Misc Picture VA001 - The First Fractal I SawI've always been fascinated with fractals since I read the cover article "Exploring the Mandelbrot Set" in the August 1985 issue of Scientific American. I knew nothing about fractals at the time so this article was kind of a revelation to me. I assimilated the underlying math and quickly wrote a program for the HP-150 Touchscreen computer in Turbo Pascal, which could render the Mandelbrot set in 9 ersatz shades as well as zoom into it. Then Windows 3 was introduced and I wrote a Windows program in C which did the same, but it was a real chore as I had to work at a very low level, calling the Windows API for everything (message processing, etc) in a pure text environment, no GUI for the C editor/compiler. Then VB was released and I wondered if using it would make a difference.
It did. The VB program ran 7x slower but developing it was 7x faster and much easier and convenient, real fun instead of real chore. That was it back then but 30 years later (2016) I found the VB program in an old HDD and tried it on my Windows XP. It ran, but it was extremely limited, rendering just the original Mandelbrot set in 16 colors with minimal zoom capabilities and that's it. I then decided it would be fun to try and relive the old times by writing a new, more capable fractal program just for my own use, and using the very same 30-year old, 16-bit programming language and 20-year old, 32-bit OS absolutely from scratch, beginning from a blank form and nothing else. The result is FractVal 1.0, which follows these guidelines:
A simple formula, a simple palette and a simple rendering algorithm.
And that's it. The images FractVal produces can be described and recreated with few parameters because they do not depend on artistic choices or techniques, they're renderings of mathematical objects mostly independent of who's generating them: the palette may be specified, it may be rendered with one simple algorithm or another but the resulting image will essentially depend on the fractal object itself. Last but not least, they're indefinitely explorable and you'll actually feel The Call of Discovery: "To eagerly find amazing locations no one has ever seen before". Literally (and if you don't record their parameters no one will ever explore them again. Literally !.) Misc Picture VA001 - The First Fractal I Saw
This is an approximate FractVal rendition (from memory) of the very first fractal image I saw in the cover of the August 1985 issue of Scientific American. The palette and framing (and even the location !) will surely be a little different from the original cover but the impression it made on me is the same, a sheer feeling of awe and fervent desire to do my own exploring of it.
The Scientific American's article itself, "Exploring the Mandelbrot Set", was a fantastically enthralling read which gave lots of useful explanations that helped me to write my very own program soon after (using Turbo Pascal, on the HP-150 Touchscreen computer no less, using 3x3 blocks to simulate shades of gray on its monochromatic screen) to render this most fascinating set. It was very crude but a beginning, and FractVal is just the latest step so far.
Misc Picture VA002 - Sample - Multiverse
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me a depiction of a Multiverse where individual Universes exist separated from each other. cf. Wikipedia: "The multiverse is a hypothetical group of multiple universes. Together, these universes comprise everything that exists [...] The different universes within the multiverse are called 'parallel universes', [...]".
Misc Picture VA003 - Sample - Flaming Teapot
"Rorschach": This fractal image reminds me of a fiery teapot, complete with flaming steam and all.
Misc Picture VA004 - Sample - Bullet Shockwave
"Rorschach": This fractal image clearly resembles a bow shock, the kind of shockwave produced by the supersonic flight of a bullet or other blunt objects.
Misc Picture VA006 - Sample - Frisbee in Flight
"Rorschach": A fractal image resembling a frisbee in flight, complete with its slipstream and all, cf. Wikipedia: "A slipstream is a region behind a moving object in which a wake of fluid is moving at velocities comparable to the moving object, relative to the ambient fluid through which the object is moving."
Misc Picture VA007 - Sample - Pastel Heart
"Rorschach": This fractal image
Misc Picture VA009 - Sample - Cosmic Panspermia
Misc Picture VA010 - Sample - Fiery Maelstrom
"Rorschach": This fractal image resembles a whirlpool, which Wikipedia says "is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones in seas or oceans may be termed maelstrom".
Misc Picture VA012 - Sample - Baroque Works
Misc Picture VA013 - Sample - Dodging the Black Hole
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me like a number of ships doing their best to dodge the black hole's event horizon in an attempt to avoid falling into it, cf. Wikipedia: "An event horizon is a boundary beyond which events cannot affect an observer [...] John Michell proposed that gravity can be strong enough in the vicinity of massive compact objects that even light cannot escape".
Misc Picture VA014 - Sample - Will of D
Misc Picture VA016 - Sample - Winding Gateway
Misc Picture VA017 - Sample - Salvaging Titanic
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me like the view from a deep-diving submersible as it approaches some wreck at the bottom of the ocean, let's say Titanic's. Cf. Wikipedia: "Titanic's wreck lies over 12,000 feet (3,700 m) below the surface, in a location where the water pressure is over 6,500 pounds per square inch (450 bar)".
Misc Picture VA018 - Sample - Snow Crystals
"Rorschach": This fractal image totally looks to me like the ice crystals which form snowflakes, which Wikipedia defines as " a single ice crystal that has achieved a sufficient size, and may have amalgamated with others, which falls through the Earth's atmosphere as snow. [...] Complex shapes emerge as the flake moves through differing temperature and humidity zones in the atmosphere [...]".
