Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

Elon Musk’s Mini-Sub ‘Not Practical’ for Thai Cave, According to Rescue Chief

The attempted rescue of 12 boys and their soccer coach from a Thai cave has captivated the world. So when billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk announced that he was going to help, some in the tech community beamed with pride. But Musk’s Thai adventure is looking more and more silly with each passing day. Rescue…

Tech News Matt Novak Jul 10 '18

Girl Arrested in Iran for Posting Videos of Herself Dancing on Instagram

Authorities in Iran arrested four girls and women last week for posting videos of themselves dancing on Instagram. Only one of the girls, 17-year-old gymnast Maedeh Hojabri, has been identified. State TV in Iran aired her “confession” on Friday. Instagram is one of the few Western social media sites not heavily blocked in Iran, and…

Tech News Matt Novak Jul 9 '18

President Trump Sends North Korean Dictator a CD of Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’ Because Our World is Just One Big Joke [Update: State Department Denies the Story]

President Trump gave a speech at the United Nations in September of 2017 where he famously called Kim Jong Un, “rocket man.” Now, in one of the most bizarre stories we’ve heard this week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will deliver a CD of Elton John’s song “Rocket Man” to the North Korean dictator today.…

Tech News Matt Novak Jul 6 '18

This Solar Lawnmower Was the Dangerous Future of American Summers in 1959

Robotic lawnmowers are fairly mainstream these days, even if they don’t have much market share yet. But they’ve been a long time coming. We’ve been promised solar-powered semi-autonomous lawnmowers for decades. This Sunday comic strip from 1959 predicted the rise of these machines, but also pointed at the problem with its illustration: Many people are…

Tech News Matt Novak Jul 5 '18

Judge Awards $5 to ‘Free Speech’ Rally Organizer Because a Woman Cursed at Him

Last summer’s infamous neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia was supposedly about “free speech.” But that claim was always ridiculous. The latest evidence? Jason Kessler, one of the organizers of the rally, sued a woman for swearing at him. And a judge in Charlottesville has now awarded Kessler $5. Kessler sued Donna Gasapo for $500 because…

Tech News Matt Novak Jul 2 '18

Canada Reassures Citizens There Will Be Enough Weed For Everyone on October 17th

On October 17th, recreational use of marijuana will be legal in Canada. But some people are worried that there won’t be enough federally licensed weed shops to meet demand on opening day. The government says not to worry. There will be plenty of weed to go around on October 17th. When weed becomes legal in…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 28 '18

This Futuristic Solar Power Plant From 1923 Was Supposed to Light Up the World

Some people here in the 21st century still think of solar power as a futuristic, unproven technology. But solar-powered machines have been around for well over a century. In a short article called “Electricity From the Sun,” the October 1923 issue of Science and Invention magazine told the story of a German dream to build…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 27 '18

Democratic Candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Didn’t Even Have a Wikipedia Page on Monday

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old progressive activist, became the Democratic candidate for New York’s 14th congressional district after a primary election yesterday. Ocasio-Cortez defeated 56-year-old Joseph Crowley, a man who served ten terms and was the chair of the House Democratic Caucus. The weird part? Ocasio-Cortez didn’t even have a Wikipedia page on Monday. But she…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 27 '18

That Trump Hotel Parody Site Was Made by a Conservative Angered by Trump’s ‘Border Fiasco’

When the website TrumpHotels.org popped up last week, most people assumed it was created by some left-wing advocacy group. The parody website features photos of America’s immigrant detention camps, with children in cages and quotes from President Trump about Mexicans being rapists. But surprisingly, the website was actually started by a conservative. And Gizmodo talked…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 26 '18

Poncho the Spanish Police Dog Goes Viral For Showing Off His CPR Skills

It’s rough out there for humans right now. But at least we have dogs to cheer us up. This police dog in Spain, a very good boy named Poncho, has gone viral after demonstrating his CPR skills. The video, which was originally posted to Twitter by Madrid Police, has been viewed over 2.3 million times…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 26 '18

TrumpHotels.org Purchased by Pranksters to Promote America’s Concentration Camps

The Trump organization owns over 3,000 web domains, including TrumpFraud.org and TrumpScam.com. It’s standard practice for big companies to buy up names that might insult their brands, but it looks like the Trump regime forgot one. The domain TrumpHotels.org is now a parody website that features photos and video of the U.S. government’s child concentration…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 25 '18

Flying Saucer Toy Recalled For Teaching Kids That Nazis Achieved Space Travel

If you’ve ever watched the History Channel at 3AM, you know that the Nazis had a secret program during World War II to develop flying saucers. The Nazi’s UFO experiments never actually flew, but the model toy company Revell recently released a set in Germany that makes it look like one of the Nazi saucers…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 25 '18

Journalists Start Using Drones to View Immigrant Detention Camps After Government Blocks Entry

Reporters are regularly being denied access to America’s concentration camps along the U.S.-Mexico border. And on the rare occasion when they’re allowed in, journalists aren’t permitted to take photos or record video. But some reporters are taking a new approach to the Trump regime’s obstruction. They’re using drones in an effort to show the world…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 22 '18

Facebook Fundraiser Raises Over $8 Million for Immigrants in America’s Concentration Camps

A new fundraising campaign on Facebook has raised over $8 million to help immigrant families who are being placed in America’s concentration camps along the US-Mexico border. The fundraising goal started at just $1,500, but people are donating roughly $4,000 per minute since the campaign was first created on Saturday. Facebook says it’s the single…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 20 '18

