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Fractal of the Day
by Jim Muth
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Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: In today's fractal adventure I tried to duplicate one of the curious rectangles that exist in the Z^2.003+C Julia set with a C value of -1.7435. When I searched the Z^4.003+C Julia sets, I found no more rectangles, but I did find a very interesting Julia sets. Today's image is part of this Julia set. The scene has been rendered in the usual way, with the outside set to 'iter' and the inside set to the number zero. The unusually delicate, lace-like effect is part of the fractal and not a result of program trickery. The rating of a 7 might be a bit high. I am not totally pleased with the colors, which are a bit too intense, and create a certain feeling of 'trying too hard'. I named the image "Inside-Out". I can see absolutely nothing in the image that could inspire such a name, but all FOTD images need a name, so Inside-Out it is. The render time of 18 minutes borders on slowness, but may be avoided by downloading the finished GIF image from the FOTD web site at: While re-reading the philosophy I have written over the past month or so, I notice one glaring omission. I have not yet addressed the question of whether I believe in God. The question of the existence of God is not a simple question to answer, and I do not consider myself bound by either the doctrines of conventional religion or the undemonstrated speculations of materialistic scientists. To start, we must define the deity that I either believe or disbelieve in. If God is defined as the traditional grey-bearded invisible super-magician who dwells somewhere in the sky and says he loves us but whimsically dispenses fortune and misfortune on his hapless subjects before demanding that they bow down and worship him, then I do not believe in this God. Such a god is little more than a troubled man, and rather than worship him I would pity and try to help him. If it is claimed that nothing of any supernatural nature exists that could fill the definition of a creative God, then I say that those making the claim are wrong. The facts that there is something instead of nothing, and that I exist as a conscious individual, confirm to me that something other than chance must be behind the whole grand show. Asking me to believe the claim that it all popped into existence and that I appeared by blind accident is asking me to believe in something I consider even less likely than a grey-bearded old man in the sky. I have heard many arguments from both theists and atheists over the years. The arguments of both sides, based on faith or reason, are strong and at the same time vulnerable to rebuttal. As a result, I am still somewhere in the middle. But of one thing I am certain: if a 'god' does exist, its one absolutely necessary attribute is consciousness. Things such as the order and laws that exist in the universe are astounding, but if these things are not considered to be conscious, then IMO we have not found God. The closest I have come to finding God happened one night many years ago in a lucid dream. While dreaming of myself in a beautiful landscape, I suddenly found myself wide awake, fully aware that I was dreaming the entire scene. While examining the impossibly beautiful countryside, I began to think of what was happening. My sleeping mind (brain if you will) was creating the entire universe I saw around me, including the strange celestial objects in the sky. I was in a world inside my mind (brain), yet that mind (brain), which was creating the dream universe, was invisible. My mind was everywhere and nowhere. I could have searched my dream world forever, with every possible means, and never discovered its creative source, for that source was on a different level of existence. Ever since that dream I have seen the physical search for the God of the physical universe as the same as the dream-search for the mind that was creating the dream universe. We cannot find God because God exists on a different level. To claim that the universe is the dream of God, as do some eastern religions, might not be as far-fetched as it first appears. To Christians I am a disbeliever; to Atheists I am a believer. I consider myself an Agnostic, but only in the sense that we will never, at least in this world, know the full nature of the God that is dreaming the universe. As for what might come 'after' this world -- that is another story for another day. Sunday was cloudy and chilly here at Fractal Central, but the over-forecasted snow failed to arrive and the temperature of 41F 5C was just warm enough to give the cats an hour in the holly thicket. They would have preferred more time outdoors however, so a generous treat of tuna was needed to get them back in their usual good moods. Today is starting foggy and drizzly, but it is milder. If things dry out, the duo might have a reasonable day. My day will feature more of the same. The next FOTD will appear in 24 hours, with all the trimmings. Until then, take care, and expect the best. Jim Muth jamth@mindspring.com jimmuth@aol.com |
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