Misc Picture VA020 - Sample - Greyscale Palette
Misc Picture VA023 - Sample - Cellular Mitosis
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me as cells undergoing a process or mitosis, which Wikipedia describes as "a part of the cell cycle in which replicated chromosomes are separated into two new nuclei. Cell division by mitosis gives rise to genetically identical cells in which the total number of chromosomes is maintained".
Misc Picture VA040 - Sample Mandel Types Mosaic
Misc Picture VA042 - Sample Mandel Type
"Rorschach": This image of a fractal I serendipitously discovered (perhaps others did too) while playing around with assorted formulae, looks to me like a Jet Fighter climbing upwards at great speed, like the F-16 depicted at right, cf. Wikipedia: "A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines [... , which] achieve maximum efficiency at speeds close to or even well above the speed of sound".
Misc Picture VA044 - Sample Mandel Type
Misc Picture VA045 - Sample Mandel Type
Misc Picture VA050 - Sample Julia Type
"Rorschach": This fractal image quite resembles a heraldic dragon in passant attitude, similar to the heraldic Welsh dragon as seen in the Welsh flag (other than the red color, which can be easily realized by using a suitable palette).
Misc Picture VA051 - Sample Julia Type
Misc Picture VA052 - Sample Monochromatic Palette
Misc Picture VA054 - Sample Trichromatic Palette
Misc Picture VA055 - Sample Palettes Mosaic
Misc Picture VA056 - Sample Palette Offsets Mosaic
Misc Picture VA057 - Sample Palette Offsets Mosaic
Misc Picture VA058 - Sample Palette Offsets Mosaic
Misc Picture VA059 - Sample Palette Offsets Mosaic
Misc Picture VA060 - Sample Zoom Mosaic
Misc Picture VA062 - Sample Zoom Mosaic
Misc Picture VA063 - Sample Overlaid Julia Mapping
Misc Picture VA064 - Sample Julia Mapping
This fractal image is a Julia Mapping, displaying a 32x32 cell grid containing 1,024 Julia sets associated with this particular fractal set, which can be considered as a catalog of all of them, each point in the fractal being associated with exactly one Julia set.
If you look carefully, the most interesting-looking Julia sets are those near the fractal's boundary, while the ones inside are featureless solid black and the ones far away get diffused into fractal dust. Also, the whole cell grid image at left looks like a "pixelated" version of the high-resolution fractal image at right (albeit with a different palette).
Misc Picture VA066 - Sample Overlaid Julia Mapping
Misc Picture VA068 - Sample Julia Mosaic
Misc Picture VA072 - Sample Julia Mosaic
Misc Picture VA074 - Sample Overlaid Julia Mosaic
Misc Picture VA078 - Sample No Antialiasing
Misc Picture VA079 - Sample With Antialiasing
Misc Picture VA080 - Sample No Antialiasing
Misc Picture VA081 - Sample With Antialiasing
Misc Picture VA086 - Sample Translucent Layers
Misc Picture VA091 - Sample Palette Offsets Mosaic
Misc Picture VA093 - Sample Textured Traps
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks like a whirlpool of shiny aluminium foil decorated with gold leaf, like the one you'd use to wrap presents.
Misc Picture VA094 - Sample Video - Cellular Genesis 
This is not an image but an example of one of the types of videos that FractVal can generate. Many fractal programs can generate videos, but usually they are of what I call the "static" kind, i.e: (I) the video will zoom into/out of the fractal object or it will pan from one part to another, or a combination of both, or (II) they will also generate videos where the palette is cycled or altered in some way or another, making the fractal object change colors or lighting continuously or after some other fashion.
This is all very well and very nice, and of course FractVal can also generate those kinds of videos, but notice something important: the fractal object is static, it does not vary at all while the video runs. You see different parts of it at different zoom levels and/or with different palettes but the fractal object does not essentially change, it might be distorted or a false perspective might be added but it stays put, it doesn't evolve, it's absolutely static, frozen in time for the video's duration.
ValFract, on the other hand, can generate a Type III kind of video, where the fractal object itself isn't static but evolves as the video goes on, it doesn't remain the same, it changes or moves on its own, it's alive. While other fractal programs show you just pretty pictures of an instant in the life of a fractal, static pictures, FracVal allows you to explore The Secret Life of a Fractal and see what it does and what happens to it. And of course, you can mix this fractal activity with zooms, pans, palette changes and whatever for incredibly beautiful and truly amazing results.
In this particular Sample Video, titled "Cellular Genesis", you can watch a few scattered figments of DNA beginning to slowly evolve, to combine and form ever-complex cells, true evolution in a mathematical fractal universe. And remember, each frame is a static image which can be indefinitely zoomed, potentially having all the infinite detail of the fractal object it renders.
For filesize and server space reasons this sample video has frames about 16 times smaller than the original I made, and it runs at 10 fps instead of 25 fps, plus other size-related limitations, but it will certainly give you a very good idea of what's possible. Video details: 12.8 Mbytes, 40 seconds long, 320x240 frames at 10 fps, DivX format in an .avi container).
