Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

Foxconn Changes Story Again, Says It Will Build a Factory in Wisconsin After Call with President Trump

Well, we don’t know what to believe anymore. Is Foxconn actually building a factory in Wisconsin? The answer seems to be changing every day. Foxconn, most famous for manufacturing Apple’s iPhone, released a new statement today saying that after a discussion with President Donald Trump, it would be building a factory after all. But it…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 1 '19

U.S. Withdraws From Nuclear Weapons Treaty With Russia, Paving the Way for a New Arms Race

It’s official. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo just announced that the U.S. will withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty with Russia, a landmark agreement first signed in 1987 that helped protect the world from nuclear war. “Russia has jeopardized the United States’ security interests. And we can no longer be restricted by the…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 1 '19

This Viral Photo of a Homeless Person Freezing on the Street Is Actually From 2013… in Canada

It’s a heartbreaking photo. But it doesn’t show what you think it does. The viral photo, which shows a person sleeping on the sidewalk and covered in snow, has been making the rounds on politically conservative social media this week in an attempt at commentary on immigration. It’s been tweeted by actor James Woods, retweeted…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 31 '19

Trump Regime Secretly Shipped Weapons-Grade Plutonium From South Carolina to Nevada in 2018

The Department of Energy shipped half a ton of weapons-grade plutonium across the country from South Carolina to Nevada, despite concerns raised by state officials in Nevada about safety and worries that the state would become a dumping ground for nuclear waste. News of the shipment, first reported by the Nevada Independent, was revealed on…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 31 '19

Foxconn Admits It’s Not Building a Factory in Wisconsin Anymore Despite Scoring $4 Billion Deal From Taxpayers

Foxconn, one of the largest electronics manufacturing companies in the world, received $4 billion worth of subsidies and infrastructure spending from the state of Wisconsin to build a new factory there. But the plan for that factory seems to be unraveling by the day. In fact, Foxconn now admits that they’re no longer building a…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 30 '19

Fox News Is Boycotting Twitter But The Network Still Loves Social Media’s Free Content

Fox News is no longer tweeting from the cable network’s main account, but that doesn’t mean that President Trump’s favorite channel has abandoned Twitter altogether. In fact, Fox News still relies on Twitter to harvest free content that airs on its network all day long. Fox News Channel sent its last tweet almost three months…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 30 '19

Tourist in Australia Goes Viral Holding ‘Beautiful’ Octopus That Can Kill Within Minutes

A tourist in Australia has gone viral after posting a video of themself holding a blue-ringed octopus. But it hasn’t gone viral just because the animal is beautiful. The blue-ringed octopus is one of the most venomous creatures in Australia and the unnamed tourist is lucky to be alive. The chilling video, which appears to…

Biology Matt Novak Jan 29 '19

Pregnant Lyft Driver Stabbed to Death by Passenger in Arizona

Kristina Howato, a 39-year-old driver for the transportation company Lyft, was murdered by one of her passengers in Tempe, Arizona on Sunday. Authorities believe Howato was stabbed to death by 20-year-old Fabian Durazo with a kitchen knife. Durazo has reportedly admitted to the crime but hasn’t given any motive. Howato was still in her vehicle…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 29 '19

This 1996 TV Commercial Predicted What Sports Would Look Like in 2020

What did people of the past think sports would look like in the 21st century? They imagined humans powerlifting an entire ton, hurdles that pop up taller as you move along the track, and swimming relay races with “dolphin style” moves against wave machines. At least that was the idea in this 1996 TV commercial…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 28 '19

Flights Delayed at Several Major Airports Due to Air Traffic Control Staffing Shortage During Shutdown

It’s day 35 of President Trump’s government shutdown with no end in sight. And it’s only getting worse. The latest: flights at New York’s LaGuardia airport, New Jersey’s Newark airport, and Philadelphia International Airport have been delayed due to staffing issues at air traffic control centers, according to the FAA’s website. NBC New York reports…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 25 '19

Roger Stone Arrested by FBI For Obstruction and Lying About WikiLeaks Contacts [Updated]

Roger Stone, a longtime Republican political operative in Washington and ally of President Trump, was arrested by the FBI in Fort Lauderdale, Florida shortly after 6:00am ET this morning, CNN reports. Stone has been indicted by Robert Mueller’s special counsel which is investigating Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election. Stone is being charged with…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 25 '19

There’s Never Been a Better Time to Bribe TSA and CBP Officers Than During President Trump’s Shutdown

It’s day 34 of President Trump’s government shutdown with no end in sight. And while most of the media’s attention has been focused on the long lines at airport security and food that’s going uninspected, there’s another topic that isn’t getting much coverage: the potential for rampant corruption. There’s literally never been a better time…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 24 '19

Apple Lays Off Over 200 Employees Working on Secretive Self-Driving Car Project

Over 200 employees working on Apple’s self-driving cars project, code-named Project Titan, have been laid off. The move is being positioned internally as an “anticipated restructuring,” according to the earliest reports, though it’s not immediately clear that the job losses were actually expected by the people who were laid off. Apple has been working on…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 24 '19

CEO of IBM Says Hiring Based on Skills Instead of College Degrees is Vital for the Future of Tech

What does the future of getting a job in the tech industry look like? According to the CEO of IBM, Ginni Rometty, it’s important that tech companies focus on hiring people with valuable skills, not just people with college degrees. Rometty made the comments yesterday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The CEO…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 23 '19

Arizona Lawmaker Wants to Tax Internet Porn to Pay for Border Wall

Arizona state Senator Gail Griffin, a Republican, has introduced a new bill that would force computer and phone retailers to install porn-blocking software, which could only be removed for a fee of at least $20. The weirdest part? The money that was collected by the state would be used to help build President Donald Trump’s…

Politics Matt Novak Jan 22 '19

Watch the Military’s Latest Rocket Launch Carrying a Secret Payload

Large portions of the U.S. government are shut down, but espionage doesn’t wait for anybody. The U.S. military launched a Delta-IV Heavy rocket on Saturday from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, but its payload is a mystery. Why? Whatever America just launched into space is for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO)—the military and intelligence…

Space & Spaceflight Matt Novak Jan 21 '19

President Trump Posts Altered Photos to Facebook and Instagram That Make Him Look Thinner

President Donald Trump’s social media accounts are filled with vile racism, idiotic xenophobia, and inaccurate statistics. And now we can add another category to the list: fake photos. In recent months, Trump’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts have published photos of the president that have been manipulated to make him look thinner. If it only…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 21 '19

How Long Before Facebook’s New Petition Feature is Complicit in Genocide?

