My main response to the BoingBoing 1K Challenge can be found here.
This page demonstrates how just moving a few characters can produce a related but different effect. The source code is still exactly 978 bytes; all I did was rearrange a few of the coordinate calculations.
See the four color-changing quarter-circles below? Click and drag anywhere within that area and see what happens. Warning: this little toy can be surprisingly addictive!
Caveat: Yes, I know performance is poor on Linux. That's the result of running the animation loop through the event system, which is an approach that doesn't work as well in X-Windows. I've since learned of an alternative technique which might run more smoothly, but I didn't have time to incorporate it before the end of the contest, and I don't think it would be honest to sneak it in after the deadline. If/when I implement the rest of the mandala system, I'll incorporate it at that time.