Misc Picture VA095 - Sample Video Type I - Zoom
This is an example of one of the types of videos that FractVal can generate, Type I, the variant where the video features a fractal object being zoomed-in or out at some speed. In this particular video the original Mandelbrot fractal is zoomed-in at a very fast speed.
For filesize and server space reasons this sample video has frames about 4 times smaller than the original I made and it runs at 20 fps instead of 25 fps, plus other size-related limitations which affect quality, but it will give you a good idea of what's possible. Video details: 5.08 Mbytes, 12 seconds long, 640x480 frames at 20 fps, DivX format in an .avi container).
Misc Picture VA096 - Sample Video Type II - Palette
This is an example of one of the types of videos that FractVal can generate, Type II, the variant where the video features a fractal object whose palette is being rotated or altered in some way at a certain speed to generate a number of effects, such as ever-changing lighting and such. In this particular example a cute denizen of the fractal universe changes looks fast.
For filesize and server space reasons this sample video has frames about 4 times smaller than the original I made and it runs at 14 fps instead of 25 fps, plus other size-related limitations which affect quality, but nevertheless it will give you a decent idea of what's possible. Video details: 3.3 Mbytes, 16 seconds long, 640x480 frames at 14 fps, DivX format in an .avi container).
Misc Picture VA097- Sample Video Type II - Lighting
This is an example of one of the types of videos that FractVal can generate, Type II, the variant where the video features a fractal object whose palette is being rotated or altered in some way at a certain speed to generate a number of effects, such as ever-changing lighting and such. In this particular example a fractal tunnel undergoes fast rotating lighting.
For filesize and server space reasons this sample video has frames about 4 times smaller than the original I made and it runs at 16 fps instead of 25 fps, plus other size-related limitations which affect quality, but it will give you a fair idea of what's possible. Video details: 1.06 Mbytes, just 4 seconds long (blink and you'll miss it!), 640x384 frames at 16 fps, DivX format in an .avi container).
Misc Picture VA098 - Sample Video Type III - Evolution
This is an example of one of the types of videos that FractVal can generate, Type III, the variant where the video features a fractal object which isn't static but actually evolves as the video goes on, it doesn't remain the same, it changes or moves on its own, it's alive ! (well, sort of).
In this particular example, you can watch a number of scattered sprouts in a hazy fog which quickly coalesces to evolve into a frog-like being, which continues evolving further into an octopus-like being that eventually separates into a big brain and a host of smaller bodies, with a hint of additional subdivision by the time the video ends.
For filesize and server space reasons this sample video has frames about 4 times smaller than the original I made, and it runs at 10 fps instead of 25 fps, plus other size-related limitations, but it will give you a nice idea of what's possible. Video details: 4.76 Mbytes, 40 seconds long, 640x480 frames at 10 fps, DivX format in an .avi container).
Misc Picture VA099 - Sample Video Type III - Unstable
Another nice example of one of the types of videos that FractVal can generate, again a Type III where the fractal object itself isn't static but changes as the video goes on, it doesn't remain the same, as if it were alive.
In this particular Sample Video, titled "Unstable", you can watch a slowly-descending section of a fractal undergoing splitting and recombination while a stream of incandescent "lava" steadily flows upwards till it reaches the surface and burns everything on its way, turning black portions of the fractal into bright, curling smoke. And again remember, each frame is a static image which can be indefinitely zoomed, potentially having all the infinite detail of the fractal object it renders.
For filesize and server space reasons this sample video has frames about 2.5 times smaller than the original I made and runs at 15 fps instead of 25 fps, plus it's been heavily compressed but all the same it will give you a good idea of what's possible.
Misc Picture VA100 - The One and Only
Misc Picture VA101 - Bottomless Pit
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks like the biblical bottomless pit, cf. Wikipedia: "In the Bible, the abyss is an unfathomably deep or boundless place [...]". In the fractal version, the abyss is indeed infinitely deep, utterly boundless, unlike the real-life stone-walled pit depicted.
Misc Picture VA102 - Mandel Nursery
Misc Picture VA103 - Mandel Burst
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks very much to me as a high-speed photograph of a watermelon bursting into pieces when being shot at, Harold Edgerton style.
Misc Picture VA104 - Cataclysm
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me as depicting the remains of a moon or planet after being obliterated by some major catastrophic event, such as happened to moon Praxis in the film "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country", cf. Wikipedia: "The destruction of the Klingon moon Praxis leads the Klingon Empire to pursue peace with their longtime adversary, the Federation".
Misc Picture VA105 - Infernal Galaxies
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me as a tight group of assorted galaxies of various shapes and sizes, the title reflecting the fiery palette used, in contrast with the more realistic, colder colors of the image at right.
Misc Picture VA106 - Burning Armada
"Rorschach": This image (a region of the Burning Ship fractal) resembles a burning armada, an event similar to the one described in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Paraphrasing from Wikipedia: "Seeking a way to get to Middle-earth, Fëanor asked the Teleri for their aid. When they refused to give or lend their ships, Fëanor ordered the Noldor to take the ships and he and his sons led the first group. Upon arriving at Losgar, they decided to burn the ships [...]"
