[lurking mode=OFF] Jim Muth wrote:
FOTD -- March 15, 2008 (Rating 4)
Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts:
So today's image rates only a 4. What's wrong with a rating of a 4? I could rate it no higher because I put absolutely zero effort into the coloring. All the work was done by the Fractint program, which as today's image almost shows, sometimes creates unexpectedly good colors. [...]
'What's wrong with a rating of a 4?' Jim, with all due respect [and I mean: RESPECT], there are times when your rating system [here: the way you assign ratings to your fractals] makes it really hard for me to believe that it exists as something coherent and predictable, hopefully unaffected by weather, mood or stock market fluctuations. A coherent rating system for me would mean a system which takes into account a set of different aspects of the rated object, evaluates some of the most significant aspects (or all of them) and by combining these values it offers a usable way of placing the rating of the object somewhere between 'Isn't it wonderful!' and 'What a waste!'. A coherent system for me would allow to expect that a higher rating of an object means that some qualities of this object are above average and so make it more interesting, attractive and worthy of further exploration, while ratings lower than average would suggest that there is much lower chance that the image could be seen as attractive, interesting or promising for the fractal enthusiasts and explorers among us. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against including some personal factors (like your current mood, if you like the colours or the fractal formula, or if the fractal cats are content) into the pool of elements affecting the Final Rating, but most (if not all) of these elements should be focused on the object being evaluated rather than on the evaluation process or the evaluator. If two fishermen (A & B) went fishing and one of them (A) got back home with his fish in an hour, and (B) took six hours to catch the same amount of fish of the same kind and size, would you say that : 1. Fish is a fish, both would rate the same. 2. After 6 hours in the open the B's fish for evening meal tastes better. 3. (A) cannot rate a fish properly, if it took him 50 minutes to drive there and back home, and under 10 minutes to catch it. 4. If it was Friday, then the rating would have to be 5. 5. Fresh fish prepared by your Lady certainly deserves a 9.9 and a second helping. 6. Only very low or very high ratings attract people's attention these days. 7. (A) should call and consult (B) to learn how was his fish. 8. None of the above has any relation to fractal ratings. To make it more ON Topic: I have selected 15 tweaks of Jim's FOTD for 2009.03.15 and posted them to my Picasa album at: http://picasaweb.google.com/TeddyBear.GFX/UnderratedYouDecide?feat=directlin... If there is any interest, I have a Hi-Res (1280x1024) slideshow (Windows EXE around 170-200MB in size, created with XnView, playable at other resolutions as well) of these (and other) tweaks. Free hosting sites usually limit the file size to 100MB, so please suggest the solution that works best for you if you are interested. I can either split the file with WinRAR or create a smaller slideshow subset that fits the 100MB frame.
Tha name "Waiting for Autumn" makes no sense at all, except for those who live in the Southern Hemisphere. Up here on the 'top' side of the globe, we're waiting for spring.
Me too. The crocuses have started to open here, but the weather is cold and uninspiring.
I admit that the calculation time of 6-1/4 minutes is on the slow side, but watching fractals calculate is almost fun.
Isn't it strange and sad, when there is almost no trace of this fun left in the final rating?
The high temperature of 54F 12C made up for the hazy skies and weak sun here at Fractal Central on Saturday. But Nicholas, the oversized black British Shorthair fractal cat took little notice. He spent most of the day nursing his sore tail, which somehow got caught behind a closing door this morning. Given several extra treats of tuna, both Nicholas and his tail will survive. Cassie, the small blue-cream calico, bristled to twice her size when she heard Nicholas yell when his tail got caught in the door. But she soon deflated, and by evening all was forgotten and forgiven, with two contented cats curled on the living room rug. Except for the cat excitement, my day was average.
Somehow, I had a feeling that the rating for this fractal also got caught behind a closing door. If only fractals could meow and yell... Ted