Facebook, a tech company that the United Nations said has been literally complicit in genocide, has a new feature that’s being rolled out this week. And there’s a very good chance that it’s going to be abused, no matter what assurances the company provides. Facebook’s new feature is called Community Actions and functions much like…

Social Media Matt Novak Jan 21 '19

Government Workers Turn to Craigslist to Pay Bills and Rent as Shutdown Wears On

If you search words like “shutdown” on Craigslist in any major city in the country right now, you’ll likely find increasingly desperate people. Roughly 800,000 government workers and countless contractors aren’t getting a paycheck right now. And the resulting classified ads one sign of the heavy toll the shutdown is taking on those stuck in…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 18 '19

NSA Puts Phone Charging Station at Hacker Conference in Plot to Go Viral

We’ve all had that moment. Your smartphone battery is running low, and you’re desperate for some juice. But just how desperate have you gotten? Desperate enough to plug your phone into an NSA charging station? Because some people are seriously facing that choice right now. Shmoocon, a hacker conference that started today and runs through…

Privacy & Security Matt Novak Jan 18 '19

Matt Novak

Foxconn Changes Story Again, Says It Will Build a Factory in Wisconsin After Call with President Trump

U.S. Withdraws From Nuclear Weapons Treaty With Russia, Paving the Way for a New Arms Race

This Viral Photo of a Homeless Person Freezing on the Street Is Actually From 2013… in Canada

Trump Regime Secretly Shipped Weapons-Grade Plutonium From South Carolina to Nevada in 2018

Foxconn Admits It’s Not Building a Factory in Wisconsin Anymore Despite Scoring $4 Billion Deal From Taxpayers

Fox News Is Boycotting Twitter But The Network Still Loves Social Media’s Free Content

Tourist in Australia Goes Viral Holding ‘Beautiful’ Octopus That Can Kill Within Minutes

Pregnant Lyft Driver Stabbed to Death by Passenger in Arizona

This 1996 TV Commercial Predicted What Sports Would Look Like in 2020

Flights Delayed at Several Major Airports Due to Air Traffic Control Staffing Shortage During Shutdown

Roger Stone Arrested by FBI For Obstruction and Lying About WikiLeaks Contacts [Updated]

There’s Never Been a Better Time to Bribe TSA and CBP Officers Than During President Trump’s Shutdown

Apple Lays Off Over 200 Employees Working on Secretive Self-Driving Car Project

CEO of IBM Says Hiring Based on Skills Instead of College Degrees is Vital for the Future of Tech

Arizona Lawmaker Wants to Tax Internet Porn to Pay for Border Wall

Watch the Military’s Latest Rocket Launch Carrying a Secret Payload

President Trump Posts Altered Photos to Facebook and Instagram That Make Him Look Thinner

How Long Before Facebook’s New Petition Feature is Complicit in Genocide?

Government Workers Turn to Craigslist to Pay Bills and Rent as Shutdown Wears On

NSA Puts Phone Charging Station at Hacker Conference in Plot to Go Viral

BLUETTI Elite 30 V2 Portable Power Station Is Nearly Half Off, and Waiting for Prime Day Could Mean Missing Out

Elizabeth Banks Is Cloned in ‘DreamQuil’ Trailer

Ring Battery Doorbell 2K Crashes 60% to a Record Low on Amazon, Leaving Almost No Margin Behind

Amazon Nearly Gives Away This UGREEN 100W USB-C Cable 2-Pack, With Each Cable Costing Next to Nothing

Amazon Refreshes Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, and Kindle Colorsoft E-Readers With Flush Screens

‘Carrie’ Has Power but Doesn’t Quite Stick the Landing

Govee’s Holiday Projector Beams Spooky Ghosts (or Santa) Onto Your Home

Samsung SSD 9100 PRO 1TB Quietly Drops to Near No-Margin Pricing on Amazon, With PCIe 5.0 and Up to 14,700MB/s Speeds

Nothing Headphone 1 Pro Review: Honest-to-God S-Tier Headphones

Amazon Echo Show 5 Drops 40% to an All-Time Low That Feels More Like Clearance Than a Prime Day Deal

GoPro Mission 1 Pro ILS Review: A Bad GoPro and a Worse Camera

Apple Watch Ultra 4 Review: Still the Best Health Buddy for Your Wrist

Mova LiDAX Pro 800 Review: This Robomower Tried to Mow Me Down

iRobot Roomba Max 775 Review: A Respectable Roomba Redux

Sonos Ace Ultra Review: Headphones That Only Hardcore Sonos Fans Could Love

M6 Mac mini Review: A Better Tiny Desktop, With or Without AI

Aqara Multi-Sensor FP400 Review: Not Quite the mmWave of the Future

Alienware’s AW3926QW Ultrawide Gaming Monitor Review: Size Really Does Matter

iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max Review: Apple Is Just Flexing Hard Now

AirPods 5 Review: A Ridiculously Great Value for ANC Wireless Earbuds