Project Gutenberg 2016-04-01 Public domain in the USA. 141 Blomberg, Con Morrow, Gray 1934 2001 Morrow, Dwight Graydon Sales talk Produced from Galaxy Science Fiction December 1959 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Sales Talk" by Con Blomberg is a science fiction short story written in the late 1950s. The narrative takes place in a futuristic society where "Electronic Living" (EL) allows individuals to experience the sensations and emotions of others through electronic means. The story delves into the implications of such technology on personal identity and the nature of reality, raising questions about the trade-offs between direct experience and synthetic fulfillment. The plot centers around a character named Mr. Gaines, who is visited by two salesmen from EL, Jake Long and Arnie Blik. Initially, they present EL as an exciting new way to live vicariously through the experiences of others, using a device that connects to the brain and projects simulated lives. As the conversation unfolds, Gaines questions the ethical and philosophical ramifications of abandoning genuine experiences for manufactured ones, ultimately rejecting the seductive allure of EL. The interaction culminates in Gaines triumphing over the salesmen, as he recognizes the dangers of becoming a mere consumer in a world that values production and creativity. Ultimately, the story uses the interaction as a critique of a society that prioritizes consumption over authentic living. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 80.2 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Virtual reality -- Fiction PS Text Science Fiction Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 51983 2025-07-20T14:31:18.937544 text/html 28225 2024-10-23T00:16:19 text/html 227397 2025-07-20T14:31:20.615542 application/epub+zip 226250 2025-07-20T14:31:19.298545 application/epub+zip 87260 2025-07-20T14:31:19.096531 application/epub+zip 261720 2025-07-20T14:31:21.779507 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 254615 2025-07-20T14:31:20.421539 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 115737 2022-09-23T13:47:08.577919 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 45279 2025-07-20T14:31:18.831534 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 25549 2024-10-23T00:16:19 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17986 2025-07-20T14:31:21.903506 application/rdf+xml 30546 2025-07-20T14:31:19.165549 image/jpeg 5093 2025-07-20T14:31:19.130525 image/jpeg 203847 2025-07-20T14:31:18.948549 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia