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Ive just come to a personal revelation.

I was trying to make sense of the show, there has been many themes running throughout the show, life vs death, good vs evil.............. and science vs faith, as a man/mind of science its left an empty hole but as man/mind of faith i think it explained quite a lot and came to a wonderful ending with purgatory trying to put themselves right before they can move on into the afterlife which mirrors what Jack as been throughout the show he was a man of science struggling to understand John being the man of faith and ultimately in the end having faith, its pretty clever what they have done actually its quite an intelligent show just a shame not many people will understand.

Im not calling anyone thick its just what i feel and by looking at this thread all the people who were more concerned with the science and mystery are left with an empty hole and those that are more concerned with the faith are left fulfilled can accept it and can move on :p

Ive just come to a personal revelation.

I was trying to make sense of the show, there has been many themes running throughout the show, life vs death, good vs evil.............. and science vs faith, as a man/mind of science its left an empty hole but as man/mind of faith i think it explained quite a lot and came to a wonderful ending with purgatory trying to put themselves right before they can move on into the afterlife which mirrors what Jack as been throughout the show he was a man of science struggling to understand John being the man of faith and ultimately in the end having faith, its pretty clever what they have done actually its quite an intelligent show just a shame not many people will understand.

Im not calling anyone thick its just what i feel and by looking at this thread all the people who were more concerned with the science and mystery are left with an empty hole and those that are more concerned with the faith are left fulfilled and can move on :p

I'm still slightly confused to be honest.

(I'm too lazy to read the last 10 pages of the topic) Everything happened on the island is really, the sideways was purgatory?

I'm still slightly confused to be honest.

(I'm too lazy to read the last 10 pages of the topic) Everything happened on the island is really, the sideways was purgatory?

Yes everything from s1-s6 really happened including the flash back and fowards, the flash sideways from s6 where the characters after their death trying to come to terms with dying.

I kinda want my 6 years back, I still stand by Season 2 was my favourite season, Season 6 was all over the place but yeah it was a good series but in my eyes was it the best ever...no not by a long way.

I kinda want my 6 years back, I still stand by Season 2 was my favourite season, Season 6 was all over the place but yeah it was a good series but in my eyes was it the best ever...no not by a long way.

I think thats what they want you to feel, if you were more concered with the science then you are left feeling empty and like the characters in purgatory have to come to terms with it before you can accept it and move on.

I think thats what they want you to feel, if you were more concered with the science then you are left feeling empty and like the characters in purgatory have to come to terms with it before you can accept it and move on.

Pretty much what they did at the end. Time to let go. The ending was great, but the journey to end was fantastic :)

And thanks for clearing that up.

I think thats what they want you to feel, if you were more concered with the science then you are left feeling empty and like the characters in purgatory have to come to terms with it before you can accept it and move on.

maybe I just never really liked Season 6 from the first episode so I suppose I would of hated the finale

*shrugs*

I'm a bit ambiguous about the ending right now, but right now I feel it's a cop-out. Purgatory? For real? What a cheap way to be able to kill characters and then bring everyone together and be happy again.

I actually think I would have liked it more if the flash sideways thing was an alternate reality created by Hurley (or whoever was the current guardian of the island), and everyone would be able to live their lives there. But purgatory?

And was this purgatory thing something Jacob or one of his successors made? Is it related to the island at all? Or is it just the way they picture Christianity?

It just feels so cheap and cheesy at the moment. I'll need to give it some time.

I also feel that I want to know more. Since Hurley said Ben was a good #2 he presumably became the "immortal" guardian. But now he's apparently dead. So he handed the job to someone else. Who? Do I sense a spinoff coming up? :p

Forget about the spoilers. I think if you think about it, it's somewhat predictable about what will happen.

And what was that?

Also a call sheet and a script page was leaked.

URL?

The plane Sawyer, Kate, etc were on may have crashed later because the light/electromagnetism brought it down again?

The plane didn't crash. It probably landed safely. And they all lived normal lives. Then they died, and ended up in (ugh) purgatory/limbo.

The problem with this, of course, is the obvious contradiction from the authors: They said people want to see what happened to the characters they love. Yeah, we saw Jack die. But what about everyone else? We did not see what happened to them. The characters. Even though the writers said that was what really matters.

****.

She caught a glimpse of what the flash sideways and everyone coming together at the end.

So what worked? They would have come together anyway. Unless MIB had to be dead for it to happen, but there's no

I think what troubles me is that what happened on the island has no real relevance to the ending. Jack could have won. Smokey could have won. Eventually they would all die, and they would end up in this purgatory thing anyway. The island is just irrelevant to that.

So the ending didn't really affect the island, whereas I would expect the island to be at least relevant, seeing as it's what we've been looking at for six damn seasons.

