; Date: Tue, 18 Jun 2002 11:54:15 -0400 ; From: Jim Muth ; Subject: [Fractint] FOTD 18-06-02 (Squaring the Circle [6]) ; Id: <1.5.4.16.20020618115429.38df956e@pop.mindspring.com> ; --------- ; FOTD -- June 18, 2002 (Rating 6) ; ; Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts: ; ; I recently got hooked by one of those science book club offers. ; This club gives a joining gift of five popular science books at ; a bargain price in return for the obligation to purchase at ; least one not-so-popular science book at full price within a ; year. ; ; The books I received are mostly about the effort to apply ; Quantum Mechanics to the universe at large and find a Theory of ; Everything. (Via something like those trendy super-strings, I ; assume.) (I also noticed a recent letter from Osher Doctorow on ; the Fractint list about the topic.) ; ; Finding a T.O.E. is fine, but is the T.O.E. the books tell of ; really about *everything*? So far, I have had time only to skim ; the books, but in none of the indexes do I find an entry for ; mind or consciousness. It is as though the mind that is doing ; the searching does not exist, or if it does, is not included in ; the set of everything. ; ; Maybe self-awareness is simply too spooky for any respectable ; scientist to take a serious interest in. Maybe it is so ; mysterious that serious scientists would never tackle the ; problem for fear of being labelled soft on mysticism. ; ; I also find myself concerned that the theory of everything, when ; and if it comes and whether or not it includes the mind, will be ; in the form of mathematics so abstruse that only the initiated ; will be able to comprehend it. I do not want to settle for a ; watered-down version in a popularized (simplified) book, which ; will demand faith in the words I read. ; ; I want a theory that I can think about, understand, and connect ; to the 'real' world. I want to be able to say, 'yes, that ; explains everything', and observe the proof. (I realize that ; this will not happen.) A theory, the proof of which can be ; comprehended only by the high priests of science, would be of no ; satisfaction at all. In fact, IMO, it would border on ; mysticism. But then, considering how little of the world of ; science the common man can actually observe, science has been ; bordering on mysticism for the past 100 years. ; ; I'll have many more thoughts on this topic as I work my way ; through the five books. ; ; And by the way, there is a fractal for today -- another midget. ; This one is found in a prominent valley of the fractal that ; results when Z^(-1.54) is added to Z^(-15.4). I named today's ; picture "Squaring the Circle", and impossibility we learn in ; high school, and rated it a not-too-bad 6. The render time of 6 ; minutes is not bad either. For convenience, the completed GIF ; image is available for download on the W.W.Web at Paul's site: ; ; ; ; and at Scott's site: ; ; ; ; Monday's weather here at Fractal Central was near perfect, ; making for contented cats and a pleased fractalist. The ; temperature of 82F 28C was made even more comfortable by the dry ; atmosphere, and best of all, at least 2 more similar days are ; forecast. The cats will be ecstatic. ; ; With a day's work before me, I'm not quite ecstatic, but ecstasy ; is within my grasp if only I play my cards right. While ; deciding which card to lead, I'll get a little real work ; finished. Until next time, which will arrive in about 72 hours, ; take care, and when the theory of everything appears, be sure it ; really explains everything, including why we need a theory of ; everything. ; ; ; Jim Muth ; jamth@mindspring.com ; jimmuth@aol.com ; ; ; START PARAMETER FILE================================ SquaringTheCircle { ; time=0:06:28.87--SF5 on a P200 reset=2002 type=formula formulafile=allinone.frm formulaname=MandelbrotMix4 function=recip passes=1 center-mag=+2.13533630348576/-0.000841184669495/28\ 39969/1/72.5/-2.86436934102130003e-008 params=1/-1\ .54/1/-15.4/0/525 float=y maxiter=1300 inside=0 logmap=110 colors=000HSEHVGHZIHbKHeMHiOHlQHpSHsUHw\ WHzXLvZPr`SobWkdZgfbdhe`jiYllUnjQhsNrwJtzGvrMsjRpb\ WnV`kNeiFjf8od7j`7fY7bV7YR7UO7QL7LHzzz7DBwmHonJmbK\ jSMhGNf5ObBP_GQWLRTQSPVTM_UIdVFiWBnX8sY5xZAsZEnZIi\ ZMdZQ_ZUVZYQZaLZeGZqGYpHXpHWpHWpHVpHUpHUpHTpHToHSo\ HRomRoHQoHPoHPoHOoHOlJRiKTfLWcMY`N`YPbVQeSRgPSiMTl\ JVnGWqDXsAYv7Zx4_z7Wv9TrCQnENjHKfJHcME_OBWR8ST5OV2\ LU8OTDQTITSNVSSXRX_RaaQfcQkfPphPujSogUidWcbYY__SXa\ MVcGSeAPg5Ni4Rj3Uk2Ym2`n1do0gp0jl6hhBgdGe`LdXQbTVa\ P__LdZHiXDnW9sU5xTEtWMqZVmabjdkfgscjudaweUyfMzgEqb\ IhYM_TQROUJKXLL_NMaPNdROfTPhUQkWRmYSo_TraUtbUvcXuc\ Zuc`tdbtdesdgseirekrenqfpqfrpftpfvpgkcgaRgSEdUJaVO\ _WSXXXVYaSZeQ_jN`oLasS_nZZie_dl`_saVpbWmcWjdWgeWdf\ WagWahWciWejWgkWilWkmWmnWooWqpWsqWurewsozukzwhzxez\ ybzzZzzWzzTzzQzzMzzJzzGzzDzz9zz6zz3zz0zz5zzAzzFzzK\ zzPzzUzzYzzXzzWzzVzzUzzTzzSzzRzzAzzC } frm:MandelbrotMix4 {; 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, 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================================== ; ;