Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

What Would You Put in a Time Capsule to Explain How Terrible 2017 Was?

The year is almost over and Americans are reflecting on the highs and lows of 2017. Here at Paleofuture we’re obsessed with time capsules, so it got us thinking about what a 2017 time capsule might include. Which objects would you bury to show people of the future what it was like to live through…

Tech News Matt Novak Dec 14 '17

The Year 2000 Is Officially Retro

I’m calling it. The year 2000 is officially retro. Fight me. Half of you are probably thinking it’s long overdue. While the other half likely still automatically calculate dates by counting backwards from 2000. How long ago was the year 1970? