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(Date Posted:02/18/2008 00:03:34)
I think there is a bubble surrounding the island (re: picture in Walt's/Hurley's comic book). There is a hole in the bubble at a bearing of 325 degrees leaving the island and at 35 degrees to get back to the island. This is according to Ben ("Good, then you're going to take this boat and follow a compass bearing of 325, and if you do that exactly, you and your son will find rescue.") If you do not follow the exact bearing when entering or leaving the island, the bubble surrounding the island has strange effects on time (i.e., the 31 minutes extra it takes for the "payload" to arrive on the island) From Season 4 episode 3: "Dan tells Frank that no matter what happens, they must fly on the exact same bearing in which they entered." I think that Michael and Walt strayed off of the bearing when leaving the island, and it aged them (hence Walt is bigger - like Locke pointed out In season 4 episode 3 - "No dream, it was Walt. Only, taller".). I don't think that time off the island is different than time on the island, it is just the effect of not travelling on the correct bearing through the island's bubble (or shield if you prefer) that causes people to be affected. Radio signals on and off the island do not show someone communicating with people or events that are out of sync. I also think that when Desmond did not enter the numbers, and the magnetic anomaly caused the plane to crash, it also disrupted the bubble enough so that the plane could crash and still not distort time for the crash victums.
I'm reasonably certain that the purple sky event (i.e. the Swan hatch imploding) allowed communications to open up since Ben had the Looking Glass Station start jamming communications, and once the jamming was stopped, then communications were back to being open. I think other events (not entering the numbers, etc.) opened up communications so that the numbers were transmitted through the bubble allowing Leonard and his partner to hear them at a listening post. And, about 16 years ago, the comunications was opened up again allowing Danielle's crew to hear the numbers, and to come to the island to investigate. For at least 16 years the Swan Station was in operation so that when Danielle changed the transmission, it never made it off the island.
I know this is long winded, but to summerize, there is a protective force around the island with only one small opening through it. If you don't use the opening, the island is effectively invisible to the outside world. If you deviate slightly from the bearing, time will be distorted, the bigger the deviation, the bigger the distortion (see the movie Ice Pirates). Communications (i.e. radio waves) are not affected by the shield, Sayid and Hurley were able to receive music from outside the island, unless the signals are jammed or the Swan station is operating correctly. Also, the outside world is not out of sync with the island.
(Message edited by abraxas1954 On
02/18/2008 00:18:31)
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-Brax | 
