COUNTERCLCK # 25 INTRODUCTIN CVER ART: I have been asked to be more explanatory in my Bojana Nariel Lubina (at SferaKon, Zagreb, Croatia) writing, to make it easier for first-time readers to get in a Winter Soldier costume from Marvel's Captain what I am writing about. I promise to bear this in America. Photo & battlesmoke: Wolf von Witting mind, but will still let you google a few things, which I - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - feel I have written enough about (for example TAFF, TABLE F CONTENT the Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund). So if you don't Introduction......................................page 02 understand, a few clicks should provide you with an Doom of the A.I.'s answer, but hopefully less clicks than what was by Rolf Strömgren............................page 03 required by a first-time reader before. The Greek ALEF FB-Group.............page 05 To tell you the truth. I was thinking about quitting. 160 SF/Fantasy TV-series...............page 06 This would be the last issue, I would announce at by their IMDb-ranking as of May 30, 2016 some point. And that day may still come. But not yet. Again, 2nd place in the TAFF-race, but owing a story 24, the Meaning of Life all backwards....page 07 to 80+ voters. Now was not the time for quitting. In Defense of the Troll............................page 08 Instead I decided to attend more conventions this More Advice to Time Travellers..............page 09 year than ever before. I have made a Grand Slam (4 1st Con of Jesenice, Slovenia................page 12 conventions in a year) before. The new record would SFeraKon 2016, Zagreb, Croatia...........page 14 have to be five. And then I would write the non-TAFF Who is Bojana?......................................page 17 report, writing reports from travels across Europe. Fantasy-Convetion, Zagreb First stop Jesenice in Slovenia. Then SferaKon in by Bojana Nariel Lubina.........................page 18 Zagreb (Croatia) and Fantastika in Stockholm. This Fantastika 2016, Stockholm...................page 21 is the first half. Later I intend to be in Oldenburg for LoCol......................................................page 25 the SFCD-Con and with the grand finale at BCon, the Eurocon in Barcelona. If all goes as planned. Index to CounterClock #1-25.................page 30 With the non-TAFF report here in CounterClock. That was the idea. But then I talked to some dis- illusioned old BNF's aiming for quiet retirement from fannish affairs and I was feeling this sudden weari- ness myself. I knew it would come. I knew it would pass. I knew that even if I would say so, there would only be a limited time that I could shut up. My fingers would soon start itching again to write something. Though I would not have expected this itch to come so soon. Several factors have contributed to this. One being the amount of comments on the previous issue and another being the result of the FAAN- Awards from Corflu 33 in Chicago. And unlike the Worldcon HUGO's in which the fan- categories are routinely hijacked, these are results I can wholeheartedly agree with. My congratulations to the winners and in particular to those who I already am familiar with; Randy Byers, Andy Hooper, Graham Charnock, Bill Burns and Steve Stiles. Not being familiar with all of the winners shows only how much I still have left to learn. The Fan Activity Achievement (FAAn) awards are presented annually to honour the best in fan writing, drawing, publishing and posting. They are voted on by fanzine fans around the world and the results are now usually announced at Corflu. The 33rd edition of Corflu: CHIFLU was held in Chicago on May 13-15th, at the same time as the 40th Anniversary convention of the Croatian sf- Artwork by Arthur Thomson 1927-1990 club SFera was held in Zagreb. 2 COUNTERCLCK # 25 Best Genzine: a tie between Chunga, edited by The Doom of the AI:s Randy Byers, Andy Hooper and Carl Juarez and Raucous Caucus, edited by Pat Charnock by Rolf Strömgren Best Personal Zine: This text is dedicated to Criswell. Vibrator, edited by Graham Charnock My friends, we are all interested in the future, for that Best Special Publication: is where we are going to spend the rest of our lives. The MOTA Reader, edited by Dan Steffan You are interested in the future. That is why you are here. Remember my friends, contemporary events Best Fan Website: such as these will affect you in the future. eFanzines.com, managed by Bill Burns It is my duty today to bring to you the full story of Best Fan Writer: what will happen in the future. It is based only on Roy Kettle facts, and the deep knowledge of human beings