In continuing this review and analysis of the film ‘Knowing‘, we must absolutely address the numeric sequence which was obsessively scribed by the character Lucinda Embry. The sheet of paper containing several hundred seemingly random digits was placed into an elementary school’s ‘time capsule’ to be opened some 50 years later. Upon opening and rediscovery of this number sequence, we are taken on a thrilling journey to unlock the secrets embedded in this sequence of digits – which as interpreted – is a key to a deterministic (see Part 1) past, present, and future existence (or rather destruction).

Codes, symbols, and translative indices have been among those most controversial topics throughout history. Science has uncovered factual significance with several coded objects – and yet an equal number of conspiracies have evolved from them. This is largely given that the historical knowledge gap is so broad and left wide open for interpretation – wildly imaginative interpretation in many cases.

With 2012 around the corner, this topic has been right out there in the mainstream public eye, and in full force. We frequently hear about deep and dark conspiracies associated with things like the Dresden Codex, Nostradamus, Georgia Guidestones, the Rosetta Stone, and even the Bible. All of this is truly fascinating, but one can only hope that some hard science comes from their interpretations to help us narrow that broad knowledge gap out there and help us progress somewhat constructively rather than wallowing away in front of the tv thinking that the world is coming  to an end!

In ‘Knowing’, the codex that we are presented with is a number sequence. This is unique from those previously listed as numbers are considered a universal mode of communication, as opposed to communicating in a specific language. In fact, count systems have been discovered that may be as early as 35,000 years old, making numbers the oldest known mode of written communication. Lucinda, in her extra-terrestrial state of  possession, communicated in numbers to allow her message of Earthly disasters to be understood by anyone in the future – any race, any language, any age, and possibly even on any other intelligent planet.

It is not too far fetched to send numeric messages into the future for this very purpose. In fact, Carl Sagan is well known for the first, using the Arecibo telescope in 1974, in an attempt to solicit a response from extra-terrestrial intelligences.

Numbers are at the foundation of everything – including all of the bits and bytes behind this website. Numbers run so deep in all aspects of life, that we often seek to define relationships in nature and fundamental existence with numerical sequences and patters. And herein lies our problem with ‘Knowing’…are the patterns that we arrive at with – including those with statistical significance – manifestations of creativity? coincidences of random chance? some universally implicated determinism? or prophecy?

That item – prophecy – will be addressed in our review of ‘Knowing’, Part 3.

Stay tuned.

References
LaLonde, L. (1974). The Upgraded Arecibo Observatory Science, 186 (4160), 213-218 DOI: 10.1126/science.186.4160.213

Sitler, R. (2006). The 2012 Phenomenon New Age Appropriation of an Ancient Mayan Calendar Nova Religious, 9 (3), 24-38 DOI: 10.1525/nr.2006.9.3.024

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