FOTD -- January 04, 2013 (Rating 7.5) Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: Today's image is a variation of the 'New Year Surprise' image of January 1. As JackOTZ has already discovered, the parameter values of that image are very critical. (A tiny change makes a huge difference.) To show how critical, I have changed the exponent of Z from (-4.01) to (-4.0100001) and decreased the escape radius from 9 to 2.8. (I have also reduced the magnitude a bit and tweaked a few color registers, but these changes are insignificant.) The tiny change in the exponent makes a huge change in the image, while the tighter bailout radius changes the central rounded square to a kind of rounded letter-X, while narrowing the width of the surrounding bands of chaos. (Increasing the bailout causes the width of the bands to grow, until they finally fill the entire frame with chaos.) As is often the case, the name -- "Into the Boondocks" -- has little relation to the image. The rating of 7-1/2 might be a bit conservative, but I cannot give a super rating to a string of very similar images. The calculation time of 30 seconds leaves no excuse for those who claim to lack the time to do the calculation, especially when the finished image is available on the web sites. For instant viewing, check the finished image at: <http://www.crosscanpuzzles.com/Archives.html> And check the high-definition versions at: <http://www.emarketingiseasy.com/TESTS/FOTD/jim_muths_fotd.html> The back images are posted at: <http://www.Nahee.com/FOTD/> Partly cloudy skies with a temperature of 36F +2C, a breeze from the west, and a 5-inch 12cm pack of snow covering the ground made today here at Fractal Central totally typical for the start of January. The fractal cat passed the afternoon on the shelf in the southwest window, wishing the sun would stop turning off and on so often. The humans passed the day finishing the work. The next variation on the theme will be posted when the neat come home, and around here they come home every day at sunset. Until then, take care, and I never cease to be amazed at the emotionally-based but ineffective solutions to major problems that sincere people keep inventing. For example, to make the streets safer, why would any sensible person be against publish- ing a list of those who have committed crimes with illegally obtained guns, yet be in favor of publishing a list of law- abiding citizens who legally own guns? Jim Muth jimmuth@earthlink.net START PARAMETER FILE======================================= Into_the_Boondocks { ; time=0:00:30.00 SF5 at 2000MHZ reset=2004 type=formula formulafile=basicer.frm formulaname=SliceJulibrot4 passes=1 center-mag=0/0/\ 0.08621576 params=90/0/90/0/-1.64788477144322/0/0/0\ /-4.0100001/-6.2 float=y maxiter=3200 inside=0 symmetry=xaxis periodicity=0 colors=000000zz0570450340220110QIWNGTLEQIDNGBKE9HB\ 8E96B748435212_N8UJ6OF5IB4C72631ZG6TD5NA4H83B52521\ NHpIDeDAV96L43ASF2W7tT6oRczP5gM5cK4_I4WG3SD3OB2K92\ G61C418204CdrA`m9Xh8Tc7QZ6MU5IP4EK3BF27A135X8BS79O\ 68K56G45C34822411KpkHieFb_CXUAQO7JI5DC266alRXeNS_K\ NUGJODEIA9C6463DaKAUG7MC5F8274aRFXODTLBPIALF8GC6C9\ 5m00zzzzUzi4b`3VS2NI1F907Pj8Nf7Lb6J_6HW5FS4DP4BL39\ I37E25A1371130gSlcPg_McWKZSHVOFQKCMGAHC7D858424AUm\ 8Qg7Na6KX5GR4DM3AG26B135K35I24H24G24E23D23C13A1291\ 2812611501401200100sBInAGi9Fe8D`7CW6AS59N47I36E249\ 13401kRc_KUODKC6AwGcqE_lDWfBTaAPW8LR7IL5EG4AA27513\ XeCT`APW9MS8SsCWsCasBisBosAvzAzzAzdRzQftCvsLczOVqI\ cqRXqMRqOLqQEqS8qT2oV8nXEmZJl`PjbVid_hfeghkfjpcdn`\ _mYUkVPjSJhPEgM8eK3dG2Y9D4D2RA1K61D306Iu7Ei5AY47N2\ 3B1pDXlCUiBSfAQb9O_8MX8KT7IQ6GN5EJ4CG4AD3892661430\ 2GL1EJ0DI0CG0BF0AE09C08B0 } frm:SliceJulibrot4 {; draws all slices of Julibrot pix=pixel, u=real(pix), v=imag(pix), a=pi*real(p1*0.0055555555555556), b=pi*imag(p1*0.0055555555555556), g=pi*real(p2*0.0055555555555556), d=pi*imag(p2*0.0055555555555556), ca=cos(a), cb=cos(b), sb=sin(b), cg=cos(g), sg=sin(g), cd=cos(d), sd=sin(d), p=u*cg*cd-v*(ca*sb*sg*cd+ca*cb*sd), q=u*cg*sd+v*(ca*cb*cd-ca*sb*sg*sd), r=u*sg+v*ca*sb*cg, s=v*sin(a), esc=imag(p5)+9 c=p+flip(q)+p3, z=r+flip(s)+p4: z=z^(real(p5))+c |z|< esc } END PARAMETER FILE=========================================