{"id":1135,"date":"2010-05-02T00:41:56","date_gmt":"2010-05-02T04:41:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=1135"},"modified":"2010-05-02T00:41:56","modified_gmt":"2010-05-02T04:41:56","slug":"fractalforums-com-spring-2010-competition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=1135","title":{"rendered":"FractalForums.com Spring 2010 Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"

I found this email in my inbox just yesterday and quickly felt my fractal art commentary sap rising boldly in my branches.\u00a0 Here, read it carefully and see if it has the same Spring-Time for Fractaland<\/em> effect on you:<\/p>\n

FractalForums.com Spring 2010 Fractal Art Competition Submission Period has Ended<\/p>\n

The Entry Submissions time frame for the “FractalForums.com Spring 2010 Fractal Art Competition” has now ended. \u00a0This submission period set a new record for Member Activity on the FractalForums, with around 650.000 Page Views!!!<\/p>\n

We would now like to enter the voting period, which will last until the end of May 2010.<\/p>\n

We have a total of 130 entries to the three different competition sections. \u00a0And due to the large amount of entries, please take your time to review each of the submissions and give a reasonable vote for what you consider “best” images per category.<\/p>\n

Only the Gallery votes count for the results. \u00a0So, no external embedded video Sites Rating system is taken into account.<\/p>\n

The ranking will be as follows:
\n– highest average rating
\n( if tied for same position, then )
\n– most votes
\n( if tied again, then )
\n– sharing of winner placement<\/p>\n

Again, we ask that you please take your time and review each category of the competition, the sections are as follows:<\/p>\n

\u2022 \u00a0Mandel Brot \u00a0— \u00a0Only views of the standard z^2+c Mandelbrot set and Julia Sets where allowed, and this section has more than 47 spectacular entries:
\nhttp:\/\/www.fractalforums.com\/index.php?action=gallery;cat=38<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 \u00a0Fractal Fun \u00a0— \u00a0Contains computer generated fractal art of any kind. \u00a0This section was the most popular with more than 64 entries.
\nIt is a vast mixture of state of the art Mandelbulb renderings and beautiful 2-D creations:
\nhttp:\/\/www.fractalforums.com\/index.php?action=gallery;cat=37<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 \u00a0Fractal Movies \u00a0— \u00a0For the first time in the Forums’ history, there was a movies\/video section, with a total of 19 entries.
\nYou will encounter interesting new locations of the Mandelbrot, plus amazing 3-D fly-bys and inside explorations. Enjoy a total of 40 Minutes of extraordinary Fractal pleasure:
\nhttp:\/\/www.fractalforums.com\/index.php?action=gallery;cat=36<\/a><\/p>\n

Voting Period will end on:
\n1.June 2010<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Well the internet is a wild and wooly frontier place of lawlessness and I intend to judge this here contest right here! \u00a0But before I pull out my six-shooter to choose the winners (and scatter the losers), I’d like to ask the question, “What’s up with this FractalForums.com place?<\/em>”<\/p>\n

It’s been around for a couple of years and that’s the strangest part of it. \u00a0Fractal forums and other community venues almost always fold up after the intoxication of the opening event wears off. \u00a0That’s about 3-6 months, I’d say. \u00a0That’s how it was for Orbit Trap’s campfire singalong days.<\/p>\n

But FractalForums.com is still singing and the campfire isn’t going out. \u00a0What is FractalForums.com doing right that Deviant Art, Renderosity, the Ultra Fractal Mailing List and so many other community venues\u00a0 (largely dead and forgotten) have been failing at? \u00a0Half the postings there on FractalForums.com annoy me and the other half seem unimportant. \u00a0Is that the magic combination for a vibrant and self-sustaining community site?\u00a0 Something for everyone and a steady stream of provocation?<\/p>\n

The web-rings are no longer breathing.\u00a0 They were a great idea in the 90’s but Google has done a better job of locating fractal art sites for the last 10 years. \u00a0The community art sites are brain-dead; Flickr’s beginners out-perform Deviant Art’s masters <\/em>on a regular basis these days. \u00a0I have no idea why FractlForums.com should be thriving in such a wasteland, but it is. \u00a0Maybe there’s something about the social environment at FractalForums.com that draws in people from the old stuffy places? –and keeps them coming back<\/em>.\u00a0 Something nourishing and enticing?\u00a0 What could it be?<\/p>\n

