Fractal visionaries and enthusiasts:

When I sent a test to the Fractint list through my mindspring 
address this morning, I found that the access block had been 
removed.  But when I tried to send this message later in the 
day, it bounced.  Apparently, the block is still in effect, but 
sometimes my messages take a different route through a server 
that is not blocked.  Until I am sure the block is totally 
removed, I will post through this business address.

With the list problem hopefully winding down, things are getting 
back to normal here at FC.  Ideas for my upcoming FOTD web site 
are starting to take shape.  To speed things up, I will re-use 
the main page I designed for Paul's FOTD web site.  I am already 
reworking some of the images from April, 1997, which was the 
month when I began the FOTD.  It will not be too much work since 
many images are already fine as is.

I will post the address of the web site as soon as I have the 
month of April, 1997 up and running to my satisfaction.  The 
discussions I wrote at this early point of the FOTD are rudimen-
tary by current standards, but I will post them as is.

Many of the more recent discussions contain controversial off-
topic stuff that I omitted from the versions I posted to the 
Fractint list.  The discussions that will be posted on the new 
web site will include this deleted stuff that is sure to offend 
the more sensitive fractalists, or those with 'sacred cows', 
such as conservative or liberal politics, religion, rational 
thinking, science and technology, or political correctness in 
general.

As for the ongoing FOTD -- as soon as I get the month of April 
1997 completely up and ready for viewing on the web site, I will 
try alternating days of working on the web site with days of 
posting new FOTD images and discussions.  I really was at the 
boiling point when the Feb 27 FOTD bounced, and I feel I acted 
hastily when I completely scrapped the FOTD.

It is hard to estimate the time required to get the first month 
ready.  I hope to finish in a week or so.  But with 168 months 
of back FOTD's to work on, and finishing one month a week, it 
will be over 3 years before the web site is up to date.  We will 
find short cuts as we go along of course, and FL has volunteered 
to help when things are slow, so this time will probably be cut.

As for things here at Fractal Central on Monday -- the day began 
with heavy rain and thunder.  The rain ended by midday but the 
clouds hung on until nightfall, while the temperature ranged 
around 50F 10C.  The fractal cats, who were lying low while I 
was in a bad mood, were quite playful as they chased each other 
up and down the hallway, ducking in and out of the book stacks 
on the hall shelf.

I'll keep in touch on the list as the web site takes shape.  And 
the FOTD is not quite as dead as earlier claimed.  I will post 
it on an every-other-day basis as soon as the first month's 
FOTD's are up and running on the new FOTD web site.  Until when-
ever, take care, and this little episode might have been just 
the kick in the butt I needed to get really moving on the web 
site.


Jim Muth
jamth@mindspring.com
jimmuth@earthlink.net