Yeah, I think that's one of the things that trouble me about the ending.

The plane didn't crash. It probably landed safely. And they all lived normal lives. Then they died, and ended up in (ugh) purgatory/limbo.

The problem with this, of course, is the obvious contradiction from the authors: They said people want to see what happened to the characters they love. Yeah, we saw Jack die. But what about everyone else? We did not see what happened to them. The characters. Even though the writers said that was what really matters.

****.

So what worked? They would have come together anyway. Unless MIB had to be dead for it to happen, but there's no

I think what troubles me is that what happened on the island has no real relevance to the ending. Jack could have won. Smokey could have won. Eventually they would all die, and they would end up in this purgatory thing anyway. The island is just irrelevant to that.

So the ending didn't really affect the island, whereas I would expect the island to be at least relevant, seeing as it's what we've been looking at for six damn seasons.

Yeah, I think that's one of the things that trouble me about the ending.

I understand what you're saying, fair point :/

I didn't expect answers and wanted resolution, and boy did I get it.

How did you get resolution? I don't feel that I got it at all. I could try to explain it, but just read my last few posts in this thread ;)

If we are supposed to care about the characters, why don't we see what Kate, Sawyer and the rest care about after they leave on the plane? Oh, because the show wasn't about the characters after all even though the writers said it was? Geez.

I think what troubles me is that what happened on the island has no real relevance to the ending

The whole point of the island was for Jack to go through all these 'trials' to understand what was missing in his life. dont take the island as a piece of land - its more of a metaphor.

If kate, claire and sawyer didn't die... and went away on the plane...

They did die, after some years. And then they ended up in purgatory. Just like Hurley, who probably lived for centuries until he got someone else to take over as guardian of the island

Why were they in purgatory

Um, because, um... Christianity or something? Yeah. That is indeed a good question.

Is the island relevant for the purgatory at all? If their experiences on the island is what brings them together in this purgatory, where do they end up?

I didn't mean left hanging so much as I meant what I now realize was just another a huge misdirection done by the writers which in a lot of people were led to believe that there was some bigger thing happening with Eloise/Whidmore, the electromagnetism, etc, etc. Ultimately they left us with a much better ending anyways.

What you are saying is that they strung us along, and made us believe that the ending would be related to the electromagnetism and all that, but then they pulled a cheap shortcut instead of closing it in a creative and proper fashion?

I'm sick and tired of these Sopranos, Lost and other shows that end like this crap.. all trying to be "artistic" and they don't wrap up anything.

Oh, Lost was wrapped up. It's just that it was done in a cheap way.

My theory toward the end was that "sideways" was a construct built by Hurley, to give everyone a happy-ever-after.

Yes, this was what I thought about too. But instead it was this "go to heaven" stuff. Which seems cheap.

I was actively avoiding coming to the "purgatory" theory because it was debunked around season 1. I was a little disappointed it turned out to be it, though.

No, the island was not a purgatory. That was what they debunked.

haha, I like how all of these big overarching shows nowadays have to jump to mysticism and spritiual ideas to cover up the massive plot holes and unexplainable ideas they have created over the years. "God/A wizard did it"

Battlestar Galactica was the same, Ashes to ashes was the same (tho that made sense) Quantum leap was the same back in the day.

That's not to say I didn't like these shows, it's just I think it's lazy story telling.

The whole point of the island was for Jack to go through all these 'trials' to understand what was missing in his life. dont take the island as a piece of land - its more of a metaphor.

Eh, what? The island was a metaphor? The whole show was just about Jack?

Hey, if that's where we're going, maybe the whole show happened inside Jack's head! He actually died in the first episode of the first season, but the whole show is what he saw as he was dying.

One could interpret it that way too.

haha, I like how all of these big overarching shows nowadays have to jump to mysticism and spritiual ideas to cover up the massive plot holes and unexplainable ideas they have created over the years. "God/A wizard did it"

Battlestar Galactica was the same, Ashes to ashes was the same (tho that made sense) Quantum leap was the same back in the day.

That's not to say I didn't like these shows, it's just I think it's lazy story telling.

Alias is an example of how to end a show properly. Or the original scrubs JD ending.

I think what troubles me is that what happened on the island has no real relevance to the ending. Jack could have won. Smokey could have won. Eventually they would all die, and they would end up in this purgatory thing anyway. The island is just irrelevant to that.