Even I’ve joined in on some of the threads over there and I almost always avoid opening my mouth in a forum these days. \u00a0If a place like that can engage someone as jaded as me then there must be something special going on, whatever that invisible quality might be. \u00a0I’m even reviewing their contest and I find art contests distasteful. \u00a0 Based on all that, I guess I ought to say that the first prize should go to FractalForums.com themselves in the category of Most Relevant Fractal Art Community Site<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The email tells me that there’s three categories to the contest and that they’ve been carefully defined.\u00a0 But the first lesson in judging art is to stop listening to the people around you and ignore the boundaries they’ve constructed.\u00a0 Trust no one.<\/p>\n

I’ve made up my own categories and the first is a general one and I call it the At Last! Something I Wish I’d Made And Could Take Credit For<\/em> –category.<\/p>\n

And the winner is…<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

My Secret Garden by SaMMy. Click to view full-size at FractalForums.com.<\/p><\/div>\n

My next category is one which most fractal artists will immediately relate to. \u00a0I call it the Astonishing Thing That I Cannot Describe<\/em> –category. \u00a0The winner is obvious, but only if you view the image full-size. \u00a0For that reason I’ve only included a link. \u00a0No thumbnail or fair-use version can do justice to this great golden vision<\/a>.\u00a0 You have to go there and see it life sized or not at all.<\/p>\n

Next, a category for which there was really only one serious contender. \u00a0The Best Rendition of Bocklin’s Isle of the Dead I’ve Seen Recently<\/em> –category. \u00a0The author calls it “Mandel-blob” but remember: when judging art stop listening to others<\/em> even when it’s the artist themself speaking. \u00a0I think this one’s my favorite. \u00a0But that’s not a category.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Mandel-blob by Buddhi<\/p><\/div>\n

Hey! \u00a0It certainly is the year of the Mandelbulb, isn’t it? \u00a0My next category is the Best Rendering of the Mandelbulb Formula, Now Let’s Move On To Something Else<\/em> –category. \u00a0 This one really is very nice. \u00a0I’m not being sarcastic; the coloring and shadows and detailing is very well done. \u00a0Congratulations, Kraftwerk, for making something new out of something that’s become rather stale very quickly. \u00a0Nice screen name too. \u00a0That isn’t a category but might be one worth adding next time.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Living Ornaments by Kraftwerk<\/p><\/div>\n

Did I saw let’s move on from the Mandelbulb? \u00a0Next category is Second Best Rendering of the Mandelbulb Formula, This Could be a New Genre<\/em> and the winner is Kraftwerk, again. \u00a0Maybe it all depends on how you render these formulas and not the formula itself. \u00a0There’s something majestic about this image. \u00a0It’s got something impressive and attention grabbing about it. \u00a0Back in the old days of vinyl records this would have made a great album cover.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Golden and Delicious by Kraftwerk<\/p><\/div>\n

Next up is the Hey, I Like Those Colors But I Bet No One Else Will<\/em> –category. \u00a0I don’t know why palettes like this are so uncommon. \u00a0There’s a real retro Sci-Fi mood to anything using these sorts of muted colors. \u00a0Maybe it just doesn’t appeal to the young folks? (I’m 45).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Thistledown by Dave Makin<\/p><\/div>\n

The final category, the You’re A Better Man Than Me Gunga Din<\/em> –category.\u00a0 It’s an animation.\u00a0 Two weeks<\/em> of rendering? \u00a0For me, two minutes<\/em> to render something is too long.\u00a0 The winner is Buddhi with Flight Through BulbBox<\/a> a very detailed and extensive 3d fractal tour.\u00a0 Two weeks!\u00a0 He must have more than one computer.<\/p>\n

Wait, one more category: \u00a0Not Really Part of the Contest But It Should Have Been<\/em>. \u00a0I guess these stills in the animation section were just meant to be placeholders or something, but this one looks great.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Dangerous Spaceship by "bib" (not bub!). Click to go to FractalForums.com page for video.<\/p><\/div>\n

