Hanso Foundation

The Hanso Foundation

The Hanso Foundation
Company type	Fictional
Industry	Accelerated remote viewing Cryogenics development The DHARMA Initiative Electromagnetic research Juxtapositional eugenics/genomic advancement Life extension Mathematical forecasting Mental health appeal Quest for extra-terrestrial intelligence Wellness and prevention development
Founded	1966
Headquarters	Copenhagen, Denmark
Key people	Alvar Hanso Dr. Thomas Mittelwerk Hugh McIntyre Peter Thompson
Website	http://thehansofoundation.org/

In the world of the television series Lost, The Hanso Foundation was formed by arms purveyor Alvar Hanso, who turned his attention from "keeping the world safe through the development of sophisticated weapons systems" to focus instead on the development of new technologies to "create a brighter future for all humanity."

The Hanso Foundation, through its funding of The DHARMA Initiative, was involved in the construction of facilities on the island depicted in Lost. Template:Spoiler

Executives

Alvar Hanso

"From the dawn of our species, Man has been blessed with curiosity. Our most precious gift, without exception, is the desire to know more—to look beyond what is accepted as the truth and to imagine what is possible." — Alvar Hanso, address to the United Nations Security Council, 1967.

Alvar Hanso is the enigmatic leader of the Hanso Foundation. Little is known about him, but it is known he is or was a Danish weapons purveyor. This from the foundation's website:

Driven by a need for privacy and a deep-seated sense of humility, Alvar Hanso has released few details of his personal life to the public. He first made his mark during the Second World War, providing munitions to various resistance movements around Europe. After the War, Hanso became the leading purveyor of high-technology armaments for NATO. After decades of keeping the world safe through the development of sophisticated weapons systems, Hanso turned his attention to critical areas of science and technology - always searching for new ways to improve the human experience and create a brighter future for all humanity.

It is unknown whether Hanso still is in charge of the foundation.

In the Lost episode "The Hunting Party", the character Tom, known at the time simply as "Mr. Friendly", apparently quotes Hanso's statement on curiosity, claiming it was said once by a man "much smarter than anyone here."

In the Lost tie-in novel Bad Twin, Hanso was a board member for the Widmore Corp., but now Dr. Thomas Mittelwerk fills that seat.

In an Easter egg on the foundation's website, a woman known as Persephone reveals that the last time Hanso was seen in public was in 2002. She also theorizes that you (the viewer) have seen him before. She is commenting on a photo of him standing by a window, which the site claims was taken in October 2003, but which itself has appeared in orientation films for the DHARMA Initiative.

Dr. Thomas Werner Mittelwerk

"I am very proud to be working with such a brilliant team, who all inspire me every single day as we forge our way to a brighter future. The expertise and dedication of the team constantly surpasses my expectations" - Alvar Hanso

Born in Austria, Dr. Mittelwerk is the president and chief technologist of The Hanso Foundation and is the trusted righthand adviser to Alvar Hanso. After the loss of his mother to a rare genetic disorder, Mittelwerk dedicated himself to biology and genetics. Soon, while going for a diploma in molecular biology at the young age of 18, he was personally contacted by Hanso at CalTech and recruited to join the Hanso Foundation. Mittelwerk's early years instilled a work ethic that fueled the foundation in its first 20 years and has been the public leader of the Hanso Foundation.

In the Lost tie-in novel Bad Twin, Dr. Mittelwerk is a board member for the Widmore Corporation, a position previously filled by Hanso.

In a hidden Easter egg, a mysterious character, presumably the enigmatic Persephone, reveals that Mittelwerk never graduated from CalTech and is not really a doctor. Another hidden message reveals Mittelwerk as Hanso's heir apparent.