Misc Picture VA107 - Jovian Storm
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me like gigantic storm "curtains" in Jupiter's atmosphere as could be seen looking upwards from the surface if it had a solid one (which isn't the case.)
Misc Picture VA108 - Black Hole Merger
"Rorschach": This fractal image very closely resembles the final stages of a black hole merger, where two similar-mass blackholes indulge in a fast decaying spiral orbit which will eventually merge both of them into a bigger black hole while emitting the energy equivalent of several solar masses in gravitational waves, which distort spacetime around them and can be detected across the Universe.
Misc Picture VA109 - The Starry Night
"Rorschach": This fractal image reminds me of "The Starry Night", an oil-on-canvas painted in June 1889 by the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh, cf. Wikipedia: "Painted in June 1889, it depicts the view from the east-facing window of his asylum room at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, just before sunrise, with the addition of an imaginary village".
Misc Picture VA110 - Corcovado
"Rorschach": This fractal image strongly resembles the "Christ the Redeemer" statue (also known as Corcovado Christ, cf. Wikipedia: "Constructed between 1922 and 1931, the statue is 30 metres (98 ft) high, excluding its 8-metre (26 ft) pedestal. The arms stretch 28 metres (92 ft) wide. It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone. [...] the statue has also become a cultural icon of both Rio de Janeiro and Brazil and was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.".
Misc Picture VA112 - Aztec City Guardians
Misc Picture VA113 - Splitting
"Rorschach": As it was the case with Picture VA023, this fractal image looks to me as cells undergoing a process or mitosis, which Wikipedia describes as "a part of the cell cycle in which replicated chromosomes are separated into two new nuclei. Cell division by mitosis gives rise to genetically identical cells in which the total number of chromosomes is maintained".
Misc Picture VA114 - Mandel Fireworks
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me like a row of bystanders watching a huge display of fireworks, cf. Wikipedia: "Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics) [...]".
Misc Picture VA115 - Mandel Fireworks Detail
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me like part of a display of fireworks, cf. Wikipedia: "Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics) [...]".
Misc Picture VA116 - Worshipping
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me like a large number of followers worshipping a deity or deities high above, cf. Wikipedia: "Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. [...] In modern society and sociology, some writers have commented on the ways that people no longer simply worship recognised deities, but also (or instead) worship consumer brands, sports teams, and other people (celebrities)".
Misc Picture VA117 - Sacred Scarab
"Rorschach": This fractal image strongly reminds me of an Scarab (beetle). The resemblance is amazing. Cf. Wikipedia: "The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide; they are often called scarabs or scarab beetles".
Misc Picture VA118 - Maasai Shield
"Rorschach": This fractal image resembles a distinctive Maasai shield, cf. Wikipedia: "The Maasai are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting northern, central and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best known local populations internationally due to their residence near the many game parks of the African Great Lakes, and their distinctive customs and dress."
Misc Picture VA119 - Narya The Ring of Fire
Misc Picture VA120 - Ground Zero
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me like the ground zero of a powerful explosion, namely an atomic explosion, cf. Wikipedia: "In relation to nuclear explosions and other large bombs, ground zero (also called surface zero) is the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation".
Misc Picture VA121 - Centrifugal Fury
"Rorschach": This fractal image very closely resembles a Catherine wheel, cf. Wikipedia: "The Catherine wheel or pinwheel is a type of firework consisting either of a powder-filled spiral tube, or an angled rocket mounted with a pin through its center. When ignited, the energy of the fireworks not only create sparks and flame, but cause the wheel to quickly rotate, making the display much more spectacular."
Misc Picture VA122 - Orographic Winds
"Rorschach": This fractal image totally looks like a depiction of orographic winds, cf. Wikipedia: "Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain [...] Orographic lifting can have a number of effects, including precipitation, rain shadowing, leeward winds, and associated clouds".
Misc Picture VA123 - Eye Candy
"Rorschach": This colorful fractal image is a very nice spiral motif, specifically a logarithmic spiral, though the fractal version has infinite complexity, which the non-fractal one at right does not, of course. Cf. Wikipedia: "A spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point [...] A logarithmic spiral is a self-similar spiral [...] The first to describe a logarithmic spiral was Albrecht Dürer who called it an 'eternal line'".
Misc Picture VA124 - Chameleon
"Rorschach": This fractal image has some striking resemblance to a colorful (coughing) chameleon's head , cf. Wikipedia: "Chameleons are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards [...] Because of the large number of species in their family, there is a large variability in their ability to change color. For some [...] it is a plethora of combinations of colors (reds, yellows, greens, and blues)."
Misc Picture VA125 - Tentacle
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me very much like an octopus' tentacle, complete with suckers and all, cf. Wikipedia: "The foot has evolved into a set of flexible, prehensile appendages, known as "arms" [...] They can extend and contract, twist to left or right, bend at any place in any direction or be held rigid.[...] The interior surfaces of the arms are covered with circular, adhesive suckers. The suckers allow the octopus to anchor itself or to manipulate objects."
