Lost Until Now

Once every now and then, something comes along that defines the very age we live in. Phenomenons that capture the attention and imagination of people the world over. If you live in the western world, you will not have gone through the last 6 years without at least hearing about the Phenomenon that was the TV show ‘LOST’.

Lost followed a seemingly random group of survivors of a flight from Australia to Los Angeles that crash landed on a mysterious Island before reaching it’s destination. The show told the story of  their struggle to survive on the Island, as well as the stories of the characters previous lives via flashbacks.

My first memory of Lost is the first UK trailer in the summer of 2005. Living in the UK, I missed the initial launch of the first season in the USA, yet the hype had made it across the sea sooner than its August 2005 UK premier. Lost was an instant hit the world over and for many reasons. Perhaps the most important of all was the timing. The dawn of the digital age was in full swing and the Internet was the driving force behind changes in pretty much everything, and the revolution of the way we communicate.

The past decade saw Television move in a new direction. As technology progressed, it became easier and cheaper than ever to get movie quality special effects into television budgets. Still this didn’t stop Lost’s Pilot episode becoming the most expensive TV episode of all time. But to this day it is still hailed as one of the best episodes of any TV show ever. It set the tone of action packed, mystery filled drama that immediately got audiences asking questions and craving answers. This was not your business as usual American TV Drama.

It was closer to a movie than a TV show in both quality and scale. This was not the story of one man, or one island. It was the story of a big group of people, who had to discover each other at the same as time we discovered them. It had everything, and yet was unlike anything else that had ever been on television before. The first season was flawless, arguably the best series of any TV show still to this day. It was perhaps the mystery written into the show that made it really stand out. Each week would leave the audience with more questions than answers. And it was these questions that go people talking.

The timing of the show, coinciding with the way the internet was revolutionising the way we communicate, that played right into it’s hands. Everyone wanted to know why there was a polar bear on the island, or what was in the hatch. Everyone had a theory. The internet meant that we were no longer confined to talk about last nights TV around the water cooler, but could share thoughts and ideas with people anywhere in the world at any time. The show had been very well thought out and the continuity and consistency was unparalleled. The writers made it knowing that every single part of every episode would be scrutinised for clues to solve some of the mysteries of the show. Every line, every prop, every single frame could hold a clue from the writers to the fans. The writers knew it and played along with it. It was this communication between the writers and the fans, and vies versa, that really took Lost to the next level.

Fans flocked to the internet to find answers and share their ideas on the mysteries of the show. It was truly the first show to create a real community on the web, with sites like DarkUFO and Lostpedia becoming havens of information on the subject. It was also the dawn of the Podcast and fans flocked to download the latest theories from the biggest names in the community. The writers paid close attention to fans reactions to every twist and tale. Never before did an audience have so much of a say into what they wanted from a scripted show. It lead some critics of the show to claim that the writers were making it up as they were going along. The claim, denied by the writers, may have been true to a small extent, but certainly worked in the shows favour when it came to eliminating dull characters (Nikki & Paulo in Season 3) that fans quickly grew tired of. But the writers never really deviated from the overall path of the show.

Lost not only worked for the hardcore fans that delved themselves into the mythology of the show, it also appealed to the casual viewer. TV shows before Lost generally followed the idea that you had to dumb down the narrative to make it appeal to a large audience. Lost managed to prove that that was no longer the case. It may have been the overall story ark that brought the hardcore fans back every week, but they did not make up for even half of it’s millions of weekly viewers. Lost managed to intertwine an amazing map of story arks both long term and short term. And it was perhaps these easier to understand short term character plots & developments that consistently kept the average viewer tuning in.

Despite all its hype, all it’s mystery and it’s massive external community, it was Lost’s characters that were the real stars of the show. What a lot of people failed to realise, despite constant reassurance from the writers, was this was a story about these individuals and not about the island or the mysteries behind it. It was these people, these flawed individuals forced to live together or die alone, that really made Lost excellent Television.

So when it came to the final season, we were promised the answers that everyone craved. The writers knew they would never please everyone, and the fans knew that they couldn’t all be right. The writers wanted a legacy. They would never end Lost in such a way to ruin its status they had worked so long on building. True fans of the show (myself included) could figure out that we would never get all the answers to everything on the show. But that’s not what the show was about. It was about the characters and their path to redemption. And that is exactly what they got.

After watching the finale, I can comprehensively say that it gave me everything I wanted as a Lost fan. It was the damn near perfect way to end the perfect TV show. There were no big mythological answers or huge revelations, just the very emotional and sombre endings of the stories of these characters. The writers made it very rewarding for those of us who have been there since the very beginning and ended it the way they clearly set out to from the start. It was probably the strongest emotion reaction I have ever felt from TV or film and one I feel is unlikely to be beaten. I hope that when I die I get to hang out in a room with all the cool people from my life.

So for me personally, Lost has to go down as one of, if not THE best TV show of all time. It consistently pushed the boundaries of TV and was consistently flawless on almost every level. So Thank you all to everyone involved! Well Played Chaps!

Tension In Thailand

After coming to a complete standstill for a week, as red shirt protesters went head to head with government controlled armed forces, Bangkok and Thailand are attempting to go back to business as usual.

Offices, schools and businesses have reopened in Bangkok, days after a violent end to weeks of protests. At least 85 people are known to have died in the protests and the military response to them, while hundreds more were left injured. The Thai government still faces tough challenges of healing the wounds caused by political unrest, and restoring the country’s social and economic order.

