Saturday, April 29, 2006

Outtie #9



What does this look like?

Send in your answer!

(David, age 14, also created this one.)

Sunday, April 23, 2006

Outtie #8


Another glyph outtie.

David, age 14, created this one also.

What does it look like?

Send in your answer!

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Outtie #7 (Two-Holed Donut)



Create a clever name for a two-holed donut so people will want to buy it. Send in your answers.

Imagine a two-holed donut. Here's a sketch of its basic shape.

You can add things to the donut if it helps you come up with a good name. Please describe what you added when you send in your answer.

Monday, April 17, 2006

What is a fractal?


Send in examples of fractals from Earth or from Fractalia.

What is a fractal?

Almost all things in Fractalia are fractal. Many things on Earth are also.

A fractal is a pattern that repeats itself as you go smaller and smaller. Let's make a simple fractal. Start with a straight line (as in the top of the picture). To make the second line from the first one, just put a pointy bump in the middle of the line. Now let's make the third line from the second line. Everywhere there is a straight line replace it with one that has a pointy bump in the middle.

The line keeps getting bumpier and bumpier. This is an example of a fractal because the same pattern repeats itself as you go smaller and smaller.

Trees are fractals because they start out as a trunk that splits off into many branches. Each branch splits off into smaller branches again and again until you reach the twigs. The same pattern repeats itself as you go smaller, so it is a fractal.

Send in other things from Earth or from Fractalia that are fractals.

Friday, April 14, 2006

Outtie #6 (The Pumpkin Challenge)

On page 75 of Fractalia, the youth (Darren, Sandra, Neelon, and Maria) are trapped in a deep pit with no way out. They haven't had water in two days! They have to figure out how to use the things around them in an unusual way so they can stay alive.

Just like the characters in the book, I want you to practice using normal things in unusual ways.

For this outtie, you will have to use a pumpkin in an unusual way. What unusual thing can you make with a pumpkin? Or, what new thing can you do with a pumpkin?

In your "invention," you can use anything else you want to with your pumpkin. Also, you can use more than one pumpkin.

I will start you off with two examples. So, the first two comments are from me.

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Outtie #5


Another glyph outtie.

This one was created by David, age 14.

What does it look like?

Send in your answer!

Saturday, April 08, 2006

Outtie (Puzzle) #4

On page 92 of Fractalia, one of the youth gets caught in a kreatureless trap, which is a powerful energy field that the evil Kayoz sets up around Fractalia. The only way to escape the trap is to solve the outtie at the center of the trap.

Solving the outtie will blow the trap apart in a wild explosion. The better your solution the bigger the explosion will be.

Can you solve the outtie? (This is the first word outtie in the book.)

Remember, outties have many, many answers. Maybe your answer is better than the one given in the book. Send in your answer!

If you have the book, you can play along with this outtie. If you need to get the book, you can get one from either http://www.booklocker.com/ or http://www.amazon.com/.

Monday, April 03, 2006

Outtie (Puzzle) #3


Here's another glyph outtie.

What does it look like?

Send in your answer!

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Talians have fractal ear lobes.



Talians have fractal ear lobes. Each Talian's ear lobe pattern is unique. Here is a sketch of Bonzi's right ear made when he was born.

Here also is the first paragraph of the book.

"The Fractalians, Talians for short, were a folk who were known by their ears. Their ear lobes were fractal, as was just about everything else in their world. What is a fractal, you ask? Well, for now, let us say it is a pattern that repeats itself as you go smaller and smaller. When a Talian was born the unique pattern on his ear lobes was recorded. You could tell what family a Talian was from by his ears. Talians did not look deep into another’s face or eyes to tell that. They just looked at the ears."