FOTD -- April 26, 2005 (Rating 5) Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: Today's fractal takes us into the wilderness created by the formula Z^(1.5)+C, where we investigate a valley with a tiny midget in it. The name "Ace and a Half" refers to the exponent of Z. All in all it's an average fractal, perhaps with a bit more delicate feathery detail than usual, but still worth no more than a rating of 5. The render time of over 24 minutes is a bit excessive for such an average image, so the better choice may be to download the completed GIF image from the FOTD web site at: <http://home.att.net/~Paul.N.Lee/FotD/FotD.html> My philosophical thoughts continue, but are unorganized. Right now, I am wondering exactly what is meant by statements such as 'the present state of the universe' or 'at the present time, the universe is 15-billion years old'. Relativity shows that there is no such thing as a present moment of time that exists through- out the universe, since everything in it is in relative motion. Are different parts of the universe a different age even though they all supposedly started at the same time in the same 'big bang' event? Are we seeing the 'twin paradox' in action? Per- haps the whole concept of a universe is a fantasy we invented to squeeze things down to a level that is somewhat intuitive. I'll do some pondering on this situation in the days to come. The weather here at fractal headquarters on Monday was partly cloudy, but the high temperature of 63F 17C was a bit chilly and the brisk wind increased the chill. Seeing these conditions, the intrepid cat duo ventured bravely forth into the yard. They met with little excitement there, and were quite satisfied when they returned to civilization an hour later. My day was satis- factorily busy, with the philosophy progressing slowly. Today is starting sunny, but clouds and rain are due by evening. Hopefully, the cats will finish their adventure early. The next FOTD is due in 24 hours, and the chance of it appearing at that time is almost certain. Until then, take care, and what time is it? Jim Muth jamth@mindspring.com jimmuth@aol.com START PARAMETER FILE======================================= Ace_and_a_Half { ; time=0:24:37.67--SF5 on a P200 reset=2004 type=formula formulafile=allinone.frm formulaname=MandelbrotBC2 passes=1 center-mag=+0.99063222857496640/+0.778814550180425\ 30/4624.491 params=1.5/0/0/0 float=y maxiter=10000 inside=0 logmap=366 periodicity=0 colors=000UvKUvJTwIRxJTwIVtIXqIZnI`kIbhIdeIfbIg_Ii\ XIkUImRIoOIqLIsIIuFIvCIuFIuHIuJItMItOItQIsTIsVIsXI\ sZIraIrcIreIqhIqjIqlIpmFqnIroLspOtqRurUvsXwt_xubyv\ errjysgxtXwqMxqAvoBumBtlCsjCriCqgDpeDodDnbEmaEl_Ek\ YFjXFiVGhUGgSGfQHePHdNHcMIbKIaII`HJ_FJZEJ_FM`GPaHR\ aIUbJXcKZcLadMceNfeOifPkgQnfQqgRpgRpgSpgSpgTpgTpgU\ pgUogVogVogVogWogWogXogXogYngYngZngZng_ng_ng_ng`ng\ bmgdmgfmghmgjmglmgmminmkokmniongqmesmctmaul_vlYwlZ\ xk_yk`zjayjbxjbwicuidtieshfrhgqhgpghoginfjmfklflke\ mjemienhdogdpfcqecrdcrcbsbbtabu`av_aw`cy_awZ`vY_uX\ ZtWYrVXqUWpTVoSUmRTlQSkPRjOQhNPgNOfMNeLMcKLbJKaIJ`\ HIZGHYFGXEFWDEUCDTBCSABRBAQCBRDBSECTFCUGCVHDWIDXJD\ YKEZLE_MF`NFaOFbPGbQGcRGdSHeTHfUIgVIhWIiXJjYJkZJl_\ Km`KnaLnbLocLpdMqeMrgMsiNtkNumOvoOwqOxsPyuPzwPzxRz\ ySzzUzzVzzWzzYzzZzz_zzazzbzzdzzczzczzczzbzzbzzbzza\ zzazzazz`zz`zz`zz_zztzzuz } frm:MandelbrotBC2 { ; by several Fractint users e=p1, a=imag(p2)+100 p=real(p2)+PI q=2*PI*floor(p/(2*PI)) r=real(p2)-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=========================================