Opposition lawmakers have filed a motion to impeach Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and several other ministers over their handling of the crisis. But the motion was expected to be defeated, as the prime minister’s coalition has a majority in parliament. A night-time curfew, from 23:00 to 04:00 local time, remains in force in Bangkok and 23 provinces, with the government announcing today that it has been extended for seven days.

The government had responded to protester calls for an election by saying one could be held in November, but talks between the two sides broke down. The red shirts were demanding the resignation of Mr Abhisit, while most of the protesters support prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup.

I must admit I personally know very little of this conflict. The first I heard about it was when one of my friends arrived home early from travelling, after his insurance company told him they would no longer insure him if he boarded his flight to Bankok due to the crisis there. Many more with flights to Thailand were forced to cancel their travels over the past weeks due to the threat of violence. Hopefully things are calming down again now so it should soon be safe to travel again.

China & India “Victims” of Climate Change

China has backed India’s stand on climate change, claiming that developing nations are not obligated to meet emission reductions . A spokesman said that China are ready to enhance “cooperation and coordination” between themselves and India, claiming both to be “Victims” of climate change.

“We understand the current situation in India. We should take adaptation and mitigation measures based on our national conditions and capacity. China and India are both developing countries and victims of climate change.  The two countries do not have the obligation to binding emission reduction targets on climate change.”

India has refused to accept binding emission cuts that it says could slow its economic growth and has instead harped on voluntary actions to stem emissions.

“Voluntary actions of developing nations will be subject to international monitoring, report and verification (MRV) as per agreed procedures to the extent that these actions receive international support” Claims Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.

ATM Goes Gold In Abu Dhabi

Is this a change for the future, or just a one off fad? As the price of Gold hits record highs, an Abu Dhabi hotel has installed the worlds first ever Gold dispensing ATM.

One Dead in Paris after Facebook Party

As every month passes, Facebook becomes more powerful, more popular, more relevant and more a party of our daily lives. It is quite simply, one of the most powerful and effective methods of communication in our history.

It’s understandable then that Facebook can regularly make the headlines, often being criminalised for something it didn’t personally do. Much like how Grand Theft Auto will get blamed for every crime committed by anyone who has ever played it. But that’s another story.

Facebook has hit the headlines big time in France recently as a new craze sweeps the nations capital of Paris.  Dubbed “Facebook aperitif” in France, it is basically a cocktail party that gets listed as an event on the website, which gets shared between friends and that anyone can attend. Recent parties have been attended by an estimated 10,000 people each night in Paris and Montpellier.

A Facebook organised Party in the London Underground, after it was announced drinking was to be banned.

But before we can all go jumping on a flight to Paris, take a minute to morn the sad death of a young man at one such party yesterday. A 21 year old male died after sliding down a bridge railing and hitting his head whilst heavily intoxicated. It is obviously a tragic accident. A very similar thing happened to a man of the same age who went to my school not long ago so I can certainly appreciate how tragic it must be for the people involved. But already people are blaming Facebook and the parties for the death.

On the same night, authorities who got wind of the event banned the sale of alcohol but it was impossible to enforce. Fifty-seven people were hospitalized for drinking too much and 41 people were jailed. Sounds like a average night out in Cardiff to be fair. If you are flying to France anytime soon, be aware that the next party is planned for May 23rd at the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower. Police have already issued warnings on Facebook claiming the party will be illegal, and are expected to be their in force

The State of Things – UK Government

Those of us in the UK today woke up to a new country. A country with a new government that only one day, or one week ago, no one could have predicted. A government lead by a man that only 34,000 people voted for.

Yesterday, in the wake of a breakdown of talks between Labour and the Liberal Democrats, Primeminister Gordon Brown stepped down from his role, opening the door for Conservative leader David Cameron to essentially take control of the country. After Brown yesterday announced that he was to step down as Labour leader, all expected to see a Labour – Lib Dem Coalition to take control of parliament. But before it became apparent that talks between the two parties had failed, Brown announced that he was conceding leadership and was off to see the queen. Less than 2 hours later and we have a new Primeminister in David Cameron. Less than another 2 hours later and we have a new cabinet. That’s British Politics.

So we now have a Commander in Chief that only 34,000 people voted for. That is the 34,000 people in his constituency of Witney. No one else voted for him. Only 36% of the country voted for his party. And this is supposed to be democracy. The country voted for no single party, so that means the people we did not vote into power get to make up their own mind about who runs the country. It’s the system that is broken, not the country.

I am however glad to see Nick Clegg taking an important role as the Deputy Primeminister. I am also glad to see him apparently getting on with Cameron, dispute my personal opinions of him. No body wants to see a dysfunctional government. I am glad to see what is hopefully the end of Peter Mandleson. William Hague as foreign secretary? Is that really the impression you want to give to the world? New Equality Minister Theresa May voted against the repeal of section 28.  And Osborne for chancellor? No thanks. If you are actually serious about combating the deficit, then why are you going to spend £100 billion on replacing the ageing Trident Nuclear missiles? I WILL NOT continue to live in a country that would rather spend that much money on something that can only be used to kill thousands of people, than on health-care or schooling or public services. We do not need nuclear weapons. Period.

The one good thing that could come from this is a compromise of the all the voiced of the British people might be achieved. But it’s early days, and it has never worked before and is unlikely to now. In the run up to the election, the Tories had almost opposite views to the Lib Dems. Are we supposed to believe that they can now run a country in harmony? We can only hope.

We don’t need electoral reform. We need social political reform. Will we get it? No. Because that’s not what politicians do and that is certainly not what Conservatism is about.

Conservative: “Disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.”

A vote for change my arse. Enjoy the furniture in No.10 Cameron. Who knows how long you will sit there. Cold War Kids – Hospital Beds