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Edison's Eve : A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life
Edison's Eve A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life
Author: Gaby Wood
During the eighteenth century, the inventor Jacques de Vaucanson created a mechanical duck that seemingly could digest and excrete its food. A few decades later, Europeans fell in love with “the Turk,” a celebrated chess-playing machine built in 1769. Thomas Edison was obsessed for years with making a talking mechanical doll, one of ...  more »
ISBN-13: 9781400031580
ISBN-10: 1400031583
Publication Date: 7/8/2003
Pages: 352
Rating:
  • Currently 2.8/5 Stars.
 2

2.8 stars, based on 2 ratings
Publisher: Anchor
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
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PhoenixFalls avatar reviewed Edison's Eve : A Magical History of the Quest for Mechanical Life on + 185 more book reviews
The book is well researched and the subject interesting, but throughout the author betrays the same anxiety and fear of artificial intelligence that she purports to be analyzing. She talks about the increasing complexity of mechanical life and whether or not it may someday become indistinguishable from humanity, then immediately jumps to the conclusion that when that day comes, it will necessitate the subjugation of humanity. This underlying assumption and fear poisoned my enjoyment of the book such that I could not finish it.


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