You've probably noticed that people are running around drinking green beer, pinching and kissing one another. Yes, it is St. Patrick's Day. But, the other day was Pi Day. So, this week's Friday Fractal was due to be sandwiched between two contrasting holidays, one objective and arbitrary, one colorful and subjective. It seemed to me that a fractal would be the perfect opportunity to combine these two contrasting worlds, and explore the fuzzy edge between.
I began with the usual Julia set, and threw in a slice of pi. Usually, in this Julia set, "z" represents a pixel. We tell the computer that "z" equals itself multiplied exponentially with a complex number and added to another complex number, called the "seed." (z = z^power + seed) This is calculated for each pixel. If the result lands inside the set, it gets a color. Otherwise it stays blank. (Or in this case, sort of a dirty red.) In this fractal, instead of using a complex number for the exponent, I used pi. Then, since we're three days past 3.14 (Pi day) I used -0.03 as the seed. There's the objective side. To honor St. Patrick's day, I used the greenish hues drawn from a patch of clover to color the fractal. The result is round, yet complex. It seems to hint at spring, as well, with little caterpillars crawling about. But that's the subjective side... and up for you to decide:
A Slice of Clover Pi
(Click below the fold for a note which has nothing to do with Pi or Saints.)
Note: I've been posting lightly (and late) over the past few weeks, as I've been working too much. So, while I've been posting light distractions like art and games, I've gotten a fair amount of serious writing done. Never fear, because spring break is quickly approaching. Then I can relax and seek distractions, while posting my more serious pieces. It works for me. In the meantime, enjoy the break!
All fractals made by the author using ChaosPro
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I've started a climate change project called proxEarth.org. Many people have blogs, websites, and use social software sites (social networking, social bookmarking, photo and video sharing, etc.). Some standards for tags and text on blogs, websites, and social software sites could turn the whole global Internet into a kind of Web 2.0 participation platform for climate change. Iâm suggesting a few simple standards for tags and text that leverage processes of the sustainable ProxThink growth model. To get this going, we need people to adopt and use these standards. The project could also use contributors, collaborators, partners, funders and sponsors. To find out more, see: