Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

Stop. Just Stop. Please. Stop.

I can’t take it any more. Please, just make it stop. We don’t deserve this. Nobody deserves this. Just make it go away. The world is terrible enough already without this cutesy shit getting churned out by literal criminals. Just. Stop. Please.

Tech News Matt Novak May 18

Sergei Skripal, Former Spy Poisoned With Novichok, Released From Hospital But Still Recovering

Sergei Skripal, the former spy who was poisoned with a Soviet-era nerve agent called Novichok, was released from the hospital today. But health officials stress that Skripal still needs more time to properly recover. Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were both poisoned with Novichok on March 4, 2018 and were found unconscious on…

Tech News Matt Novak May 18

FDA Publicly Shames Drug Companies That Block Generic Meds

Today the Food and Drug Administration published a list of pharmaceutical companies accused of bogging down the development of generic drugs. The makers of brand name drugs are constantly putting up obstacles that delay the development of generic medications, according to generics manufacturers, and this new list calls them out. But it remains to be…

Health Matt Novak May 17

Video Shows Florida Teacher Allegedly Drowning Two Raccoons in Science Class

On Monday, a science teacher in Florida took his students outside and drowned two raccoons. According to one student, the reason given by the teacher was that the raccoons had killed some chickens housed behind the school. The raccoons were placed in wire cages and submerged underwater for several minutes until they were dead as…

Tech News Matt Novak May 17

Top Lawyer at Novartis Quits After Drug Company’s $1.2 Million Payment to the President’s Fixer Is Exposed

The top lawyer at pharmaceutical company Novartis has announced that he’s leaving the company today. The departure of General Counsel Felix Ehrat comes in the wake of news that Novartis had given $1.2 million to a secret shell company controlled by President Trump’s personal lawyer and “fixer,” Michael Cohen. Novartis claims it got nothing in…

Health Matt Novak May 16

Tim Cook Gently Criticizes Tariffs Against China But Loves President Trump’s Corporate Tax Cuts

Tim Cook most recently met with President Trump on April 25th at the White House, a day after attending the state dinner for French president Emmanuel Macron. But the Apple CEO hasn’t discussed what he and Trump talked about, until now. Cook struck a diplomatic tone with Bloomberg TV, discussing his thoughts on the Trump…

Tech News Matt Novak May 15

A Dozen Homeless Dogs From Chernobyl Are Being Put Up for Adoption in the U.S.

As Ernest Hemingway might’ve said: Good dogs, for adoption, minor radiation. Ukrainian state officials have announced that about 200 dogs from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone are planned to be put up for adoption in the U.S., with the first 12 flying out in June. Chernobyl, about an hour north of Kiev, was the site of…

Tech News Matt Novak May 14

Email No Longer a Secure Method of Communication After Critical Flaw Discovered in PGP

If you use PGP or S/MIME for email encryption you should immediately disable it in your email client. Researchers have discovered a critical vulnerability they’re calling EFAIL that exposes the encrypted emails in plaintext, even for messages sent in the past. “Email is no longer a secure communication medium,” Sebastian Schinzel, a professor of computer…

Privacy & Security Matt Novak May 14

Australia Bans Cash For All Purchases Over $7,500 Starting July of 2019

Australia’s Liberal Party government has announced that it will soon be illegal to purchase anything over $10,000 AU ($7,500 US) with cash. The government says it’s, “encouraging the transition to a digital society,” and cracking down on tax evasion. But not everyone is happy with the move. “This will be bad news for criminal gangs,…

Tech News Matt Novak May 11

Uber Plans to Put Self-Driving Cars Back on the Road ‘Within the Next Few Months’ After Fatal Crash

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says that the company plans to put self-driving cars back on the road “within the next few months.” The transportation company suspended tests in March after one of its vehicles struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona. The incident is believed to be the first human death from an autonomous car.…

Tech News Matt Novak May 10

Boeing Loses $20 Billion in Contracts After President Trump Violates Iran Deal

President Trump announced yesterday that he was unilaterally pulling the U.S. out of the so-called Iran Deal, an international agreement that lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for the cessation of Iran’s nuclear weapons program. But now that the sanctions are being reinstated, some American companies stand to lose a lot of money. Boeing alone…

Tech News Matt Novak May 9

Uber’s New Aerial Taxi Concept Looks Like the Spruce Goose of Flying Cars

Uber unveiled a new design for its futuristic “aerial taxi” at the second annual Uber Elevate conference today. And judging by the concept art, Uber is still trying to figure out how to make electric vertical take off and landing (eVTOL) a practical reality. The company’s latest design looks like the Spruce Goose of flying…

Tech News Matt Novak May 8

Walmart to Limit Opioid Prescriptions to 7-Day Supply, Will Require E-Prescriptions by 2020

Walmart has announced that the company will roll out new restrictions on opioid prescriptions this summer at Walmart and Sam’s Club stores, and will require e-prescriptions for opioids by the year 2020. The move comes as the opioid epidemic continues to kill more and more Americans every year. “Walmart and Sam’s Club will restrict initial…

Health Matt Novak May 8

The Price of This Drug Went Up 100,000 Percent Since 2001 for No Good Reason

Did you catch 60 Minutes last night? If you did, you may have learned about a drug called Acthar that went from $40 in 2001 to over $40,000 today. It’s a perfect illustration of just how poorly regulated the US pharmaceutical industry continues to be and how there’s absolutely no good reason for the extreme…

Health Matt Novak May 7

What’s Going on With US Cyber Command’s Twitter Account? [Updated]

NORAD, the agency that tracks missile threats to the US and Canada, just sent out a tweet welcoming the US Cyber Command to the big leagues. The US Cyber Command was elevated to a combatant command today, the country’s 10th, after previously working under the US Strategic Command since 2009. But we have just one…

Tech News Matt Novak May 4

This Futuristic Color TV Set Concept From 1922 Was Way Ahead of Its Time

This TV set was the futuristic vision of illustrator Frank R. Paul in 1922. And I absolutely love it. I’m pretty obsessed with the ideas that illustrators, writers, and technologists had for television in the 1920s. It was a decade when radio broadcasting went from niche to mainstream. So the ideas that people had for…

Tech News Matt Novak May 4

How to Watch President Trump’s Speech at the NRA Convention Today, No TV Required

Today, President Trump is scheduled to speak at the NRA’s convention in Dallas at 1:45pm ET, 12:45pm local time (10:45am PT). And while all of the major cable networks will probably air the speech, you can still watch, even if you’re not near a TV. The White House is streaming his speech on YouTube, which…

Tech News Matt Novak May 4

Ancient Artifacts Smuggled to the U.S. for Hobby Lobby Are Finally Returned to Iraq

Last year, it was revealed that thousands of ancient artifacts had been illegally smuggled out of Iraq for Hobby Lobby, an arts and crafts store. It was one of the strangest stories of all time, but it now has a happy ending. Today, U.S. officials finally returned roughly 3,800 artifacts back to Iraq. The bizarre…

Tech News Matt Novak May 2

Southwest Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing In Cleveland Due to Cracked Window

A Southwest Airlines flight traveling from Chicago to Newark, New Jersey, was forced to make an emergency landing in Cleveland today. The cause was reportedly a cracked window, an eerie reminder of the emergency landing last month when a Southwest engine exploded, breaking a window and killing a passenger. Photos posted to social media show…

Tech News Matt Novak May 2

United Airlines to Resume Putting Cats and Dogs in Cargo Holds This July

United Airlines has announced that it will allow cats and dogs to travel in the cargo holds of its planes again starting this summer. Earlier this year, the airline suspended its cargo hold pet program following two high-profile incidents involving dogs on its flights, one of which died. United is partnering with American Humane, an…

Tech News Matt Novak May 2

Matt Novak

Stop. Just Stop. Please. Stop.

Sergei Skripal, Former Spy Poisoned With Novichok, Released From Hospital But Still Recovering

FDA Publicly Shames Drug Companies That Block Generic Meds

Video Shows Florida Teacher Allegedly Drowning Two Raccoons in Science Class

Top Lawyer at Novartis Quits After Drug Company’s $1.2 Million Payment to the President’s Fixer Is Exposed

Tim Cook Gently Criticizes Tariffs Against China But Loves President Trump’s Corporate Tax Cuts

A Dozen Homeless Dogs From Chernobyl Are Being Put Up for Adoption in the U.S.

Email No Longer a Secure Method of Communication After Critical Flaw Discovered in PGP

Australia Bans Cash For All Purchases Over $7,500 Starting July of 2019

Uber Plans to Put Self-Driving Cars Back on the Road ‘Within the Next Few Months’ After Fatal Crash

Boeing Loses $20 Billion in Contracts After President Trump Violates Iran Deal

Uber’s New Aerial Taxi Concept Looks Like the Spruce Goose of Flying Cars

Walmart to Limit Opioid Prescriptions to 7-Day Supply, Will Require E-Prescriptions by 2020

The Price of This Drug Went Up 100,000 Percent Since 2001 for No Good Reason

What’s Going on With US Cyber Command’s Twitter Account? [Updated]

This Futuristic Color TV Set Concept From 1922 Was Way Ahead of Its Time

How to Watch President Trump’s Speech at the NRA Convention Today, No TV Required

Ancient Artifacts Smuggled to the U.S. for Hobby Lobby Are Finally Returned to Iraq

Southwest Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing In Cleveland Due to Cracked Window

United Airlines to Resume Putting Cats and Dogs in Cargo Holds This July

Soundcore by Anker P20i Earbuds Are 50% Off, a Perfect Budget Spare Pair If You Keep Losing Your AirPods

This New Image of Mars Is Not the Same Thing NASA Saw in 1976

Zelenskyy Says Drones Are the Future of War After Claiming Robot Unit Captured Russian Troops

iPad With A16 Chip Drops Close to AirPods Pro 3 Pricing on Amazon, No Need to Pay Full Price at Apple Store

The He-Man Transformation in ‘Masters of the Universe’ Gave Us Chills

Pixel 10a Is Now Cheaper Than iPhone 17e as Google Goes All-In on Its New Smartphone Lineup on Amazon

The New ‘Street Fighter’ Trailer Is Goofy as Hell

Behold the Punny Titles of ‘Rick and Morty’ Season 9

Anker 140W Charger Quietly Hits a Record Low With 5ft USB-C Cable Included, Big Power at a Small Price for Your MacBook

GOTRAX Drops GX Zero Dual Motor E-Scooter by $400, Premium Performance at a Record Low

Alienware’s $350 QD-OLED Gaming Monitor Nixes Everything for a Pretty Screen

Sony Inzone H6 Air Review: A Perfect Case for Open-Back Gaming Headsets

Anker’s EufyMake E1 Finally Brings Printers Out of the Dark Ages

The Soundboks Mix Is Going to Make You the Most Popular Guy at the Park

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026