Neural: "An exquisite book"

The auditory domain, the ideology of technology and the representation of intelligence are researched through an interstitial chronology of films depicting talking machines. Faber’s definition of the “acousmatic computer” reflects these concepts perfectly.

A deconstruction of gender through the voices of Siri, HAL 9000, and other computers that talkThis book uses feminist psychological analysis to examine the evolution of computer voices, from early representations in popular narratives to their ultimate embodiment in popular technology. The chapters provide a thorough exploration of gender biased and anthropomorphised speech at various stages. The auditory domain, the ideology of technology and the representation of intelligence are researched through an interstitial chronology of films depicting talking machines. Faber’s definition of the “acousmatic computer” reflects these concepts perfectly. In the final section, there is an in-depth analysis of the film Her, and in particular the duality of Scarlett Johannson being visible and invisible through her voice, defining a “post-corporeal” movie. Although some arguments are challenging, such as the identification of Siri with the iPhone screen, which is touchable, The Computer’s Voice is an exquisite book, informative and inspiring.

Read the review at Neural.