Emma Allison, a 'Lady Engineer' by Robert Davis

Talking Like a "Princess": What Speaking Machines Say About Human Biases by Meryl Alper 

In this issue, Robert Davis writes his first piece as Contributing Editor on Emma Allison and her Baxter Engine at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition. Guest writer Meryl Alper explores the gendered and ableist dimensions of synthetic speech, a topic which she explores at length in her book Giving Voice: Mobile Communication, Disability, and Inequality. 

This issue was published in syndication with The New Inquiry.

Image credit: Grand United States centennial exhibition 1876: main building, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia Physical description: 1 print : lithograph, hand-colored (Wikimedia Commons)