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Fractal of the Day
by Jim Muth
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Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: Warning: I'm in a strange mood today, so have fun. Since today's fractal image is nothing to write home about, or to write about anywhere else for that matter, I might as well start the discussion by broaching the topic of the nature of the mind and reality. Only a fool would claim it is foolish to waste time discussing the nature of reality, a problem which can never be solved. At the same time, only a fool would actually waste his time writing about it. Since I must be a fool, I will discuss the problem. But expect no solution. One thing I think is certain is that my awareness exists, though sometimes I doubt even this. I never ask myself where my awareness goes when I go to sleep. Only a fool would do so. But for countless days it has been there to greet me when I wake up in the morning, unchanged from the evening before. I am not foolish enough to wonder what it is that stays the same while the material of my brain as well as my thoughts constantly change, but it might be a soul, whatever that is. Oops, I just forgot that souls are supposed to be a by-product of the body, so this is no answer either. Let's make an assumption -- whatever my self-aware mind is, it does indeed exist, and it is somehow miraculously generated by the electro-chemical interactions of the neurons in my brain. If this is so, the question now becomes how unconscious matter can create self-awareness. I have read over a dozen books about this miracle, but I am no closer to grasping what is going on in my brain than I am to grasping what is going on in the quantum realm. But one thing for certain is that speculation among the cognitive scientists is currently rampant. One of the most recent theories is that I am a strange loop, whatever a strange loop is. I rather enjoy being a strange loop. It's rather like being a fractal, and if I am a fractal, then everything else must also be one. The universe is a big fractal, with God doing the iterating. (I assume He uses Fractint.) Oops, I forgot that God is supposed to be only a feel-good superstition. I have no idea where I'm going with this, so I guess it's time to turn to the fractal. As for that fractal, it's a disgrace. It's the first FOTD ever to rate a humiliating 1. And it doesn't even deserve its 1. It actually deserves a zero. The image lies in the parent fractal created by the formula Z^(1.618)+C when it is calculated at ground level of the log ladder with no function applied. I named the image "A Nothing Fractal", which is exactly what it is. At least the calculation time is a mercifully brief 41 seconds. And the finished image is posted on the FOTD web site at: Morning rain here at Fractal Central on Sunday was followed by early afternoon sun and late afternoon rain squalls, while the temperature hung around a very chilly 61F 16C. The fractal cats noticed the rain, but were more interested in the pigeons scrounging for sustenance on the sidewalk. For me the day was busier than I would have preferred, but not as busy as I might have feared. The next FOTD will be along, if I feel like doing one, in 24 hours or so. Until then, take care, and if nothing is really real, are illusions real? Jim Muth jamth@mindspring.com jimmuth@aol.com |
START PARAMETER FILE=======================================
A_Nothing_Fractal { ; time=0:00:41.47-SF5 on P4-2000
reset=2004 type=formula formulafile=allinone.frm
formulaname=MandelbrotBC3 function=ident logmap=37
center-mag=-0.567480167420823/-0.8351769720835365/\
159.2013/1/-105/0 passes=1 inside=0 periodicity=10
params=1.618/0/0/0 float=y maxiter=3600
colors=000w_`vZ_uYZtWYsVXqUWpSVnRTmQSlPRjNQiMPgLNf\
JMdILcHKbGJdEGfCDhBAj97l84gE6bJ8YNATRCOVEJZFKXILXL\
LXNMXQNXTNYVOZYO__P_bQ`eQ`gR`jS`mS`oT`rT`tHei6j_5q\
N4xB6wF8wI9vMBvPCuSEuWFtZHtbIseKshLrlNroOrrQsqRsqT\
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8Rh9ShAShBThDThEUhFUhGVhIWhJWhKXhLXhNYhOYhPZhQZhbv\
kbul03z46v89rCCnGFjKIfOLbSOZWRV_URcXNg_JkbFoeBrg7m\
j9imAeoBdlGciKbgPadT`bX`_a_YeZViYTnXQrXOvVNsTMpRLm\
PKjNJgLIeJHbHG_FFXDEUBDS9CP7BM5AJ39G19E87CF6BL5ALW\
TLukNpjPliQhhScgT_fVWeXRdYNc_Jb`EabA`c6`gDekKioRnr\
YroWomVmjUjhZhecfchc`maZrZWvXUzVRzUOzTLzSIzRFzQCzP\
9zOAzkEzjIzjMziPziTzhXzh`zhczggzgzzfzzfzzfzzczzazz\
_zzYzzWzzUzzSzzQzzPzzNzzMzzLzzJzzIzzGzzFzzEzzCzzBz\
zAzz9zz8zzAzzCzzDzzFzzHzzIzzKzzLzzNzzPzzQzzSzzUvzV\
rzXmzYhz_czaazb`zd_zfZzgYziYzjXziXzhXzgXzfXzeXzdXz\
cXzbXzaXz`Xz_XzZXzZWzXWzV }
frm:MandelbrotBC3 { ; by several Fractint users
e=p1, a=imag(p2)+100
p=real(p2)+PI
q=2*PI*fn1(p/(2*PI))
r=real(p2)+PI-q
Z=C=Pixel:
Z=log(Z)
IF(imag(Z) > r)
Z=Z+flip(2*PI)
ENDIF
Z=exp(e*(Z+flip(q)))+C
|Z| < a }
END PARAMETER FILE=========================================
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times.