American PR Professionals Helped Sell the Nazi Regime to the United States

Rome wasn’t built in a day. And the Nazis didn’t exterminate 10 million people overnight. When we look for historical parallels to the current rise of fascism around the world, it’s important to remember how things became normalized in the past. And an old book about propaganda is a helpful tool in understanding how the…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 19 '18

America’s ‘Detention Centers’ Added to Wikipedia List of Concentration Camps [Updated]

The United States currently has over 100 concentration camps along the U.S.-Mexico border. The facilities have become controversial due to the Trump regime’s policy of separating migrant children from their parents—a policy that health care professionals explicitly call child abuse. And now Wikipedia, the user-edited online encyclopedia, has unceremoniously added this shameful chapter of American…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 19 '18

Honey Smacks Cereal Added to the Growing List of Shit That Might Give You Salmonella Poisoning

The Kellogg Company has announced that it’s recalling Honey Smacks cereal with “use by” dates between June 14, 2018 and June 14, 2019. The cereal has been linked to America’s current salmonella outbreak which currently affects at least 31 states and follows an announcement this week that consumers should avoid pre-cut melon. “The FDA has…

Health Matt Novak Jun 15 '18

Elon Musk’s Boring Company Wins Bid to Build High-Speed Underground Rail in Chicago

Elon Musk’s underground transportation business, The Boring Company, has won a bid to create an underground high-speed rail line from downtown Chicago to O’Hare International Airport. The company beat out at least four other developers for the project, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is expected to make an official announcement this afternoon. “We’re really excited…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 14 '18

MPR Raccoon Reaches Roof After Climbing 23-Story Office Building, Becoming Internet Sensation

The MPR Raccoon has safely made it to the roof. And if you have no idea what I’m talking about, you missed quite a day on Twitter yesterday. Twitter users were captivated yesterday while watching the perilous journey of a small raccoon as it scaled a 23-story office tower in St. Paul, Minnesota. Local reporters…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 13 '18

President Trump Made a Fake Movie Trailer for Kim Jong Un with the Two Leaders as Heroes

President Trump and Kim Jong Un had a historic private meeting earlier today in Singapore. And while we don’t know exactly what was said between the two men, we do know that Trump played a video for Kim on his iPad. The video was created to look like a Hollywood movie trailer and it’s honestly…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 12 '18

Matt Novak

Elon Musk’s Mini-Sub ‘Not Practical’ for Thai Cave, According to Rescue Chief

Girl Arrested in Iran for Posting Videos of Herself Dancing on Instagram

President Trump Sends North Korean Dictator a CD of Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’ Because Our World is Just One Big Joke [Update: State Department Denies the Story]

This Solar Lawnmower Was the Dangerous Future of American Summers in 1959

Judge Awards $5 to ‘Free Speech’ Rally Organizer Because a Woman Cursed at Him

Canada Reassures Citizens There Will Be Enough Weed For Everyone on October 17th

This Futuristic Solar Power Plant From 1923 Was Supposed to Light Up the World

Democratic Candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Didn’t Even Have a Wikipedia Page on Monday

That Trump Hotel Parody Site Was Made by a Conservative Angered by Trump’s ‘Border Fiasco’

Poncho the Spanish Police Dog Goes Viral For Showing Off His CPR Skills

TrumpHotels.org Purchased by Pranksters to Promote America’s Concentration Camps

Flying Saucer Toy Recalled For Teaching Kids That Nazis Achieved Space Travel

Journalists Start Using Drones to View Immigrant Detention Camps After Government Blocks Entry

Facebook Fundraiser Raises Over $8 Million for Immigrants in America’s Concentration Camps

American PR Professionals Helped Sell the Nazi Regime to the United States

America’s ‘Detention Centers’ Added to Wikipedia List of Concentration Camps [Updated]

Honey Smacks Cereal Added to the Growing List of Shit That Might Give You Salmonella Poisoning

Elon Musk’s Boring Company Wins Bid to Build High-Speed Underground Rail in Chicago

MPR Raccoon Reaches Roof After Climbing 23-Story Office Building, Becoming Internet Sensation

President Trump Made a Fake Movie Trailer for Kim Jong Un with the Two Leaders as Heroes

Crypto’s Most Powerful PAC Sends a Warning to Politicians: Resistance Is Futile

Sam Altman Would Like the Record to Show AI Will Not Take Your Job (Despite Everything He’s Said Previously)

Elon Musk Says America’s Kamikaze Drones Used the Wrong Starlink Subscription

With the Flames of Hell Licking at His Feet, JD Vance Ponders the Future of AI

‘Dorohedoro’ Season 2 Is the Apex Of Macabre Anime Chaos and Whimsy

This Plasma Gun Could Save Astronauts From Filthy Underwear

Valve’s Massive Price Hikes Just Ruined the Steam Deck

Occupy Wall Street Co-Founder Built an AI App to Help Activists Seize the Means of Computation

‘The Testaments’ Star on Becka’s State of Mind After the Finale

Google Is in Full-On Damage Control Over Its New Health App

Alienware Fixed the One Problem With the Area-51, and Now I’m Afraid I Love It

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max Review: Wireless Earbuds With Enough Features to Make Your Head Spin

Anker Solix E10 Review: No Power? No Problem

Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker Review: Sonos Can Start Sweating Now

Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar Review: A Boisterous Stab at Dominating Home Theater

Dell’s XPS 16 (2026) Is Almost Everything I Could Have Asked for… Almost

Smart Glasses With Subscriptions Are As Bad as They Sound

iBuyPower’s Trace X Gaming PC Is the Fishbowl You Want to Swim In

Govee Ceiling Light Ultra Review: AI Art Ain’t It

JBL Live 780NC Review: Solid Wireless Headphones You Can Live Without