by Tony Karp

The Wizard's Quest - Based on a true fable

Every year, the Scientific/Technical committee of the Wizards Guild evaluates new and wondrous inventions and devices, then ends with a ceremony where the winners are presented with awards.

This is a long and tortuous process that looks to an outsider as if there are no rules. But there are rules and, like Calvinball, rules can be made up as you go along, and each rule can only be used once.

 - The Scientific/Technical committee of the Wizards Guild.<br>
They're meeting about this year's awards.<br>Hey guys, make sure you look at all the submissions. - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
The Scientific/Technical committee of the Wizards Guild.
They're meeting about this year's awards.
Hey guys, make sure you look at all the submissions.
 - A submission form for a<br> Wizards Guild Scientific/Technical award.<br>Submissions must be put through a spell checker.<br>(We don't want to get burned again.)<br>And don't forget to look at all the submissions. - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
A submission form for a
Wizards Guild Scientific/Technical award.
Submissions must be put through a spell checker.
(We don't want to get burned again.)
And don't forget to look at all the submissions.
 - The Wizard's Quest - Based on a true fable - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
Members of the Wizards Guild Sci/Tech Committee
compare several submissions
to determine which one is the most complex.
Extra points for Degree of Impossibility.
 - - A Wizards Guild Sci/Tech Award Submission -<br>'A new cine process combining<br> vintage lenses and Artificial Intelligence<br> to produce Artificial Impressionism (tm).'  - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
- A Wizards Guild Sci/Tech Award Submission -
"A new cine process combining
vintage lenses and Artificial Intelligence
to produce Artificial Impressionism (tm)."
 - - A Wizards Guild Sci/Tech Award Submission - <br> 'The Cine-Simulator<br>A 3D modeling tool that can precisely simulate<br>complex scenes shot with progammable equipment.' - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
- A Wizards Guild Sci/Tech Award Submission -
"The Cine-Simulator
A 3D modeling tool that can precisely simulate
complex scenes shot with progammable equipment."
 - - A Wizards Guild Sci/Tech Award Submission -<br>'A new data compression method based on storing just the outlines.<br>
Here, an entire zoom is compressed into one frame.' - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
- A Wizards Guild Sci/Tech Award Submission -
"A new data compression method based on storing just the outlines.
Here, an entire zoom is compressed into one frame."
 - The Wizard's Quest - Based on a true fable - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
- A Wizards Guild Sci/Tech Award Submission -
"This was shot with a new Multimorphic (tm) cine lens.
It's anamorphic in all directions."
 - - A Wizards Guild Sci/Tech Award Submission -<br>
'Computer-Controlled Programmable Zoom Lens <br>Used to shoot the opening scene of The Godfather.' - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
- A Wizards Guild Sci/Tech Award Submission -
"Computer-Controlled Programmable Zoom Lens
Used to shoot the opening scene of The Godfather."
 - The Wizard's Quest - Based on a true fable - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
- A Wizards Guild Sci/Tech Award Submission -
"A new head-mounted action camera that shoots film.
Comes complete with a cinematographer."
 - Wait! Hold everything! The Wizards Guild Sci/Tech committee<br> finds out that one of this year's submissions is missing.<br>If we can't find it, our whole process is supect. - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
Wait! Hold everything! The Wizards Guild Sci/Tech committee
finds out that one of this year's submissions is missing.
If we can't find it, our whole process is supect.
 - The chair of the Wizards Guiild Sci/Tech committee,<br>on learning about the missing submission. <br>How to fix this? I know, I'll just send a form letter<br> to the one who submitted, telling them to forget about it. - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
The chair of the Wizards Guiild Sci/Tech committee,
on learning about the missing submission.
How to fix this? I know, I'll just send a form letter
to the one who submitted, telling them to forget about it.
 - The Sci/Tech committee of the Wizards Guild<br>appoints an advisory group <br>to search for the missing submission.<br>Here, the search begins. - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
The Sci/Tech committee of the Wizards Guild
appoints an advisory group
to search for the missing submission.
Here, the search begins.
 - The advisory group from the Sci/Tech wizards<br>finally locates the missing submission and<br>returns it to the Wizards Guild for its evaluation. - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
The advisory group from the Sci/Tech wizards
finally locates the missing submission and
returns it to the Wizards Guild for its evaluation.
 - The Wizard's Quest - Based on a true fable - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
A wizard and his dragon at the rehearsal for the Sci/Tech awards.
 - Wizards Guild Scientific/Technical awards ceremony<br>Introductory speeches by Senior Wizards<br>
Presentation of the coveted Dragon statuettes<br>
Note: No one was hurt this time. - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
Wizards Guild Scientific/Technical awards ceremony
Introductory speeches by Senior Wizards
Presentation of the coveted Dragon statuettes
Note: No one was hurt this time.
 -  A winning wizard accepting a Sci/Tech award. - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
A winning wizard accepting a Sci/Tech award.
 - Wizards Guild Scientific/Technical awards<br>The Main Presentation Hall at the Wizards Castle<br>
Presentation of the coveted Dragon statuettes - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
Wizards Guild Scientific/Technical awards
The Main Presentation Hall at the Wizards Castle
Presentation of the coveted Dragon statuettes
 - A Wizards Guild Scientific/Technical award.<br>The dragon represents the power of the wizard.<br>There are rumors that some organizations give only<br> a piece of paper or a plaque for similar accomplishments. - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
A Wizards Guild Scientific/Technical award.
The dragon represents the power of the wizard.
There are rumors that some organizations give only
a piece of paper or a plaque for similar accomplishments.
 - Epilogue<br>
After much discussion, the Wizards Guild has decided to<br>
replace the chair of the Sci/Tech committee with an AI.<br>
Rumor says this has to do with the lost submission. - - art  - photography - by Tony Karp - Discovery Technology - Cinematography - The Godfather - Designing the Future -
Epilogue
After much discussion, the Wizards Guild has decided to
replace the chair of the Sci/Tech committee with an AI.
Rumor says this has to do with the lost submission.

