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Fractal of the Day
by Jim Muth
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Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: Today's image is located in the fractal that results when Z^0.6 and Z^4 are combined and C is added. I have not given it a name, I have given it only a date for catalog purposes. The image was rendered with the outside set to 'tdis'. Since I put very little effort into the coloring, I gave the image no rating. The render time is a very fast 3/4 of one minute. And if this is not fast enough, the already-rendered GIF image has been posted to the FOTD web site at: Well, things are calming down here at Fractal Central. In fractal lady's view I am an Atheist, and I accept that. She is still a bit sulky, but she knows me well enough by this time to realize that I am not a bigot. We both feel that the disaster relief response was slow, and have decided to agree on that and not to bicker about the other topics. Read on for thoughts that we all are aware of but would rather brush aside. I accept being called an Atheist by true believers. I do not believe that the world is being watched over by the supposedly benevolent super-being known in the western religions as God. In the view of believers this makes me an Atheist, but if any God actually is watching over things, then something is wrong with him. One quick look at the events of the past week alone will show that God, if he truly knows all and is all-powerful, fails to meet even the moral standards we set for ourselves. Rather than believe in, worship, and pray for help to a being whose behavior borders on the insane, I choose to accept that, in effect, we are alone in the universe, and if we are to find help for our problems, it will have to come from ourselves. But how can people endure life's hardships feeling that they are alone, meaningless freaks of nature drifting in a vast mindless universe that neither cares about them nor even knows that they exist? Some might turn macho, and strut around with their chests puffed out, claiming that they have the courage to face harsh reality without the need for the crying towel of superstition. Others might take the viewpoint that the propagation of the human genetic material is the important thing. They can then claim that an individual is like a living cell in the human body. The individual serves for a brief moment as an insignificant part of the whole race, which itself is doomed to eventual extinction. Some might give in to despair, and endure in their misery through their lives, tired of living and afraid of dying. Others might fill their lives with so many diversions, so much frantic activity that they have no time to dwell on the unthinkable plight they face. Is this terrible situation the way things actually are? Life is unfair -- this is certain. Fate is whimsical -- this is also certain. The implications are almost too awful to be true, but the discoveries of science strongly suggest that they are indeed true, that the universe is the result of random events, with no caring intelligence in control. And if this is the case, why should things be any different? Why should random events have produced a universe specially designed to meet mankind's particular needs for happiness? Things look dark indeed. Is there any hope for spiritual peace other than deferring our happiness to some remote future utopia brought about through our efforts, to hopefully be enjoyed by our distant descendants, who might or might not eventually exist, and who, if they do exist, will have no memory of us as individuals? It is a bleak outlook, but is this not the way the natural world appears to be? The continuation will be coming in the next few days. The weather was perfect here at Fractal Central on Sunday. The fractal cats were perfect also. Today is starting perfect again, which is very good news for the duo. It looks like a slow contemplative day coming up for me. Some of my contemplations will appear in tomorrow's philofractal FOTD. Until then, take care, and be optimistic. Jim Muth jamth@mindspring.com jimmuth@aol.com |
START PARAMETER FILE=======================================
05-09-05 { ; time=0:00:41.08--SF5 on a P200
reset=2004 type=formula formulafile=allinone.frm
formulaname=MandelbrotMix4 function=ident passes=1
center-mag=-0.389425986/-0.549300202/926.776/1/-16\
2.5/0 params=1/0.6/1/4/0/0 float=y maxiter=1200
inside=0 outside=tdis periodicity=10
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TQNTI9nI6nI3nI0nQ5WYAD_RP }
frm:MandelbrotMix4 {; Jim Muth
a=real(p1), b=imag(p1), d=real(p2), f=imag(p2),
g=1/f, h=1/d, j=1/(f-b), z=(-a*b*g*h)^j,
k=real(p3)+1, l=imag(p3)+100, c=fn1(pixel):
z=k*((a*(z^b))+(d*(z^f)))+c,
|z| < l }
END PARAMETER FILE=========================================
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times.
