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Trish's Reviews > Uncanny Magazine, Issue 54, September/October 2023
Uncanny Magazine, Issue 54, September/October 2023
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This is the story of Honey. Or Emma. Or Margaret (never Maggie). Or Elizabeth. Or a host of other names for a woman that is a mother, a lover, a wife, ... whatever the respective ad needs her to be. She's not an actress. She's the ad. And for 30 seconds (or less), she becomes what she is supposed to show us, the consumers. Which also means she's self-aware, whether by accident or design. So it's time she gave us a reality check if you will.
My (book-)god(s), she's done it again! This woman, I'm telling you, is either magic or a goddess herself.
The writing is poetical, whimsical, and deeply meaningful with A LOT packed between the lines. There is sarcasm and irony, there are metaphors aplenty, there is despair and sooo much RAGE! She's basically raging against the dying of the light. Her views as portrayed in this are insightful and brutal and simply gorgeous Iit's like the beautiful prose is a disguise to get close enough to the reader to deliver the punch).
I'm utterly stunned by the cruel, unapologetic, beautiful honesty of this!
You can (and definitely should) read the story for free here: https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...
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This review is for Catherynne M. Valente's short story Can You Hear Me Now? only.
This is the story of Honey. Or Emma. Or Margaret (never Maggie). Or Elizabeth. Or a host of other names for a woman that is a mother, a lover, a wife, ... whatever the respective ad needs her to be. She's not an actress. She's the ad. And for 30 seconds (or less), she becomes what she is supposed to show us, the consumers. Which also means she's self-aware, whether by accident or design. So it's time she gave us a reality check if you will.
My (book-)god(s), she's done it again! This woman, I'm telling you, is either magic or a goddess herself.
The writing is poetical, whimsical, and deeply meaningful with A LOT packed between the lines. There is sarcasm and irony, there are metaphors aplenty, there is despair and sooo much RAGE! She's basically raging against the dying of the light. Her views as portrayed in this are insightful and brutal and simply gorgeous Iit's like the beautiful prose is a disguise to get close enough to the reader to deliver the punch).
I'm utterly stunned by the cruel, unapologetic, beautiful honesty of this!
You can (and definitely should) read the story for free here: https://www.uncannymagazine.com/artic...
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Uncanny Magazine, Issue 54, September/October 2023.
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Bradley
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rated it 5 stars
Sep 06, 2023 06:45AM
Yes, yes, a million 30-seconds of yes!
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Bradley wrote: "Yes, yes, a million 30-seconds of yes!":D
Do you see me or do you just watch me?!
I have already been a smiling, if overworked, face on a screen selling antidepressants for approximately twenty years, for a combined viewing pleasure of 3,652,500 commercials. I don't need to watch you or to see you. I am you.
Fun fact, I just used ChatGPT to run the calculations for me. :)5% of the pharmaceutical advertising budget goes towards antidepressants.
The average ad length is 30 seconds.
Each ad runs, on average, 5 times per day on a single channel.
There are approximately 100 channels where such an ad might run (major networks, cable channels, etc.).
Calculations:
Daily seconds of antidepressant ads per channel = 30 seconds * 5 = 150 seconds
Across 100 channels = 150 seconds * 100 = 15,000 seconds per day
Yearly = 15,000 * 365.25 = 5,478,750 seconds
Over 20 years = 5,478,750 seconds * 20 = 109,575,000 seconds
30 seconds per = 3,652,500 commercials
If you can't use an AI to shittalk, then just what ARE you doing? ;)
Bradley wrote: "I have already been a smiling, if overworked, face on a screen selling antidepressants for approximately twenty years, for a combined viewing pleasure of 3,652,500 commercials. I don't need to watc..."Doubtful. Never had any of those meds. And since I live in the EU, there wouldn't be any ads about this type of medication either (it's illegal since you can only get them by prescription).
Bradley wrote: "If you can't use an AI to shittalk, then just what ARE you doing? ;)"Other than something useful with my time? ;P
Ah, but still shittalking.
Bradley wrote: "Ah, but still shittalking."That runs parallel. It's called multitasking.
