Ten things I learned by wasting time on Mandelbrot's fractals

Benoit Mandelbrot died before I realized he was still alive. Well, here's a couple of things his work taught me.




1. If it's simple on the surface, it might be complex deep inside

2. The intuitive idea that an infinite loop of organized and evolving system holds a special meaning for a single node of that system is unquestionably wrong

3. The fact that from your point of view you can use reason and experience to trace back your story does not mean that your story leads only to you

4. And YET, it is wiser to accept that only a minor portion of the possible stories can be accessed with a limited time, and that only one of those stories can be really followed at once

5. Regularities happen when you don't expect them

6. Witnessing a symmetry being broken is a source of physical pleasure

7. Never browse fractals while smoking a joint (or after, for that matter)

8. The fact that plants, snowflakes, lizards and other natural elements seem so individually unlikely does not set them away from the structure of the universe

9. Repeated details add meaning, depth and suspense

10. The road not taken smells forever of cauliflower