Misc Picture VA126 - Alien Priest
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me very much as a priest's face, complete with eyes, ears, nose mouth and elaborate headgear, including a large jewel/ornament in the forehead.
Misc Picture VA127 - Alien Venus
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me like a "Venus figurine"-like female alien, complete with eyes, mouth, clavicles, shoulders and event what seems like long, braided hair the works !.
Misc Picture VA128 - Filigree Jewelry
"Rorschach": This fractal image uncannily looks like a real piece of filigree jewelry, cf. Wikipedia: "Filigree is a form of intricate metalwork used in jewellery and other small forms of metalwork. In jewellery, it is usually of gold and silver [...] and arranged in artistic motifs. It often suggests lace [...]"
Misc Picture VA129 - Warp Speed
"Rorschach": This fractal image reminds me of the warp effect as depicted in Star Trek when the starships are traveling at warp speed, cf. Wikipedia: "The warp drive velocity in Star Trek is generally expressed in 'warp factor' units [...] Achieving warp factor 1 is equal to breaking the light barrier".
Misc Picture VA130 - Mandel Nest
Misc Picture VA131 - Open-hearth furnace
"Rorschach": This fractal image reminds me of an open-hearth furnace, pouring the molten steel, cf. Wikipedia: "An open-hearth furnace is any of several kinds of industrial furnace in which excess carbon and other impurities are burnt out of pig iron to produce steel".
Misc Picture VA132 - Burning Web
Misc Picture VA133 - Colorful Petals
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me as an spiral assortment of colorful petals, similar to the artistic rendering at right, cf. Wikipedia: "Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators".
Misc Picture VA134 - Zen Brooch
"Rorschach": This fractal image resembles a brooch, the "Zen" qualifier because when looking at it rotated 90º clockwise it looks to me as having a Zen visage. Cf. Wikipedia: "A brooch is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments, often to fasten them together. It is usually made of metal [...] frequently decorated with enamel or with gemstones".
Misc Picture VA135 - Clockwork Gear
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks very much like a piece of clockwork gear, cf. Wikipedia: "Clockwork refers to the inner workings of either mechanical devices called clocks and watches or other mechanisms that work similarly, using a series of gears driven by a spring or weight".
Misc Picture VA136 - Clockwork Gears
This fractal image looks very much like a piece of clockwork gear, cf. Wikipedia: "Clockwork refers to the inner workings of either mechanical devices called clocks and watches or other mechanisms that work similarly, using a series of gears driven by a spring or weight".
Misc Picture VA137 - Lava Scorpion
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me like a fictional ("Tyranny of Dragons") lava scorpion, complete with a pair of grasping pincers and segmented tail ending with a stinger, cf. Wikipedia: "Scorpions are predatory arachnids. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always ending with a stinger".
Misc Picture VA138 - Burning Niagara
"Rorschach": This fractal image ...
Misc Picture VA140 - Krakatoa Exploding
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks very much like a lava explosion, which reminded me of the Krakatoa volcano's eruption, cf. Wikipedia: "In 1883 Krakatoa volcano's eruption utterly destroyed more than 70% of the island of Krakatoa and other islands in the nearby archipelago. The eruption was so violent that it essentially sent cubic kilometers of debris to the stratosphere, and was heard as far as nearly 3,000 miles away [...]".
Misc Picture VA141 - Firestorm
"Rorschach": This fractal image reminds me of a vicious firestorm, cf. Wikipedia: "A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system [...] A firestorm may also develop into a mesocyclone and induce true tornadoes/fire whirls".
Misc Picture VA142 - King of the Dark Sea
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks like a fantasy-realm dweller, namely a juvenile Plesiosaurus-like creature, cf. Wikipedia: "Plesiosaurus is a genus of extinct, large marine sauropterygian reptile that lived during the Early Jurassic. [...] It is distinguishable by its small head, long and slender neck, broad turtle-like body, a short tail, and two pairs of large, elongated paddles".
Misc Picture VA143 - CPU Blueprint
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me like the blueprint for a CPU. Cf. Wikipedia: "A central processing unit (CPU) is the electronic circuitry that executes instructions comprising a computer program. [...] Previous generations of CPUs were implemented as discrete components and numerous small integrated circuits (ICs) on one or more circuit boards [...]".
Misc Picture VA144 - CPU Generations
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks like a CPU assembly line, where the various generations of CPUs go all the way from the simplest 1st-generation CPU at lower right to the most complex 4th-generation CPU at upper left. Cf. Wikipedia: "A central processing unit (CPU) is the electronic circuitry that executes instructions comprising a computer program. [...] Previous generations of CPUs were implemented as discrete components and numerous small integrated circuits (ICs) on one or more circuit boards [...]".
Misc Picture VA146 - Disassembly
"Rorschach": This fractal image
Misc Picture VA147 - Lava Falls
"Rorschach": This fractal image ...
Misc Picture VA148 - Sunset UFOs
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks very much like the photograph at right allegedly depicting UFOs over the sea in North Carolina, cf. Wikipedia: "An unidentified flying object (UFO) is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are identified as known objects or atmospheric phenomena, while a small number remain unexplained".
