Take a tour of the Mandelbrot Set

 (Image: Created by Wolfgang Beyer with the program Ultra Fractal 3. - Own work)

The Mandelbrot set is a two-dimension set that is described by a relatively simple equation, yet it produces a very complex design. In 1980,  Benoit Mandelbrot made high-quality visualizations of the set, named after him, while working at IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center. Quantamagazine published a very thorough history of the study of the Manelbort set. In that article, a YouTube video was included that explores its un-ending complexity and many interesting features.

You can view it here: A Long Zoom Into the Mandelbrot Set.

I also recommend this video: The Mandelbrot Set.

5:21 / 8:08

100 OEIS Contributions

100

Today, I achieved a milestone in reaching my 100th contribution to the On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS), including 13 new sequences. In a prior post, I wrote about another contributor, Michael S. Branicky, who wrote at least one Python program for an OEIS sequence every day for a year. This inspired me to do the same thing and every day for the last two months I've written a Mathematica program for existing OEIS sequences. Practicing every day is a good way to enhance your ability in a skill.

My OEIS contributions to date: https://oeis.org/search?q=James+C.+McMahon&go=Search

Fast Space Travel

(Image: https://www.iconfinder.com/kreasikanvas)

Determining the time to complete interstellar space travel is a matter of simple math. Time = distance/velocity. Our closest neighbor, Alpha Centauri, is 38 trillion kilometers away. As of this date, the fastest probe made by humans is the NASA Parker Solar Probe, which achieved a velocity of 386,863 kilometers per hour. Such a craft would require over 10,000 years to reach Alpha Centauri. 

Aeon recently posted a five-minute video explaining a few ways we might be able to reduce interstellar travel time. It is appropriately named: "Go incredibly fast."

Learn Artificial Intelligence Skills for Free

(Image: https://www.iconfinder.com/ratch0013)

IBM offers a suite of on-line courses for free. Get an account and sign up at: SkillsBuild. I'm currently taking the plan that leads to a certificate in Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals. This consists of six courses, each taking about 1 to 2 hours to complete. I'm taking the course for my general knowledge, as artificial intelligence is becoming more and more a part of  all technologies in our lives.

Update (1/16/2024) - I completed the course and have the credit recorded in the Credly App.