I’d say Dangerous Spaceship is one of the top five images. \u00a0And I’ll bet it’s not even part of the contest, technically speaking.<\/p>\n

Well, contests are like that.\u00a0 The winners don’t always win.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I found this email in my inbox just yesterday and quickly felt my fractal art commentary sap rising boldly in my branches.\u00a0 Here, read it carefully and see if it has the same Spring-Time for Fractaland effect on you: FractalForums.com Spring 2010 Fractal Art Competition Submission Period has Ended The Entry Submissions time frame for … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1142,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/living-ornaments.jpg?fit=500%2C500","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3572,"url":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=3572","url_meta":{"origin":1135,"position":0},"title":"Best Fractal Calendar Ever!","author":"Tim","date":"1 December, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Christian Kleinhuis of Fractalforums.com has just published a 2010 fractal calendar. Featuring the best artwork form Fractalforums.com and printed large size and spiral bound, it hopefully marks a new era in fractal art publishing. A review of the images and background on how the project came about.","rel":"","context":"With 1 comment","block_context":{"text":"With 1 comment","link":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=3572#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/51elm7iQIJL._SL500_.jpg?fit=500%2C353&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4027,"url":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=4027","url_meta":{"origin":1135,"position":1},"title":"Brother, can you spare $58?","author":"Tim","date":"31 October, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Fractalforums.com's owner, Christian Kleinhuis (aka Trifox) is attempting to put out another fractal art calendar this year.\u00a0 I reviewed last year's and called it, \"The Best Fractal Calendar Ever!\". I hope that review scored me enough points over there with the Fractalforums.com folks to cover this year's review. Here's a\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=4027#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/58.jpg?fit=402%2C326&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1210,"url":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=1210","url_meta":{"origin":1135,"position":2},"title":"A Knighthood for Knighty","author":"Tim","date":"25 May, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"A review of the new Kaleidoscope (escape-time) IFS fractals posted to Fractalforums.com by the user Knighty. Superb coloring and seemingly endless variations of this formula make Knighty's work well worth looking at as well as an inspiration to others like Subblue, some of whose work is also included.","rel":"","context":"With 1 comment","block_context":{"text":"With 1 comment","link":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=1210#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/sequence.jpg?fit=500%2C750&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3371,"url":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=3371","url_meta":{"origin":1135,"position":3},"title":"Hello Everybody!","author":"Tim","date":"26 October, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Sometimes I just like to share interesting things that I find online that I think will be of interest to Orbit Trap readers who are \"on the same wavelength\" as me.\u00a0 Perhaps that's only one or two people but so be it. Lindelokse, an established Deviant-artist decided to join the\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=3371#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/hello-everybody.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1179,"url":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=1179","url_meta":{"origin":1135,"position":4},"title":"2010 Nobel Prize for Fractal Art","author":"Tim","date":"12 May, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"For his work in discovering the Mandelbox formula of 3-D fractals, the winner is Tom Lowe, better known on Fractalforums.com as Tglad. Now some might ask why Daniel White and the Mandelbulb Team weren't this year's Nobel recipients, but while the Mandelbulb discovery was truly the most exciting event in\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=1179#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/05\/mandelbox3.png?fit=500%2C451&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2259,"url":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=2259","url_meta":{"origin":1135,"position":5},"title":"Behold! Haltenny is here…","author":"Tim","date":"18 January, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"~ Click on any image to view full-size on the original site ~ He has a Deviant Art Gallery too with more examples of \"steampunk\" mandelboxes. \u00a0On DA he goes by Hal Tenny which sounds like a real name. He shares, he cares, he posts parameter files! What a wonderful\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 3 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 3 comments","link":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=2259#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Point-Of-Origin-ny-haltenny.jpeg?fit=599%2C337&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Point-Of-Origin-ny-haltenny.jpeg?fit=599%2C337&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Point-Of-Origin-ny-haltenny.jpeg?fit=599%2C337&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1135"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1135\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1151,"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1135\/revisions\/1151"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}