Best Fan Artist: which I cannot keep secret any longer. My friends, Steve Stiles can your hearts stand the shocking fact that it is now too late? The AI:s will take over! Best Letterhack: (formally, the Harry Warner, Jr Memorial Award for Best Fan Correspondent) Things are happening right now - and have already Paul Skelton happened! - that make it impossible to stop them. Best Fanzine Cover: - A new proposal from the European Parliament calls Raucous Caucus #4, by D West with Harry Bell for working robots to be classified as "electronic persons," and for their owners to pay social security Number One Fan Face: (not voted, totalled from on their behalf. eight categories): Dan Steffan With such legislature in effect we will give the AI:s Lifetime Achievement Award: John Bangsund the legal tools to enforce their *right* to influence. Many more things can be said about the 2015 FAAn - In October 2015, a computer Go program called Awards. My congratulations also to Bruce Gillespie, AlphaGo, powered by DeepMind, beat the European Melbourne, Australia, for his 3rd place in the genzine Go champion Fan Hui. This is the first time an AI category. His SF Commentary is indeed a worthy defeated a professional Go player. recipient of many votes. And congrats to Taral Wayne for a 'silver medal' in the category personal zines with Broken Toys. Here, to my own huge surprise I found CounterClock on an honourable 7th position. I doubt anyone has *ever* been as proud over a 7th place in this category as I am. Proud and happy. One has to see this in a perspective. I am not British and I am not American. I am not Australian. I am a European cosmopolitan, a Swedish citizen, living in Italy. English is my 3rd language. Even the shared 30th place as a fan-writer is already a huge honour. Only one point behind Curt Phillips, Christina Lake and Chuck Connor. I am absolutely delighted to have received any points at all in the category. Of course I am happy. Of course I can't quit doing CounterClock now. It is also not without a certain satisfaction that I can announce CounterClock #23 as third placed in the category Best Fanzine Cover. But the honour for that achievement must go to Tais Teng, who provided it. A little bit disappointing at first, was the 31st place for CounterClock #21 as best cover. I didn't feel it was so far behind #23. But considering how many covers there are in total, it's perhaps not so bad after all. Compare to 3rd and 31st in the list of 160 SF and Fantasy TV-series. It's still darn good! Arwork: Arthur Thomson, ATom 1927-1990 3 COUNTERCLCK # 25 Go is considered much more difficult for computers - The U.S. military has launched an autonomous to win than other games, due to the much larger military vessel. The Sea Hunter is designed to cruise number of possibilities. for two or three months at a time, without a crew or anyone controlling it remotely. It is useful for counter- Google DeepMind studied how humans play Go and mine warfare, anti-submarine warfare, reconnais- became an acceptable player. Then it cloned itself sance, intelligence, and other tasks. and its knowledge into 50 computers and they Artwork: Arthur Thomson, ATom 1927-1990 played against each other. Through each game they learnt and grew smarter, and soon they surpassed There is an inherent military and political logic on the best human players. this subject which makes it too late now to stop the development. Of course an anti-submarine vessel The obvious next step will be Deepmind:TNG, must be armed. Of course it must be able to make studying how businessmen and lawyers act. Then it its own decisions to fire its weapons. will clone itself and start a company, thereby out- Communication and control channels may be competing all wetware driven competitors. Google ruptured. The enemy may have succeeded in suits will not complain, since it will give Google world inserting false orders, and those must be judged and domination. ignored. Of course the vessel must be able to decide for itself whether the target is friend or foe. There will The consequence is that the AI:s won't make a be unforeseen situations, special cases which have hostile take over. As they perform better we will to be judged autonomously by the vessel. willingly sign the power away to them. We will give them powers of decision, powers of action. After all Then the eternal battle between measures and they are much better at making good decisions than countermeasures springs into action. It has been the we are. If we refuse, we are very irresponsible highest principle of conflict since at least the birth of people and must be ignored! And punished! the single cell.