DocArtz has posted up a rundown of the heiroglyphics which could be seen on the stone door in Ben's secret room.

What's really interesting, is the parts in the second line. "Master" or "Priest" and "Man with weapon".... Bear with me a bit. This is the first thing that came to mind when I saw that....

Anyone remember our favorite Tailie, Mr. Eko. The (OK so he wasn't really a...) priest? With his "Jesus stick?"

I wonder if it's mere coincidence or not? Might Ben have ordered Ol' Smokey to take out Eko? Did Ben see him as a threat? Or maybe the island/Jacob intervened in order to prevent the inevitable conflict between Eko and Locke? The possibilities are endless, and since Eko (and that entire exploration of duality) is gone, I guess we'll never know!

Since it's now apparent that the smoke monster is (at least in part) under Ben's control, or at least his beck-and-call, you have to go back and look at just about every instance we've seen it....

Link: Lost Easter Eggs - Lost Easter Egg - Hieroglyphics Explained!

Well, much like H.G. Wells' novel of the same title, we are treated to an - albeit brief - history of the future of the LOST timeline, and indeed of the "war" between Benjamin Linus and Charles Widmore. But there appears to be much more going on then we have been led to believe.

Well, how many wrinkles did that episode throw at us? Boy, shocking deaths, lots of little clues to the future, and some concrete references which start to put the "history of the future" into perspective. I guess as usual, we'll start at the beginning. Or is it the end, or somewhere in the middle....argh.

Next week's episode is entitled, The Shape of Things to Come. This is, of course a direct reference to H.G. Wells' novel of the same name. In it, he gives us a "history of the future," where mankind destroys itself through endless wars, taking us back into the stone age. Luckily, we manage to rebuild, and eventually find ourselves launching a mission of space exploration. Unfortunately, those same seeds of mistrust lead to yet another conflict, as the population storms the launch site in protest....

So what does this have to do with LOST? Other than just another scifi reference, I would say it's an allusion to LOST's own "history of the future," as is playing out in the various flash-forwards.

Further, I guess you might even draw a parallel between the two "factions" which have established themselves on the island. The islanders are tearing themselves apart, and we all know that it can't end well. Fortunately, Wells gives us all a bit of redemption and reconciliation towards the end, and maybe that's what we can expect?

Also, you've got the Valenzetti equation, which is (I believe, I didn't get too much into the whole alternate reality thing) supposed to deal with the likelihood of humanity killing itself off. With the island as a microcosm of the world, and even without, are we to believe that there can't be a solution to the equation? That we're all doomed to eventually destroy ourselves?

Hard to say without seeing it, and I'll be honest, I've not read any plot synopses of the show yet, so I'm just shooting blind here. But we know that they don't throw out titles like that without some kind of relevancy, at least in some respect.

Or maybe they're just baiting guys like me into trying to draw parallels that aren't there who knows?

On a side note, the 1936 screen adaptation of "Things to Come" is really a trip. The whole 1930's "Flash Gordon" aesthetic is at the same time a laugh-a-minute riot, and is all strangely beautiful and ingenius. Wells' prediction of the 1940 London Blitz is also quite astounding, as is the forward-thinking to get us into the stars. Even if its via a giant "space gun."

Yikes! Is no news good news! Probably. But here's a bit of good news anyway.

Looks like they'll be adding an additional hours worth of material, enough for another episode, that's just awesome! Including another big two-hour finale.

When the plan for Lost's final three years was initially announced, each season was supposed to have 16 episodes. However, the writers' strike soon came along and derailed this nice little idea. The Lost producers were only able to complete eight episodes before the strike, and after it wrapped up they announced that five additional installments would be produced. While the show's fourth season would be somewhat truncated, the writers would at least have enough time to tie up certain story threads.

It's a lucky day for fans who were bemoaning the shortened schedule, as TV Guide's Michael Ausiello has announced that one more episode has been added to the show's fourth season. Not only does that bring the episode total to 14 for this year, but it allows Lost to wrap up with a huge two-hour event.

Link: (Among many) 'Lost' Season 4 Will Have One Additional Episode