Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts:

The potential for today's image came into existence when I mixed 0.9 negative parts of Z^(-16) with 0.8 negative parts of Z^(4), then added 1/C on each iteration to create a parent fractal that consists of nothing more than a slightly distorted and undersized Mandelbrot set surrounded by looping filaments sprouting from various points of the M-set.  The actual image came about when I checked one of these filaments near the point where it sprouts from East Valley.

The name "Darker Shadows" refers not to a long-gone campy TV show, but to the overall mood of the image, which, with its deep purples and lurid golds, is not exactly a cheerful one.

The rating was held to a 7 because the central part of the color palette was borrowed from an image posted to the list recently.  I cannot give myself a bonus for a color palette that was partly created by someone else.

The calculation time of only 24 seconds approaches dangerously close to the speed of light.  If the image were too much faster, the calculation would actually exceed the speed of light and finish before it started.  I have no comment on what might happen if, after seeing the finished image, a curious fractalist decided not to start it.

A most delightful autumn day prevailed here at Fractal Central today.  The day began without the usual shroud of fog, and passed with a cloudless sky and a temperature of 61F 16C.  The fractal cats were more interested in playing with a left-over ladybug beetle than the outside conditions.

We the humans spent most of the time doing routine things, plus a little time pondering the mysteries of existence as well as politics.  As would be expected, we found no answers.  The next FOTD will be posted in 24 hours.  Until then, take care, and the answers to some of the greatest questions are right in front of us.  All we must do is match the answers to the right questions.

Jim Muth
jamth@mindspring.com
jimmuth@aol.com


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

Darker_Shadows     { ; time=0:00:24.00 SF5 at 2000MHZ
  reset=2004 type=formula formulafile=basicer.frm
  formulaname=MandAutoCritInZ function=recip
  center-mag=+3.783622574746059/-0.003358870239376/\
  4790313/1/-27.5/0 params=-0.9/-16/-0.8/4/0/0/0/0
  float=y maxiter=2000 inside=0 periodicity=6
  colors=000NFfTHi_JmfLpmNssOvqbVpq3rm6sj8tfAvcDw_Fx\
  XHueSrnaovkhtgbrcWp_QoWOkXNhXLdYKaYIYYHVZFRZEOZLPY\
  RPXYPWcQVjQUpQTvQSnVWg_Z`caUhdNmhGqk9vn2zq9qpFipL`\
  pRTo00A00K00A00K00A01DXCobPoc_ocfdZ`_KUUCFAC1AA2A0\
  00A08E1CK4GUAFcIEoSCuaAyzmzzzym4ua2oS0hI0ZA0O40C10\
  C10O40ZA0hI0oS0ua0ym0zy0ym0ua0oS0hI0ZA0O40C10000C1\
  0O40ZA0hI0oS0ua0ym0zy0ym0ua0oS0hI0ZA0O40C10000C10O\
  40ZA0hI0oS0ua0ym0zy0ym0ua0oS0hI0ZA0O40C10000C10O40\
  ZA0hI0oS0ua0ym0zy0ym0ua0oS0hI0ZA0O40C10000C10O40ZA\
  0hI0oS0ua0ym0zy0ym0ua0oS0hI0ZA0O40C10000C10O40ZA0h\
  I0oS0ua0ym0zy0ym0ua0oS0hI0ZA0O40C10000C10O40ZA0hI0\
  oS0ua0ym0zy0ym0ua0oS0hI0ZA0O40C10000C10O40ZA0hI0oS\
  0ua0ym0zy0ym0ua0oS0UoPRnPTlNVjLWhJYgHZeF`cDabBeZMh\
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  cHIeILgJPiKSkLVmMZoNaqNdsfWuzOvrCwk0vf2ub4tZ5tV7sR\
  9rNAqJCqFD_DKJBR29X9B`GDc }

frm:MandAutoCritInZ {; Jim Muth
a=real(p1), b=imag(p1), d=real(p2), f=imag(p2),
g=1/f, h=1/d, j=1/(f-b), z=(((-a*b*g*h)^j)+(p4)),
k=real(p3)+1, l=imag(p3)+100, c=fn1(pixel):
z=k*((a*(z^b))+(d*(z^f)))+c,
|z| < l }

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