Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts:  

If my records are correct, (which is not at all certain), today is the 16th anniversary of the day I introduced myself and posted the first fractal to the Fractal Art list.  To celebrate the momentous occasion, I have reposted my original introduction to the Fractal Art list.

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Hi everyone:

I'm Jim Muth.  I'll introduce myself by telling a bit of my background.  I am a short-story writer, graphic designer and armchair philosopher, living in a large East Coast city (Baltimore, MD) in the U.S.A.  I became interested in fractals back in the 1980's, when the first article about the Mandelbrot set appeared in the Scientific American Magazine.

I have always had a desire to explore unknown regions, but found myself frustrated because the unknown parts of this world have already been almost totally explored and the vast unknown places of other worlds are yet to be reached.  The world of fractals in a strange way fulfills that desire.

To me, fractals are mystical things, objects of a world neither real nor unreal.  I am fascinated by them, by the tremendous enigma of their existence, by the way they go on and on forever -- infinity reduced to the size of a computer screen.  I am fascinated by the simplicity of the mathematics behind them, as well as by the incredible pictures they make.  But I am fascinated most of all by their philosophical aspect.  As I work with them, I constantly wonder what they are, and what do their beautiful patterns mean.

What is a fractal?  The answer is simple -- the mapping of a recursive function to the screen".  But stop a moment to consider the Mandelbrot set, one of the simplest fractals.  How many Mandelbrot sets exist, one or many?  If the Mandelbrot set is merely the image that appears on a computer screen when the formula Z^2+C is reiterated, then thousands of identical Mandelbrot sets are constantly coming into existence and vanishing as thousands of computers are switched on and off worldwide.  If these images are separate entities, then why are they identical?  Apparently, a unity lies behind the separate images.

But if the Mandelbrot set is a single object that has an existence beyond the ephemeral images that flicker on the world's computer screens, then the question arises, "what type of existence does this archetypal Mandelbrot set possess?"  Is it real, imaginary or virtual?  The question sounds almost comical until one thinks about it.  One might also ask, "did the Mandelbrot set exist before computers were invented?"

Questions such as these are not so easily answered.  In some ways the Mandelbrot set is no more than an idea, a potentiality like sub-atomic particles, which according to certain interpretations of quantum theory, do not come into existence until they are actually observed.

Are fractals good art?  This is a question with as many answers as there are people who answer it, for good art exists in the mind of the beholder.  If a person glances at a fractal image and passes on without second thought, then to that person fractals are not art.  But if a person sees a degree of beauty in a fractal image, if that image fills the person with a sense of awe and wonder, then fractals are indeed art.

To me, fractals are art of the highest order.  I have created many thousands of them over the past ten years, most of which have long since been discarded.  But those discarded images still exist somewhere out there, like ghosts lost in the ether, waiting for the time when some unknown enthusiast enters the same magic formula into a computer, and once again brings them to life.

In future postings I'll have much more to say, some things not quite so philosophical, others far more so.

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When I wrote this I had no idea of the number fractals I would post to various lists in the future.

As for today's image, it is a scene on the negative X-axis of a Mandelbrot set corrupted by Z^(10.9) energies.  The scene is located at a point where the main spike has divided into two main branches, with today's image lying between the branches.

I have adjusted the escape radius (the real(p2) parameter) to place the scene at the edge of annihilation, where the swiss cheese effect is at a minimum.

The name "Random Arabesque" is the first phrase that came to mind as I studied the image in search of a name.

In my opinion, which is what counts, the art is worth an 8 and the math worth a 7.  The calculation time of just over 2 minutes will pass quiclky enough, though the web sites can cut the wait still further.

Today began with clouds threatening snow, but the snow remained well to the south and the clouds broke in the afternoon, leading to a pleasant but chilly day with a temperature of 36F +2C.  Fractal cat No.2 went to the vet's office this morning, where the doctor told her that she had followed his instructions to the letter and could once again run free.  Fractal cat No.1 greeted her with enthusiasm when she returned, but warned her to slow down when she got too frisky with him, working off some of her stored-up energy.  The humans were glad that the fractal cat situation is back to normal.

The next FOTD will probably be posted in 24 hours.  Most FOTD's are.  Until then, take care, and why is the U.S. so bothered that the Crimeans have voted to be free.  I thought we're always fighting with the 'enemies of freedom' to defend the right to a free democratic vote.


Jim (it's all politics) Muth
jimmuth@earthlink.net


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

Random_Arabesque   { ; time=0:02:10.00 SF5 at 2000MHZ
  reset=2004 type=formula formulafile=basicer.frm
  formulaname=FinDivBrot-2 function=recip passes=1
  center-mag=-1.7434356542/0/446449/1/90/0
  params=10.9/1000000000000.0/-12.95/0 float=y
  maxiter=1500 inside=0 periodicity=6
  colors=000FpyE_qDKiMQ_UWRaaIbTFbKCbBAXMCRWELfGGpHC\
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  5B7_JJSFFLBBE77733cb5WV4ON3GF2871V6cQ5YM4SH3MD2H81\
  B405nr`Y_OHICAqb6_Q3IDhDzbBrX9jS8bM6VG4NB3F517ivq_\
  jfRZWINL9BAHClEAcB8W86O54G228`rGTgCMX9EM67B3zlmKzr\
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  G8IA5C526cBaZ9XU8SP6NK5JF4EA29514UOlPKeLHZHDSCAL86\
  E4376uL5lI4dF3XC2O91G6083 }

frm:FinDivBrot-2   { ; Jim Muth
z=(0,0), c=pixel, a=-(real(p1)-2),
esc=(real(p2)+16), b=imag(p1):
z=(b)*(z*z*fn1(z^(a)+b))+c
|z| < esc }

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