I personally don't care for how things turned out - having some spiritual meaning etc. This I don't agree with though. I think it was clear that if Jacob's brother won, there would be an end to it all - including the afterlife

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    • Nope. That lack of surround sound capability (analog) won't fly with me. Sure, I use headphones most of the time, but still.
    • Creative Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe review: your headphones will love it by Steven Parker If you have been reading Neowin for any length of time, you may remember that I reviewed the Sound Blaster Audigy FX Pro back in April. I found it to be an excellent budget sound card, even though it lacked support for formats such as DTS over the included SPDIF port. Anyway, Creative reached out to me again asking if I was interested in reviewing the Sound Blaster AE-X. It is a card mainly targeted at headphone wearers, which I'll get into a bit later. Before we get underway, here is a disclaimer: Creative Labs provided a free sample without any review pre-approval. Here are the full specs of it: Creative Sound Blaster AE-X Dimensions: 179 x 126 x 18 mm Weight: 263g / 9.28 oz Platform: PCI-e DAC: ESS ES9039Q2M Connectivity Options Side: Rear: 1 x HD Audio Front Panel Connector, 1 x ⅛“ Headphone port, 1 x RCA Line-out (Left) port, 1 x RCA Line-out (Right) port, 1 x Coaxial SPDIF-out port, 1 x ⅛“ Mic in/Line-in port, 1 x TOSLINK SPDIF-in port Surround: No DNR / SNR: THD+N: 0.0001% Dynamic Range 130 dB Recording Resolution: PCM up to 32-bit / 192kHz (Stereo) Direct Mode: Line Out (Stereo): PCM up to 32-bit  384 kHz Coaxial SPDIF Out: PCM up to 24-bit 192.0 kHz Headphone Amp: PCM up to 32-bit / 384kHz (Stereo) Native DSD: DSD64, DSD128, DSD256 Output Impedance: 1Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 8–600Ω, IEM: 0.5Vrms, Low: 1.5Vrms, Mid: 3Vrms, High: 6Vrms, Maximum output power: 350mW @ 32Ω (High), Maximum output voltage: 6Vrms (High) Front Panel Headphone Amp: PCM up to 32-bit / 192kHz (Stereo) Native DSD: DSD64, DSD128 Output Impedance: 10Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 32–300Ω, Maximum output power: 40mW @ 32Ω, Maximum output voltage: 1.9Vrms ASIO: ASIO 2.3 Total Harmonic Distortion: THD+N: 0.0006% Dynamic Range: 114 dB Scout Mode: Yes EMI shielding: No (but it passed all the FCC emission tests) Operating temperature: 0–45°C Input Power: 12V⎓0.5A Warranty: 1 Year (MSRP) Price: $179.99 / £169.99 The Sound Blaster AE-X was announced at the end of May, and it becomes clear that it is mainly for headphone wearers. I should also note that the card does not support DDL/DTS encoding technology, but it is said to support decoding through the coaxial SPDIF port. I was able to test this working with the classic Windows Sound properties, but I could not get a DTS (decode) signal through my Logitech Z906, it defaulted to 3D sound whenever I played DTS content through Plex or Emby. In addition, this card only supports two channels (stereo) over the speakers. The surround support is limited to the Headphone Amp, so before I get underway, what we have here is a card mostly intended for headphone use, especially with its SPDIF In (Toslink) port where you could connect another device like a console. So what about the highlights of this card? The AE-X is powered by the ESS SABRE DAC (ES9039Q2M), which is capable of a 130 dB dynamic range. In addition, it supports 32-bit/384 kHz playback for deeper detail and clarity. The headphone amplifier delivers up to 350 mW @ 32Ω, which admittedly far surpasses standard onboard audio, offering support for studio-grade headphones. DSD256 and ASIO 2.3 are also supported. What doesn't it have? No support for What-U-Hear, Super X-Fi, or the SmartComms Kit No EMI shielding, but it passed all the FCC emission tests (from the FAQ) I also want to make it clear that I am no audiophile. For me, it's purely subjective and it should just "work" out of the box. First impressions As I said in the introduction, I was a bit sad to see that the AE-X only supports stereo output, meaning it would not be on par with my ALC1220 over my speakers, as I mentioned it seems like this card is marketed toward headphone users. Since I am not an avid gamer that would rule me out as a potential customer, but I can still test its capabilities! The card arrived in a nice-looking box, as shown above. It's quite a bit larger than the Audify FX Pro that I reviewed back in April, and at first I thought the covering meant that it was EMI shielded, but it isn't as mentioned above in the highlights section. What's in the box: 1 x Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe card 1 x 3.5 mm CTIA TRRS to Dual TRS Headset Splitter Cable 1 x Quick Start Guide Aside from the Quick Start Guide, which someone at my age (I guess) needs a magnifying glass to read thanks to the tiny fonts, Creative Labs also has the manual online, which first requires you to prove that you're human in order to access it (so I can't direct link it). Anyway, the box is mostly made up of cardboard, and the only plastic in it is the anti-static bag for the card itself. Design Top Bottom The card itself looks pretty cool and actually wouldn't look out of place in an all-white build. There's only one connector, and for some reason it is awkwardly placed on the side (front-facing) that is