Misc Picture VA149 - Cosmic Pacifiers
"Rorschach": This fractal image is pretty much the spitting image of a pair of baby pacifiers, cf. Wikipedia: "A pacifier is a rubber, plastic, or silicone nipple substitute given to an infant to suckle upon between feedings to quiet its distress by satisfying the need to suck when it does not need to eat."
Misc Picture VA150 - Neurons
"Rorschach": This fractal image very much resembles a group of interconnected neurons, cf. Wikipedia: "A neuron is an electrically excitable cell that communicates with other cells [...] The neuron is the main component of nervous tissue in all animals [...] When multiple neurons are connected together they form what is called a neural circuit. [...] The signaling process is partly electrical and partly chemical.".
Misc Picture VA151 - Whith Vader
"Rorschach": This fractal image reminds me of the face mask of Star War's Darth Vader ("Dark Father") only in a mostly white version, thus the title of the image. Cf. Wikipedia: "Darth Vader is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise [...] He has become one of the most iconic villains in popular culture, and has been listed among the greatest villains and fictional characters ever[...] His masked face has become one of the most iconic character designs of all time".
Misc Picture VA152 - Supergalaxy
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks very much like a galaxy, only this fractal version is composed not of stars like the real ones but of other smaller galaxies and so on and infinitum, thus the title Supergalaxy. Cf. Wikipedia: "A galaxy is a gravitationally bound system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter. Galaxies range in size from dwarfs with less than 108 stars, to the largest galaxies known - supergiants with 1014 stars [...]"
Misc Picture VA154 - Agate Cameo
"Rorschach": This fractal image reminds me of a typical Agate cameo..., cf. Wikipedia: "Cameo is a method of carving an object such as an engraved gem, item of jewellery or vessel [...]", "Agate is a common rock formation, consisting of chalcedony and quartz as its primary components, with a wide variety of colors [...] Agate is one of the most common materials used in the art of hardstone carving [...]"
Misc Picture VA155 - Inexpugnable Fortress
Misc Picture VA156 - Monolith 2019
"Rorschach": This fractal image ...
Misc Picture VA157 - Gateway
Misc Picture VA158 - Nanodigger
"Rorschach": This fractal image ...
Misc Picture VA159 - Mining Field
"Rorschach": This fractal image ...
Misc Picture VA160 - Fractal-powered Rotor
"Rorschach": This fractal image ...
Misc Picture VA162 - Embroidery Factory
Misc Picture VA163 - Seaside Landing Strip
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks very, very much like a seaside landing strip or runway, cf. Wikipedia: "a runway is a defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft".
Misc Picture VA164 - Erythrocytes
"Rorschach": This fractal image depicts what looks like groups of erythrocytes aka red blood cells, cf. Wikipedia: "Red blood cells, also referred to as red cells, haematids, erythroid cells or erythrocytes, are the most common type of blood cell and the vertebrate's principal means of delivering oxygen to the body tissues via blood flow through the circulatory system.".
Misc Picture VA165 - Dyson Galaxy
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me like a rendition of a Dyson Galaxy, similar to a Dyson Sphere but at a galactic scale, cf. Wikipedia: "A Dyson sphere is a hypothetical megastructure that completely encompasses a star and captures a large percentage of its solar power output. [...] Because only a tiny fraction of a star's energy emissions reaches the surface of any orbiting planet, building structures encircling a star would enable a civilization to harvest far more energy".
Misc Picture VA166 - Amazon River Cities
"Rorschach": This fractal image
Misc Picture VA168 - Abyssal Creatures
"Rorschach": This fractal image
Misc Picture VA169 - Frosted Glass
"Rorschach": This fractal image, a Julia set, looks like it's made of frosted glass, cf. Wikipedia: "Frosted glass is produced by the sandblasting or acid etching of clear sheet glass. This creates a pitted surface on one side of the glass pane and has the effect of rendering the glass translucent by scattering the light which passes through, thus blurring images while still transmitting light."
Misc Picture VA170 - Fracturtle
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks a lot like a sea turtle, including the head, eyes, decorated shell and even the four legs. Cf. Wikipedia: "Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), are reptiles [...] In general, sea turtles have a more fusiform body plan than their terrestrial or freshwater counterparts. This tapering at both ends reduces volume and means that sea turtles cannot retract their head and limbs into their shells for protection, unlike many other turtles and tortoises.".
Misc Picture VA172 - Alien Sowers
Misc Picture VA174 - Strawberries
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks very much like a group of strawberries, similar to the drawing of same at right. Due to its intense red & blue colors, the fractal image has a certain 3D quality to it.
Misc Picture VA176 - Feasting
"Rorschach": This fractal image ...
Misc Picture VA177 - Fractal Bugs in Fractal Amber
"Rorschach": This fractal image resembles a piece of amber enclosing bits and pieces of fossil insects, cf. Wikipedia: "Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times [...] Because it originates as a soft, sticky tree resin, amber sometimes contains animal and plant material as inclusions".
Misc Picture VA178 - Ivory and Ebony
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me as the spiral-shaped horns of some ram or other horned bovid, cf. Wikipedia: "A horn is a permanent pointed projection on the head of various animals that consists of a covering of keratin and other proteins surrounding a core of live bone [...] Horns usually have a curved or spiral shape, often with ridges or fluting".
