INFOTATER
Infotaters, which popular legend says were invented by Entharion the
Wise, are the best way to store data ever discovered. It is a sort of
magical two-way notebook. All the Guild members carried one. No
matter where they were, they could set it spinning and ask it
questions. If the answers were somewhere in the Guild library, the
infotater would find them and relay them to the enchanter. The
enchanter could also dictate into it and it would record what was
spoken while it rotated. Some were made personalized, thus only
selected patrons of the
enchanter's choosing would be able to make it work when they breathed
upon it.
Most infotaters had several windows and a rotating
data wheel, each assembled from one Selection Wheel and one Data Wheel
(usually both Wheels were provided in a "plain" and "fancy" version,
allowing the user to mix and match the versions to suit their taste).
Borphee
Infotaters, Inc. was once the chief producer of infotaters. Due to the
bankruptcy of the Frobozz Magic Grommet Company in 956 GUE, a severe
shortage of infotaters developed by the following year. For the
duration of that crisis Borphee Infotaters, Inc. substituted (at the
last minute and at great expense) a special birch-bark-bound edition in
book form, known as the “Field Guide to the Creatures of Quendor.”
Though because of popular demand, the infotaters were later released in
a "Do-It-Yourself Kit" (minus the grommets of course).
PINWHEEL MODEL
Although
alternate sources tell of the seventh century Krepkit as the inventor
of the infotater, it is
probable that he was responsible for the development of an alternate model,
which has the semblance of child's pinwheel. When blown upon, the delicate
blades would begin to spin, and the red, blue, and yellow colors would
begin to blur and merge as its magic started to work and it picked up
speed, whirling faster and faster until it became a rainbow glow of
light. In the vortex of color which reflected on the walls and floors,
images would form, and a voice would speak in low calm tones. Krepkit,
having an odd sence of humor, tried to give each of these infotaters
their own personalities.