for the front panel audio connector, which will let you use the headphones through the front PC audio jack. Since the front panel Headphone Amp has fewer capabilities than the rear headphone port, I decided not to use it. Rear of card PCI-e interface The rear of the card is completely open and is normally where you would find the front panel connector. The PCIe interface side is completely covered, which initially made me think it was EMI shielded. I/O panel Side (front-facing) with Front panel connector On the outer rear bracket side we have the TOSLINK SPDIF in, Coaxial SPDIF out, RCA line out (Right), RCA line out (Left), Headphone out, and Mic/Line in ports. On the front facing portion of the card itself is the F-panel connector. Usage Test System Our test system consists of the following: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER (BIOS F12) Corsair RM1000x (2024) Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut (33x33x0,2mm) 2x 32GB Kingston Fury Beast RGB DDR5 6000MT/s CL36-38-38-80 T-Force Z540 2TB (PCIe Gen5) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition (NVIDIA) Creative Sound Blaster AE-X Windows 11 25H2 Pro I installed the card into the Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER which includes the RealTek ALC1220 onboard audio. For our subjective listening tests, I used the Coaxial SPDIF port to my Logitech Z906 speakers. For headphone tests I used the OneOdio Studio Max 2 Wireless DJ Headphones that I reviewed last month. After installing the audio driver, I installed Creative Nexus, which is a relatively new app designed for the latest Sound Blaster cards. Then I discovered the AE-X needed both a driver update from 1.00.15.0001 to 1.01.09.000 and a firmware update from 1.00.06.0000 to 1.00.06.0002, then I was set to go. It should be noted that the card did not work without the driver (not Plug and Play). As you can see above, you can manage the firmware, driver, and inputs via Advanced Settings on the Device tab. By default Nexus enabled "Direct Mode". Upon clicking on Acoustic Engine, the Equalizer can be enabled and set to four different presets, which are: Gaming Music Movies Footsteps Enhancer There's also a dedicated Scout Mode for gamers. I mainly used Tidal and Spotify in the past week to listen to some of my Liked Songs (which now total over 700) in Shuffle mode; there were no pops or interference that I could hear. I also found a 5.1 Surround Music playlist on Tidal that sounded really great over Studio Max 2 headphones. When I reviewed the Audigy FX Pro, I went out and purchased a Logitech Z906 set second-hand for €100 specifically to use with the card, but in this instance all I could get on the AE-X was the 3D output of surround sound through Coaxial SPDIF and although it still sounded great, it isn't quite as good as DTS Interactive via my onboard Realtek ALC1220. Conclusion So what have I learned? The AE-X lacks multi-channel support for 5.1/7.1 setups and drops support for modern surround technologies like Dolby or DTS, functioning strictly as a stereo output device. So to really benefit, you will need Studio-grade headphones to "hear" the benefits of this card. With that being said, I can imagine it will appeal to gamers who are switching between console and PC. By utilizing the SPDIF in port, you could just plug your headphones into the AE-X (front or rear port) and then switch between PC and Console without having to move the headphones to a different port. As I said in the Sound Blaster Audigy review, the EQ in the Creative Nexus app offers safe presets, which allows a user to further tweak the lows, mids, and highs for a personal listening experience. Of course it all depends on the headphones you hook up to it. Speaking of headphones, I kind of wish I had higher-quality Studio-grade headphones to really test this card with; I'm not usually wearing headphones in my day to day duties. The only time I will wear them is if I want to listen to music very late at night and I don't want to disturb my neighbors, so my rating (verdict) is based on this fact. Someone with a PC/Console setup and wears headphone religiously to game, and consume media will benefit much more than I from the high-quality Headphone Amps that are included in the AE-X. Once again, I do feel like Creative could have gone the extra mile to support the S/PDIF port a bit more. Why include it if you're not supporting the main popular digital formats? It seems like the decision was more of a legacy-based one, offering uncompressed 2-channel PCM audio, for users with high-fidelity audio systems and external DACs. Maybe I will be lucky enough to review a card that truly includes all these features in the future. I am sure readers with far more knowledge on audio systems than me will correct me in the comments below. I'll just say I am happy to learn what I don't know! Where to buy The Sound Blaster AE-X is available to purchase now in preorder for $179.99 on the U.S. Creative website, or for £169.99 on the Creative UK website and will start shipping to customers from June 25.
    • $80 or 90%, anything else would be financial suicide one way or another.
    • Or... just use Bitwarden. Free, and has on-prem option as well. Works both on desktop and mobile, wherever you are. The age of local password files is over.
    • Thanks
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