Being as it's Hollywood, we had to give the fable a happy ending. Unfortunately, the real ending is not happy. But now that it's over, the wizards can tell the story of what really happened.

There was a young wizard who, working alone, created an impossible device. And that device made it possible to shoot a very important scene in a very important movie. Many years later, the wizard, older now, decided to submit his invention for a Wizards Guild Scientific/Technical award. There was no time limit as to how long ago it was invented. The only requirement was that you still be alive.

But the wizard was an outsider, so it took him a little while to figure out how the Wizards Guild Sci/Tech submission process worked. When he made his first submission, he was told that it was too late, and to try again next year.

So the wizard waited patiently, growing older, but still alive, until a year had passed. Once again, he submitted his invention, this time well within the deadline. Lo and behold, it was accepted by the Wizards Guild submission portal. The status was given as: "STATUS: Submitted Pending Review".

And so the wizard waited to see what would happen to his submission. Patiently. From time to time, he would log on to the wizards portal to see if there was any change. Nope. After several months, the status was still "STATUS: Submitted Pending Review". Even more curious, the wizard had not heard from the sci/tech investigators. No questions, requests for further information, or even a rejection.

When the sci/tech wizards announced their "Things we're interested in" list, the wizard didn't see his name, so he went to the submission portal and the status still hadn't changed. Still pending review.

Something was obviously wrong. His submission was quite obviously lost. He would never hear anything from the sci/tech committee.

So he wrote to the sci/tech committee about his lost submission, about the status not changing, and about not being contacted by any investigators. He received a form letter from the chair of the sci/tech group, thanking him for his effort and telling him to get lost. No explanation of what had happened.

But being a wizard, and being as he had already spent a lot of time and effort, there was no giving up and walking away. After some thought the wizard decided to tell his story. If you've read down this page, you've seen the first draft. It will appear in other forms in the future.

See the lost submission from the
Scientific/Technical committee of the Wizards Guild

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