FOTD -- August 01, 2003 (Rating 7) Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: Fractals are mysterious, and I enjoy mysteries. At the present moment, I have on the shelf beside my desk the July issues of both 'Fate' magazine and 'Skeptical Inquirer' magazine, two publications that are the antithesis of each other. This is notable because, by coincidence, the covers of both magazines feature the same thing -- pictures of supposed lake monsters. And the corresponding articles both report that, though sightings of such monsters are often claimed, the monsters have never been found. I have read both magazines for many years. Both concern them- selves with the paranormal, 'Fate' assuming that the paranormal likely does exist, 'Skeptical Inquirer' pointing out that so- called paranormal happenings can almost always be explained by natural means. Both magazines also have flaws. The anecdotal reports and the articles in 'Fate' often cannot be verified, and 'Skeptical Inquirer' has an agenda to uphold -- the promotion of the materialistic philosophies. IMO, the magazines do a nearly equal job in the promotion of their views, and reading one cancels the effect of reading the other. As a result, the mysteries are still there. They still remain unsolved, and therefore fascinating. The formula that created today's image is named Mystic2. This formula also is a kind of mystery. It draws only empty circles, but when this emptiness is given definition by an active inside fill, it takes on almost infinite variety. Keeping with the theme of the mysterious, I have named today's image "The Dance of Life". The emergence of life is still one of the greatest mysteries of science. The rating of a 7 might be a bit excessive, but I'm satisfied with it. The location of today's image is at the very southern extremity of the parent empty circle, the edge of which is visible near the bottom of the frame. The image vaguely resembles an alien landscape, though what might be going on in the sky is anybody's guess. To see the mysterious activity, it is necessary to run the attached parameter file for 2 minutes. The activity may also be seen by downloading the completed GIF file from: <http://home.att.net/~Paul.N.Lee/FotD/FotD.html> or from: <http://sdboyd.dyndns.org/~sdboyd/fotd/index.html> The cloudy weather here at Fractal Central on Thursday did not deter the dynamic cats. The temperature reached only 81F 27C, but it remained dry, and that was all the duo needed to give them an enjoyable afternoon in the yard. Today is again starting cloudy and cool. It remains to be seen if the rain will hold off. Regardless of the weather, I will return in 24 hours with the next amazing fractal. To be amazed, check back here at that time. Until then, take care, and see you in the mysterious Fractal Land. Jim Muth jamth@mindspring.com jimmuth@aol.com START 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE================================ The_Dance_of_Life { ; time=0:02:49.06--SF5 on a p200 reset=2002 type=formula formulafile=jim.frm formulaname=Mystic2 function=atanh passes=1 center-mag=+0.00112210713120296/-0.999985554468765\ 70/64027.68 params=-1.6/2.08/1.27/1.58/-2.52/0.23 float=y maxiter=95 inside=bof61 periodicity=10 colors=000qW4nYBl_Hi`NgbTecZQj2ESE2AP5BN8CMADLDDJ0\ 00IFHLGFNGEQHDSIBVJAXJ9VM8TR8SS7QX7O_6Nb6Lc5Kf5Ii4\ Gl4Fo3Dr3Cu3PvC`wKmwSyy_xpYxmWwhUxbSuYRwSPtNNwHLqC\ KtHMqLNnQPkUQhYRebTbfU_jVXimUimRimOimLhmIhmFhmChm9\ ga6gb3gc0gc3fb6fa9f`Cf_FfZHfYKfXNfWQfVTfUVfTYfS`fR\ cfQffPhfPi_VjU`kOelIkmCqn6vl8tjArhCpfEndFlbHj`Jh_L\ fYNdWObUQ`SSZQUXOWVNXUMYXLY_LYbOZ`Q_ZS`XVaVXbTZcSa\ dQceOefMhgKjhJliHojFqkDslBumAlhHccOVZUMU`DQfETjFWn\ FYrJVsNSsQPsUMsXJt`GtcDtgAtj8tlErnKppQnrVlt`jvfhxl\ fzqesk`leXe_T_VPTPLMJHGEDojJlfIjcIg_HeXHbUH`QGYNGW\ JFTGFRDFe_DtvCrWWq6on5mk4lh4je3ib3g_2fX2dU1cR1bW9f\ _HjcPmbQnaQo`Qp_QpZQqYRrXRsXRsWRtVRuUSvTSvSSwRSxRS\ xPWvNZuLatKdsIgrGjpFmoDpnBsmAvlKUVT1DR2EP2EN2EM2EK\ 3FI3FG3FF3FD4GB4G94G84G65H45H25H15Hd4RmTZvqewhbw``\ xSZxKXzLXqO_iRaaTcUWeMZgE`iLVkSPmZKoeEql8sr3tr9brF\ MrL5iQF`VOS_XJdeZHcZEbhNL } frm:Mystic2 {; Jim Muth a=real(p1), b=imag(p1), c=real(p2), d=imag(p2), k=real(p3), f=imag(p3), g=pixel, z=(pixel)^a+(b*(pixel))^c: z=(fn1(z)+(d*(g)))^k+(f*(cos(g))) g=sqr(g), LastSqr <= 100 } END 20.0 PAR-FORMULA FILE==================================