Have you heard of the World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon)? This year, it was held in Chengdu from October 18 to 22. WorldCon is the biggest sci-fi event (盛会) in the world. It has been held since 1939. This was the first time the event had been held in China.

During the event, the winners of this year’s Hugo Awards were announced (宣布). The awards are very famous in the science fiction world. They are voted on by members of WorldCon. Chinese sci-fi writers and artists enjoyed a big night on October 21.

The Space-Time Painter (《时空画家》) won the award for the best novelette (短中篇小说). It was written by part-time writer Hai Ya (海涯). “I’m very lucky,” he said. “It’s like my dream shining into reality.” He hopes that his works can make more people think about technology, time and art.

Besides that, Zhao Enzhe won the best Professional Artist (最佳职业艺术家) award. The artist has worked in the game industry for more than 20 years. He has been making covers for China’s Science Fiction World magazine for a long time. The magazine is the best-selling one of its kind in the world.

In addition, China’s Zero Gravity Newspaper (《零重力报》) won the best Fanzine (最佳粉丝杂志) award. Four works by Chinese writers were shortlisted (最终入围) for the Best Short Story award.

Over the past years, a lot of Chinese science fiction works have been translated into many different languages. They have attracted (吸引) more and more readers around the world. The influence of Chinese science fiction keeps growing!

Professional writing isn’t easy. As a blogger, journalist or reporter, you have to meet several challenges. You have to keep up with the latest developments and at the same time write timely, interesting and unique content. The same goes for scientists, researchers and analysts and other professionals. With floods of information being published on the web every day, things aren’t getting easier.

Fortunately, Artificial Intelligence has a few ways to help with professional writing, among which is smart proofreading.

Software sellers have always tried to help writers by adding proofreading features to their tools. But those efforts can slightly anger someone with more-than-average writing skills. However, that is changing as AI is getting better at understanding the context and purpose of the written text. One example is Microsoft Word’s New Editor Feature, a tool that uses AI to provide more than simple proofreading. Editor can understand slight differences in your article much better than other tools do. It flags not only grammatical errors and style mistakes, but also the use of unnecessarily complex words and overused terms. For instance, it knows when you’re using the word “really” to emphasize a point or to raise a question.

It also gives reasons for its decisions and provides smart suggestions when it considers something as incorrect. For example, if it marks a sentence as passive, it will provide a reworded version in active voice.

Editor has been well received by professional writers, though it’s still far from perfect. However, AI-powered writing assistance is fast becoming a competitive market. Grammarly, a grammar checker, uses AI to help with all writing tasks on the web. Atomic Reach is another player, which uses machine learning to provide feedback on the readability of written content.

“The Wicked Witch of the West is dead!” says Dorothy to her friends.

Everyone is very happy.

“We must go back to the Wizard(男巫) of Oz and tell him,” says Dorothy.

Soon, Dorothy and her friends arrive at the Emerald City. They are given glasses and led to the Wizard’s room. But no one is there.

A voice says, “I am the Wizard of Oz.”

“Where are you?” asks Dorothy.

“I am everywhere, but you can’t see me,” says the Wizard. “Who are you and what do you want?”

“Don’t you remember us? I’m Dorothy! I’m here with my friends—the Tin Woodman, the Scarecrow, and the Lion. The Wicked Witch of the West is dead and you must keep your promise. I want to go home to Kansas.”

“Yes,” says the Scarecrow. “You must give me a brain.”

“And you must give me a heart,” says the Tin Woodman.

“And I want some courage,” says the Lion.

“Is she really dead?” asks the Wizard.

“Yes, she is!” the friends all say.

“Come back tomorrow,” says the Wizard. “I must think about it.”

“No way! I’m going to eat you!” shouts the angry Lion.

Dorothy’s pet dog Toto, afraid of the Lion, jumps up and hits a big screen. It falls over and the friends see a little old man. They can’t believe their eyes.

“Who are you?” asks Dorothy.

“I am the Great Oz,” says the little man. “Please don’t hurt me!” “But the Wizard is a big head with no body,” says Dorothy.

“No, it’s a beautiful woman,” says the Scarecrow.

“You’re wrong. It’s a monster with five eyes, five arms and five legs,” says the Tin Woodman.

“No,” says the Lion. “The Wizard is a big ball of fire.”

“You are all wrong,” says the little man quietly. “__________ I’m from Kansas too. I like travelling in hot-air balloons. That’s why I’m here. The people here think I’m a wizard because I come from the sky,” says the little man. “I live inside this room and never go out. I can’t let anyone see me. I must make everyone think I’m a real wizard.”

“The Emerald City isn’t green,” continued the little man sadly. “It just looks green, because everyone wears green glasses. I have no magic. It’s only a trick! Everything here is a trick!”

—Adapted from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz