're accustomed to; there are little alternating cuts into each piece of the pie. For those of you following the dots, it is worth investigating.

More tomorrow...

Octagon Global Recruiting at Comic-Con: Photos

I barely survived my first few hours at Comic-Con. I am ill-prepared for the crowds and was very overwhelmed. What a rookie. My plan from here on out is to avoid the exhibition hall altogether and sit in lines for the TV panels.

So I visited the official Dharma Initiative booth at Comic-Con immediately tonight. There was a huge crowd, and the 'staff' weren't booking appointments for recruitment until tomorrow. It seemed as if the actors hired to work that booth weren't speaking proper English; they were using an odd form of the word 'tomorrow,' repeatedly. Not sure if that is significant, but it sounded like they were trying to speak with an Australian accent. And as we know (from Hurley's game of Risk), Australia is key.

[Or it could be that I got 3 hours of sleep, was swimming upstream among the nerdy salmon in a very confined space, and my exuberance quickly dissipated into fumes.]

There is a pre-fab 70's Star Trek type door with a combo lock that perhaps one gains entry through after earning an interview...

If I somehow manage to secure an interview for recruitment, I will report back here immediately. That being said, the so-called free wi-fi at the convention center was not working. Quite frustrating. Thank goodness for Twitter.

I will try to blog again tomorrow, from the venue.

By the way, JJ Abrams' new series Fringe is amazing. The pilot is extremely well written, acted and filmed, and I love the new female lead (think Scully with sass + Cate Blanchett).

Goodnight!

Dharma Initiative: Recruitment at Comic-Con

I received another email from Octagon Global Recruiting. Apparently I need to bring my Bluetooth headset to San Diego this week, because the Dharma Initiative are recruiting at Comic-Con (and unlike Jacob, they appear to embrace new technology).

Here it is, followed by a secret message that was embedded in the source of the email (nerd alert!):

ATTENTION ALL RECRUITS
DHARMA HEAD OF RECRUITING TO ATTEND LAUNCH

Octagon Global Recruiting, on behalf of the Dharma Initiative, is pleased to announce that Dharma's Head of Recruiting, Mr. Hans Van Eeghen, has confirmed his availability for the launch of our latest recruiting drive at Comic-Con 2008.

"My colleagues at Octagon Global Recruiting assure me that Comic-con hosts some of the brightest minds in the country," said Mr. Van Eeghen. "As Head of Recruiting it is my intention to personally assess the very best of this talent in the hope that they may join us."

The Dharma Initiative will be conducting eligibility assessments at Booth 3529 at Comic-Con, San Diego between July 24th - 27th.

If you are attending Comic-Con and would like to submit your name for a randomly selected drawing to secure one of ten (10) pre-release appointments with one of our recruiting officers, please click here.

The volunteer eligibility assessment will be available online from July 28th for a limited time at www.dharmawantsyou.com

The Dharma Initiative hopes you will spread the word. Invite your friends to join the team at www.octagonglobalrecruiting.com

[and the random message within the page source]:

…If you’re reading this, wanna hear something cool?
I’ve got intel about his little “recruitment drive.”
They’re doing some kind’ve personality/IQ testing or something down in SD for ComicCon.
Buddy of mine works down there and has the approvals for their “booth,” he says once you go in no one knows what happens inside and you need an appointment to get in. He also said to make sure you’ve got your Bluetooth on and visible – he’s rigged up a little something.

The whole thing sounds like elitist B.S., doesn’t it?
Well, I’m getting in that booth and taking the test.
As many times as I have to before I “pass” (whatever that means?)
And then…
If I can?
I’m gonna tape it so EVERYONE can see what these idiots are up to.
Should be fun, right?
See ya in SD. RuckusGuy OUT.

So...I have no idea what any of this means, but I intend to keep the Bluetooth function on my cell on at all times, and plan to stop by that booth on Preview Night (Wednesday) if they're up and running.

Stay tuned Wednesday-Sunday for reports from the Convention Center!

Dharma Reaches Out: The Octagon Email

Along with the rest of the Lost world, I received an email today from Octagon Global Recruiting (from a man named Hans Van Eeghen). To refresh your memory, watch their commercial again. It originally aired during the season finale a few weeks ago.

Here is the email:

Octagon Global Recruiting, on behalf of the Dharma Initiative, would like to thank you for registering your expression of interest in our latest volunteer recruitment drive.We will be launching in San Diego on July 24th at Comic-Con International offering select registrants the opportunity to take an exciting aptitude test that will give applicants the chance to demonstrate their unique talents.

The Dharma Initiative hopes you will be able to join us to find out more about their ground-breaking new research project. We will contact you closer to the date with more information.

For those not able to join us in San Diego, Dharma's full recruitment program will be made available online to registered recruits after July 27th.

In the meantime, the Dharma Initiative urges you to spread the word. Invite your colleagues to join the team at www.octagonglobalrecruiting.com and take part in this once in a lifetime opportunity.

I will be at Comic-Con, primarily to attend the Lost panel! So hopefully I will learn more about what Octagon involves and collect some cool swag as well.

So what do you think of this whole campaign?

Octagon Global Recruiting: Dharma Commercial

One of the downfalls with TiVO is that occasionally we miss Lost-related commercials like this, which aired last night during the finale.

This pseudo Dharma company will be appearing in San Diego from July 24-27, which just so happens to be Comic-Con...and I will be there! I'm hoping that this relates to whatever the producers unveil during the official Lost panel.