Hugh McIntyre

"Accuracy and transparency above all." — Hugh McIntyre

McIntyre is a veteran United Nations translator and has an extensive background in public relations and communication, serving as the "public voice" for the Hanso Foundation. McIntyre continues to ensure the Hanso Foundation's global partnerships are treated with the same respect as Alvar Hanso has for humanity as a whole. Due to his dedication to family values, McIntyre sits on many international boards that encourage such values, which are used as a catalyst to spread the message that the foundation is aligned with Hanso's mission. However, in an easter egg on the page, it is revealed that McIntyre is not such a family man. In the video that appears when the words "the mouthpiece" are entered in the text box, he is caught with a woman who "hardly looks like someone's wife of 15 years." Also, by clicking the pink sheets that fall at the end of the video, you find that he spends large sums of money on this woman. Her name has yet been revealed. The video also implies that McIntyre might have drug and money issues.

Peter Thompson

Thompson was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1959 and earned several degrees from Loyola University and The University of Chicago Law School before starting his career as a corporate attorney. Due to Thompson's heavy smoking habits, he was diagnosed with a case of lung and pancreatic cancer that was termed "inoperable." Faced with this, Thompson took matters into his own hands and began to search for help. This search for a cure led him to Alvar Hanso Cancer Center in Geneva, Switzerland. Following a miraculous recovery in Switzerland, Thompson offered his expertise to Hanso and eventually became vice president, general counsel, and secretary of the Hanso Foundation. By clicking under his picture, you will be able to enter the password "survivorguilt". This reveals a set of documents detailing that, in his past, Thompson defended tobacco companies, nuclear power plants and an oil company that dumped chemical waste in Florida, even going so far as to countersue the plaintiffs. All these suits seem to have had a common theme of cancer running through them.

Website

The domain thehansofoundation.org was registered on July 18, 2005 by ABC , although the ownership changed from ABC to Verisign DBMS on April 20, 2006

Original Web site

The Hanso Foundation was first mentioned in the Lost season 2 episode "Orientation" — the orientation film includes the copyright declaration "© The Hanso Foundation 1980". Subsequent to the airing of this episode, the Web site www.thehansofoundation.org was launched by ABC.

Most of the links on the site led to a page stating "ACCESS DENIED", but a hidden link on the "Active Projects" page led to a page showing the orientation film seen in the "Orientation" episode.

Another "Active Projects" link, the Hanso Life-Extension Project link, displayed a press release dated September 21, 2005 regarding the life-extension of an orangutan named "Joop" celebrating its 105th birthday.

Finally, the "Alvar Hanso" page showed a photo of Alvar Hanso. Clicking on this photo showed an animation of a computer screen similar to the one Michael encounters in the episode "The 23rd Psalm". After this, the page displayed an internal memorandum dated October 5, 2005, from the Global Health Organization regarding the Hanso Life-Extension Project.

In March 2006, the site became unavailable. In the official Lost podcast dated March 28 2006, the executive producers said the site was "down for remodeling" and would be available again in May.

Revamped Web site

The site was relaunched on May 2, 2006, with a completely new design. The site is now entirely created in Macromedia Flash instead of plain HTML. It features most of the old content, with greater detail and significant new content.

In addition to the content shown openly on the site, fans of Lost have found additional pages and information by finding hidden easter eggs and decompiling the Flash files on the site.

A May 5, 2006 press release from The Hanso Foundation apologizes for "some sort of disruption" that its site is experiencing. Whether this is a genuine apology is not known. What is known is that odd behavior affects the Web site, from input boxes in the middle of text to hidden messages and videos.

While loading the site, the percentage under the logo flashes "the numbers".

Sponsor Sites

On May 9, 2006 a commercial for the Hanso Foundation was aired that directed viewers to subLYMONal.com. Visiting lymon.com ("lymon" is embedded in the URL subLYMONal.com) reveals a Sprite marketing website. By clicking on easter egg elements of the subLYMONal.com Flash site, a pop-up to thehansofoundation.org appears.

On May 16, 2006 another commercial for the Hanso Foundation aired, this time sponsored by Jeep. Viewers were directed to letyourcompassguideyou.com, which is registered to the DaimlerChrysler Corporation. Users must spin their mouse cusor around the compass and click on "108". A box then appears that asks the user if they are one of the good ones. Typing "Y" takes users to a page that looks like a directory listing of the site. Typing "N" redirects users to the Hanso Foundation site.