Misc Picture VA179 - Mother and Child
"Rorschach": This fractal image reminds me of a big animal mother interacting face to face with its calf, like the hippopotami depicted in the image at right, cf. Wikipedia: "A mother typically gives birth to only one calf, though sometimes they give birth to twins [...] Mother hippos are very protective of their young and may keep others at a distance".
Misc Picture VA180 - Gold Leaf
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks like a textured sheet of gold leaf, cf. Wikipedia: Gold leaf is gold that has been hammered into thin sheets (usually around 0.1 µm thick) by goldbeating and is often used for gilding. [...] The most commonly used gold is 22-karat yellow gold".
Misc Picture VA181 - Copper Shield
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks .
Misc Picture VA182 - Perched Birds
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks like an stylyzed rendering of two birds perched on a branch, similar in composition to ancient ink paintings, like this one by Miyamoto Musashi. Cf. Wikipedia: "Ink wash painting is a type of Asian ink brush painting [...] It is typically monochrome, using only shades of black, with a great emphasis on virtuoso brushwork and conveying the perceived "spirit" or "essence" of a subject over direct imitation".
Misc Picture VA183 - Dissolving
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks .
Misc Picture VA184 - Flowing in the Wind
"Rorschach": Like Picture VA182, this fractal image looks like an stylyzed rendering of tulips flowing in the wind, similar in composition to ancient ink paintings, cf. Wikipedia: "Ink wash painting is a type of Asian ink brush painting [...] It is typically monochrome, using only shades of black, with a great emphasis on virtuoso brushwork and conveying the perceived "spirit" or "essence" of a subject over direct imitation".
Misc Picture VA185 - Kernel Universes
Misc Picture VA186 - Soundwaves
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks like a very powerful soundwave emanating from the distant white-line emitter or explosion, similar in principle to the one produced by a sonic weapon in Star Wars: Episode II to disrupt small asteroids into a myriad pieces.
Misc Picture VA187 - Curtains
Misc Picture VA188 - Bass Guitar
"Rorschach": This fractal image totally looks like a modern bass guitar, cf. Wikipedia: "The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and scale length, and typically four to six strings or courses.".
Misc Picture VA189 - Space Prison
Misc Picture VA190 - Omaha Beach Bunker
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me like a bunker at Omaha Beach on D-Day, firing and being fired at.
Misc Picture VA191 - Brainy Mitochondrion
"Rorschach": This fractal image
Misc Picture VA192 - 20000 Fathoms Family
Dad, Mom and three children merrily hanging around in the depths of the ocean.
Misc Picture VA193 - Brainy Cell
Misc Picture VA194 - Silver Jewelry
"Rorschach": This fractal image totally looks like some nice silver jewelry, namely a cross filigree style.
Misc Picture VA195 - Black Hole Galaxy
"Rorschach": This fractal image
Misc Picture VA196 - Tibetan Highway at Night
"Rorschach": This fractal image
Misc Picture VA197 - Hatching
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks .
Misc Picture VA200 - Family Ties
Notice both a Mandelbrot and a Mandelbar (aka Tricorn) visible at the same time in this picture.
Misc Picture VA205 - Tablecloths
"Rorschach": This fractal image
Misc Picture VA207 - Bow and Arrow
"Rorschach": This fractal image utterly looks like a bow in the act of shooting an arrow, cf. Wikipedia: "The bow and arrow is a ranged weapon system consisting of an elastic launching device (bow) and long-shafted projectiles (arrows) [...] They were important weapons of war from ancient history until the early modern period [...] Today, bows and arrows are mostly used for hunting and sports".
Misc Picture VA208 - Paramecia
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks .
Misc Picture VA209 - Atmospheric Reentry
"Rorschach": This fractal image instantly made me think about the atmospheric reentry of some space vehicle, cf. Wikipedia: "Atmospheric entry is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. Objects entering an atmosphere experience atmospheric drag, which puts mechanical stress on the object, and aerodynamic heating [...]".
Misc Picture VA211 - Interference
Misc Picture VA212 - Distorting Spacetime
"Rorschach": This fractal image
Misc Picture VA213 - Fiery Plow
Misc Picture VA214 - Azure D'Or
"Rorschach": This fractal image
Misc Picture VA215 - Flying Through Lava
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me like a jet aircraft of some kind flying over or through lava, as seen in a certain Japanese anime episode. It made for a striking view !
Misc Picture VA216 - Guitar Frets
"Rorschach": This fractal image
Misc Picture VA217 - Pulsar Overload
"Rorschach": This fractal image
Misc Picture VA218 - Gravitational Waves
"Rorschach": This fractal image ...
Misc Picture VA219 - Beach Dune Road
"Rorschach": This fractal image
Misc Picture VA220 - Highway to Heaven
"Rorschach": This fractal image reminds me of the theatrical release poster of the film Tron, cf. Wikipedia: "Tron is a 1982 American science fiction action-adventure film [featuring] a computer programmer and video game developer who is transported inside the software world of a mainframe computer where he interacts with programs in his attempt to escape [...] Tron has the distinction of being one of cinema's earliest films to use extensive computer-generated imagery (CGI).".
