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tatata's review against another edition
funny
informative
slow-paced
4.0
Very interesting and easy to read
ptaradactyl's review against another edition
3.0
I found the exploration of robot types and enlightening and interesting. Generally, I appreciated the more descriptive and analytical sections but struggled when the authors got more prescriptive on recommendations for the future.
It definitely made me think about my own attitude toward systems like Siri and Alexa- I don’t use either because I am uncomfortable with the surveillance aspects, but I’m still bothered at the idea of talking to them like people. If I wouldn’t thank the command line for executing a command, should I thank an audio GUI?
Ultimately, I don’t know how I feel about their arguments around Queering smart assistants because Queering theory isn’t my lens or field. I don’t know if I’m informed enough on it to discuss their perspective. I felt my attention wandering there, but that is again a reflection of my interests more than the author’s arguments.
It definitely made me think about my own attitude toward systems like Siri and Alexa- I don’t use either because I am uncomfortable with the surveillance aspects, but I’m still bothered at the idea of talking to them like people. If I wouldn’t thank the command line for executing a command, should I thank an audio GUI?
Ultimately, I don’t know how I feel about their arguments around Queering smart assistants because Queering theory isn’t my lens or field. I don’t know if I’m informed enough on it to discuss their perspective. I felt my attention wandering there, but that is again a reflection of my interests more than the author’s arguments.
annarella's review against another edition
4.0
It's an interesting read, full of food for thought and ideas. I found some part quite engrossing and some part a bit dull, more like research notes.
Siri/Alexa are disembodied female voices and I appreciated the ideas and how it reflect on our way of life and gender roles.
I recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
Siri/Alexa are disembodied female voices and I appreciated the ideas and how it reflect on our way of life and gender roles.
I recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
whateveryoneelseisreading's review against another edition
4.0
I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher MIT Press in exchange for an honest review.
The Smart Wife was a little disappointing to me. It looks at the concept of 'smart wives' through a feminist and sociological lens, discussing the implication of giving devices such as Alexa female voices. I found the idea of this fascinating as it's not something I've really thought about before and that in itself indicates how it is worthy of analysis. Why should robot servants have primarily female voices? And why don't people question it?
Sadly this book didn't really discuss these elements beyond the surface level. I appreciate that there haven't been any studies or detailed experiments about this topic, but the book felt a bit empty without those. I was looking forward to finding out what the public opinion was on these devices and whether those with a female voice are viewed differently or not, but there is almost nothing of that nature included. Instead there is some speculation but the bulk of the book seems to just be discussing different devices without much of the feminist angle applied beyond the basic concept of 'these devices are sexist'.
One chapter I did particularly enjoy was the section on sex robots. This did go into deeper discussion and I think it was the best chapter because of that. It explored some frankly quite disheartening statistics and what these might mean for the wider world. It was well-crafted, informative and gave me a lot to think about.
Overall, I think this book has a lot of promise but sadly it didn't do exactly what I expected it to. It lacked that depth to really hold my interest, but I think it is a fantastic introduction to the topic and I look forward to what else the authors (and other researchers) will do in this area. If you are intrigued by the subject matter, this is still well worth the read. Just be aware of its limits and enjoy it for what it is.
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars
The Smart Wife was a little disappointing to me. It looks at the concept of 'smart wives' through a feminist and sociological lens, discussing the implication of giving devices such as Alexa female voices. I found the idea of this fascinating as it's not something I've really thought about before and that in itself indicates how it is worthy of analysis. Why should robot servants have primarily female voices? And why don't people question it?
Sadly this book didn't really discuss these elements beyond the surface level. I appreciate that there haven't been any studies or detailed experiments about this topic, but the book felt a bit empty without those. I was looking forward to finding out what the public opinion was on these devices and whether those with a female voice are viewed differently or not, but there is almost nothing of that nature included. Instead there is some speculation but the bulk of the book seems to just be discussing different devices without much of the feminist angle applied beyond the basic concept of 'these devices are sexist'.
One chapter I did particularly enjoy was the section on sex robots. This did go into deeper discussion and I think it was the best chapter because of that. It explored some frankly quite disheartening statistics and what these might mean for the wider world. It was well-crafted, informative and gave me a lot to think about.
Overall, I think this book has a lot of promise but sadly it didn't do exactly what I expected it to. It lacked that depth to really hold my interest, but I think it is a fantastic introduction to the topic and I look forward to what else the authors (and other researchers) will do in this area. If you are intrigued by the subject matter, this is still well worth the read. Just be aware of its limits and enjoy it for what it is.
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars