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Fractal of the Day
by Jim Muth
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Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: Today's mediocre image consists entirely of 'bof61' inside fill. But it is not a scene in an 'evaporated' fractal; it is a glimpse of something that might have existed, but never did. It is a scene in the blank screen that results when 1.1 parts of 1/Z are subtracted from 1.1 parts of Z^(0.8) and C is added. When one is exploring the world of fractals, blank screens usually mean a dead end, but like so many other things in life, there are exceptions. Today's image is one of these. The image consists of a string of splotches, vaguely defining a midget at the center. This midget is not a real midget. It is a virtual midget that almost but not quite exists, and needs just a little extra energy in the form of the 'bof61' inside fill to make it fully manifest. The result is not all that might be desired, rating only a 4. The render time of 10 minutes has been made a bit more interesting by using the 'passes=b' option, which is quite a bit of fun to see in action. As always, those who feel more serious about their fractals can escape the fun by downloading the completed image from Paul's FOTD web site at: On the table beside my fractal desk here at F.C. I have placed the current issue of 'Skeptical Inquirer' magazine, a publication supposedly devoted to scientific correctness, but whose purpose actually is to promote the materialistic philosophies. On the cover is a picture of Ann Druyan, the wife of Carl Sagan. Inside is an article written by her, bemoaning the loss of spirituality in our present-day society. It is curious that such an article would appear in a publication with a history and an agenda of denying and trying to disprove every spiritual aspect of human existence. I would like to have a dollar for every time I have read in this magazine, with no scientific proof whatsoever offered, that science has shown that life is meaningless, that there is no God and no afterlife, that such beliefs are superstitious, that it's all a cosmic accident with nothing dealing the cards. Ann's article says that we should substitute an appreciation of science and the emotions of awe and wonder for a superstitious belief in God and the hope of meeting our lost loved ones in an afterlife. It claims that awe and wonder can be the spiritual substitutes for such primitive beliefs. It tells that we must find the courage to face reality without the need to delude ourselves. I assume the author supposes that if everyone did this, the spiritual bankruptcy of our modern society would vanish, and shortly thereafter, science, given the resources that are now wasted on religion, would create a technological heaven on earth. I say that it won't work, intelligent life is simply not able to long endure in hopelessness, and if the materialistic philosophical assumptions of the author are correct, then we already know why no other intelligent species have yet appeared from out of the vastness of the universe. The truth of existence is too terrible, too unbearably harsh for an intelligent species to endure, and any intelligent species that does happen by chance to evolve will soon succumb to the hopelessness. When that species develops the means to destroy itself, as we have quite recently done, it will soon thereafter cease to exist. Is it any wonder that in a city of millions, (Los Angeles), there are less than one-hundred who attend CSICOP meetings? Is it any wonder that the more I read 'Skeptical Inquirer' magazine, the more of a believer in the so-called supernatural I become? Snow and cold rain on Sunday kept the fractal cats indoors. The conditions were so unpleasant however that they were happy to sleep by their radiators for most of the day. In the evening I gave them their small treat of tuna, and they ended the day peacefully. Today is starting cloudy and breezy, with some slushy snow on the ground. But it is not too cold. It remains to be seen how the duo will take such conditions. I usually take conditions as they come. The work is moderate, the weather is moderate, the next FOTD will appear in 24 hours. Until then, take care, and don't despair. Jim Muth jamth@mindspring.com jimmuth@aol.com |
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frm:MandelbrotMix4 {; Jim Muth
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