On May 24, 2006 a commercial for Hanso Careers was aired directing viewers to HansoCareers.com. The website offers fictional job positions and is sponsored by the job finding website, Monster.com.

The Lost Experience

Main article: Lost Experience

On May 2, 2006, coinciding with the début of Lost season 2 in the UK, the Hanso Foundation Web site returned as part of "The Lost Experience", an alternate reality game which ABC had previously announced on April 24, 2006.

ABC stated the game would be launched on May 2 in the UK, May 3 and 17 in the USA and May 4 in Australia and that "the first clue requires finding a toll-free number that will be released during the show or commercial breaks". On May 2 in the UK, May 3 in the USA and May 4 in Australia, each episode of Lost broadcast that day included Hanso Foundation advertisements in the commercial breaks, which included a toll-free phone number to call. Calling the number gave information, including a password for the Hanso Web site and access to the voicemail of Hanso executives.

On May 9, the Hanso Foundation published newspaper adverts condemning the metafictional novel Bad Twin.

Hidden in user name mail directories are orders for Jeeps, a Jeep flyer containing a buddhist statue with the words "The Mouth Piece" next to it, and a hidden binary message which translates into "The Mouth Piece."

Mission statement

On www.thehansofoundation.org prior to March 2006, the following mission statement was presented:

The Hanso Foundation stands at the vanguard of social and scientific research for the advancement of the human race. For forty years, the foundation has offered grants to worthy experiments designed to further the evolution of the human race and provide technological solutions to the most pressing problems of our time.

The Hanso Foundation: a commitment to encouraging excellence in science and technology and furthering the cause of human development.

With the site update in May 2006, the wording of the mission statement was changed to the following:

The Hanso Foundation stands at the vanguard of social and scientific research for the advancement of the human race. For forty years, the foundation has offered grants to worthy experiments seeking to promote world peace through improved health, prevention, vitality and longevity.

The Hanso Foundation. Reaching out to a better tomorrow.

Trivia

• "Namaste", a Hindi greeting, is found on thehansofoundation.org web site and also is spoken by Dr. Marvin Candle, presenter of the Swan station's orientation film. Judging from the recordings one hears when calling the Hanso Foundation (specifically, Peter Thomson's statement in option five), this is a phrase common to employees of the foundation. It is also the last word to appear in Melba Pattillo Beals' Warriors Don't Cry about the Little Rock Nine.
• In the Lost tie-in novel, Bad Twin, a Hanso Foundation office exists on the 42nd floor of a building owned by the Widmore family in Manhattan. This is presumably the same Widmore family who Desmond is involved with.
• Joop is "experimental subject 626". Stitch from Lilo & Stitch is also "genetic experiment 626".
• Lost co-creator J.J. Abrams' feature directorial debut - Mission: Impossible III - includes, toward the bottom of the credits, a 'Special Thanks' to The Hanso Foundation, among many non-fictional organizations, companies, people and cities.
• Executive Producer Carlton Cuse does the narration for the advertisements for The Hanso Foundation.
• Viewing the source code on the Hanso Foundation's website reveals another site: www.djdan.am. The URL is for the homepage of a "conspiracy theorist" who is mostly concerned with the Hanso Foundation.
• On the night of the second season finale, Jimmy Kimmel Live featured an interview of Hugh McIntyre. Kimmel asked McIntyre about the Hanso Foundation ads that aired during Lost. McIntyre said the ads were intended to dispel its fictional portrayal on Lost. When asked about the DHARMA Initiative, McIntyre said it was project for which Hanso funding had been discontinued. He wouldn't give any details of the project. Kimmel also asked McIntyre why he didn't look like his photo on the website. McIntyre said it was a photo of his predecessor.

External links

• www.thehansofoundation.org – the fictional Hanso Foundation website made by ABC.
• www.SubLYMONal.com - Website referenced on THF commercial
• www.LetYourCompassGuideYou.com - Website referenced on THF commercial
• Big Spaceship - An unofficial mirror of the www.thehansofoundation.org website prior to March 2006 [now offline]
• Alvar Hanso - An unofficial website about the foundation
• Hanso Careers - A new official hanso website referenced on commercial which aired during the Second Season Finale