If you try to apply logic to Lain, it's natural to come away frustrated.
. . .
it's's a piece of speculative paranoia that takes all the fears surrounding an emerging new technology and dials them up to 11
It's interesting, because, speaking personally, I saw
Lain for the first time about six years ago, and I must say that it never occurred to me to try to explain everything in it on a logical level. It's intentionally very open-ended and really doesn't lend itself to that. The last part of that quote is a perfect description of the series, for me.
I don't think I actually mentioned this during the simulwatch itself, but certain fixed ideas I had about it from my previous watch were nowhere near as clear-cut as I'd thought. It really is one where how you interpret what you're watching is highly subjective, and that's one of the reasons why I absolutely love
Lain.