Misc Picture VA221 - Magnetic Poles
"Rorschach": This fractal image ...
Misc Picture VA224 - Eating and Eaten
Misc Picture VA225 - Eddies
Misc Picture VA226 - Flame
"Rorschach": This fractal image very closely resembles a typical flame, cf. Wikipedia: "A flame is the visible, gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic chemical reaction taking place in a thin zone. When flames are hot enough to have ionized gaseous components of sufficient density they are then considered plasma".
Misc Picture VA228 - Infernal Boss
"Rorschach": This fractal image
Misc Picture VA229 - Seaweed
"Rorschach": This fractal image
Misc Picture VA230 - Icy Clouds
"Rorschach": This fractal image ...
Misc Picture VA231 - Information Highways
Misc Picture VA232 - Derelict
Misc Picture VA233 - Fractfish School
"Rorschach": This fractal image strongly reminds me of a typical fish school, cf. Wikipedia: "In biology, any group of fish that stay together for social reasons are shoaling, and if the group is swimming in the same direction in a coordinated manner, they are schooling".
Misc Picture VA237 - Troubled Waters
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks .
Misc Picture VA238 - Scaping
"Rorschach": This fractal image
Misc Picture VA239 - Millennium Falcon
"Rorschach": This fractal image is almost a dead ringer for Star Wars icon starship, the Millennium Falcon, cf. Wikipedia: "The Millennium Falcon is a fictional starship in the Star Wars franchise [...] Described as being one of the fastest vessels in the Star Wars canon, the Falcon looks worn-out but despite its humble origins and shabby exterior, the Millennium Falcon has played a critical role in some of the greatest victories of the Rebel Alliance and the New Republic.".
Misc Picture VA241 - Jellyfishes
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks like a group of jellyfishes of all sizes big and small, merrily floating in the ocean, cf. Wikipedia: "Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella-shaped bells and trailing tentacles [...]".
Misc Picture VA242 - Star Trek Nexus
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me like an energy ribbon going across the Universe at high speed, resembling the one depicted in Star Trek: Generations, the Nexus, an extra-dimensional realm which is the central plot element in the movie.
Misc Picture VA243 - Psychedelic Strips
"Rorschach": This fractal image ...
Misc Picture VA245 - Cushion
"Rorschach": This fractal image totally looks like a comfy cushion. Note the marked 3D quality of the 2D image, which really seems to pop out of the screen.
Misc Picture VA246 - ST Voyager rams Bird of Prey
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks to me as Star Trek's USS Voyager starship ramming a Klingon's Bird of Prey starship at non-warp speed, the collision probably causing significant though not fatal damage to both of them.
Misc Picture VA250 - 3D Coronavirus
"Rorschach": This fractal image has an amazing resemblance to a typical coronavirus, complete with the characteristic spikes that project from their surface, cf. Wikipedia: "Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal [...] more lethal varieties can cause SARS, MERS and COVID-19".
Misc Picture VA251 - Ivory Spiral
Misc Picture VA253 - Infinity Pearls
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks like an infinite spiral of pearls, just like the one seen in the image at right. Cf. Wikipedia: "A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal [...] The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth".
Misc Picture VA254 - Day Jungle
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks like a luxurious jungle in daylight, cf. Wikipedia: "A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates". Same geometry as Picture VA255 below but different color palette.
Misc Picture VA255 - Night Jungle
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks like a luxurious jungle at night, cf. Wikipedia: "A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates". Same geometry as Picture VA254 below but different color palette.
Misc Picture VA256 - Chained Tusks
Misc Picture VA257 - Avocado Still Life
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks .
Misc Picture VA259 - Iridescent Sea Life
Great iridescent bubbles in the midst of the ocean.
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks .
Misc Picture VA268 - Plastic Lifeforms
Misc Picture VA270 - Hot Ball Bearings
"Rorschach": This fractal image
Misc Picture VA278 - Fractal Op-Art
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks like (or actually is) an instance of Op Art, cf. Wikipedia: "Op art is a style of visual art that uses optical illusions. Op artworks are abstract, with many better-known pieces created in black and white. Typically, they give the viewer the impression of movement, hidden images, flashing and vibrating patterns, or swelling or warping.".
Misc Picture VA280 - Stucco Painting
"Rorschach": This fractal image
Misc Picture VA284 - Space Wasps
Misc Picture VA288 - Striving for Light
"Rorschach": This fractal image looks .
Misc Picture VA292 - Linked Universe
"Rorschach": This fractal image, with its myriad metal rings linked together, immediately brings to my mind a piece of chain mail, cf. Wikipedia: "Chain mail is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh [...] Mail armour provided an effective defense against slashing blows by edged weapons and some forms of penetration by many thrusting and piercing weapons [...]".
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
These articles, programs, pictures, their descriptions and other materials created by me
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as long as (1) the contents aren't modified in any way and (2) the copyright is acknowledged.
In plain words, you can download them and use them for non-profit purposes but do not include
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