Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts:

On Saturday I checked deeper into a recently posted image named 'The Shrine', which was posted recently by Albrecht and is one of the most impressive fractal shrines I have ever seen.  I would have rated it a 9.  Not all that deep into the Shrine image I found the quadratic minibrot at the center of today's FOTD image, something I would never have expected to find.

Actually, I had already found a quartic minibrot in one of the multifractal_10 images, so I should not have been so surprised.  Anyway, here is the 'image in the image' in all its glory.

Since the parent of today's FOTD image and most of its color palette are not of my own creation, I could give the image no rating.  The name "Surprising Shrine" should surprise no one.

The multifractal_10 formula, which is more like a fractal program than a mere formula, is too long to include in the parameter file.  But it is readily available on the Fractint list.

The calculation time of 7-1/2 minutes is rather slow. The image is available, in high definition, at:

http://www.emarketingiseasy.com/TESTS/FOTD/jim_muths_fotd.html

the original FOTD web site may be accessed at:

      http://www.Nahee.com/FOTD/

though it is not up to date.

With enough spare time to relax on Saturday for a change, my philosophical urges had a great day.  Taking a book of eastern philosophy from the book shelf in the FC hallway, I sat down to read.  As usually happens when I read this kind of stuff, I was soon doing more thinking than reading.

I recalled how mystics have always claimed to have found the answers to the big questions of life, but have never been able to communicate those answers to outsiders.  I compared this inability to communicate mystical revelation with the inability of physicists to communicate the facts of contemporary physics to outsiders, and in some cases, even to fully understand the meaning of what they themselves discover.

I recalled how mystics have always claimed that only a small part of the totality of existence is observable by the human senses.  I compared this inability to observe the greater part of mystical existence to the present day claims of physicists that the greater part of the universe is invisible.  They refer to the missing part as dark matter and dark energy.

I recalled how mystics have always claimed that time and space are illusions.  I compared this to the theory of relativity, which shows that time and space are not at all what they appear to be from our limited perspective.  This means that there is no such thing as a universal present moment of time, and an event lying in one observer's past could lie in another observer's future.

I recalled how mystics have always claimed that the world consists of many levels, which they refer to as 'planes of existence'.  I compared this to the present day theories claiming that our physical universe might be but one of an infinite number of universes in one all-encompassing multiverse.  Some theorists even go so far as to claim that any universe that is even remotely possible must exist an infinity of times.

I recalled how mystics have always claimed that the higher 'planes' consist of a greater number of spatial dimensions.  I compared this to theories such as string theory, which need at least ten dimensions in which to work.

I recalled how mystics have always claimed that separateness is an illusion, and beneath the surface, all is combined into a unified whole, which they refer to as the ultimate reality.  I compared this to Bohm's 'undivided wholeness' interpretation of quantum reality, which claims that beneath the surface, the universe is an undivided single something.  I don't think anyone has yet identified this something as the creative power we refer to as God.

Most scientists consider these similarities to be no more than unlikely coincidences.  But to me it seems even more unlikely that two disciplines, such as mysticism and science, with such disagreements between them and such differing methods of investigation, have found such curious and non-intuitive similarities.

I do not see these coincidences as implying that science has proved the truth of mysticism, but I wonder what others think of such an unlikely agreement between such different disciplines as mysticism, based as it is on inner subjective experience and the scientific method, based on controlled objective verification.

Heavy clouds and morning rain made Saturday a day to be forgotten here at Fractal Central.  The fractal cats forgot the day almost before it began.  The first thing they wanted was breakfast.  The humans had a more relaxing day, since they had no need to meow for their food.

The next FOTD will be posted in 24 hours.  Until then, take care, recognize nonsense when you see it, and realize that such nonsense may sometimes be true.

Jim Muth
jamth@mindspring.com


START PARAMETER FILE=======================================

Surprising_Shrine  { ; time=0:07:32.04-SF5 on P4-2000
  reset=2004 type=formula formulafile=multi.frm
  formulaname=multifractal_10 function=tan/exp/exp/\
  sin passes=1 center-mag=+0.32969507160254110/0/\
  82537.09/1/180 params=-0.05825983458967864/0.37852\
  10730307932/56715.06595750222/14235.4911030602/\
  152048.0404808048/384.1604894048/384.00482000595/\
  128.1007683001/256.1007683001/512.1007683001
  float=y maxiter=3000 inside=maxiter outside=tdis
  logmap=7 symmetry=xaxis periodicity=0 rseed=-2436
  colors=000zU0AzGBSHBmHBzzzz0BPHBOHBOHCNHCMHCLICLIC\
  KICJICJIDIIDHIDGIDGIDFJDEJDEJEDJECJEBJEBJEAJE9JD8I\
  E9JE9JE9KEAKEAKEALEBLEBLEBMECMECNFCNFCNzDzFDOFDOFE\
  PFEPFEPFFQFFQFFRFFRGGRGGSGGSGHSGHTGHTGIUGIUGIUGIVG\
  JVGJVHJWHKWHKWHKXHLXHLYHLYHLYHMZHMZHMZHN_IN_IN`IO`\
  IO`IOaIOaIPaIPbIPbIQbIQcJQcJRdJRdJRdJSeJSeJSeJSfJT\
  fJTgJTgJUgKUhKUmKVmKVmKVmKVmKWwKWwKWwKXwKXwKczLczL\
  czLczLczLczLczLczLczLczLczLczLczMczMczMczMmzMmzMmz\
  MmzMmzMmzMmzMmzNmzMmzMmzMmzMmzMmzMmzMmzMmzMmzLmzLm\
  zLmzLmzLmzLmzLmzLmzLmzLmzKmzKmzKmzKmzKmzKmzKmzKmzK\
  mz000MWITYH__GfaEmcDseCn`BjWAeR9aM8XH7TC6O75K24P9B\
  UFIZLP0008UZ8QW8NS8JP8FL8CIDCHICFNCESCCXCAaB9fB7kB\
  6pA4uA2zA0xA0uA0sA0pA0nA0kA0iA0fA1dA1aA1_A1XA1VA1S\
  A1QA1NA1LA1IA2G92D92FC3IG4KJ5NN7PQ8SU9UXAW`BYcC`gE\
  ckFenHhrIdqMapQYoTUnXRm_NlcJkgFfpAazEXwITuLOrPJoSF\
  lWAi_5fc0ce7_jFRoNIzb0wg0 }

END PARAMETER FILE=========================================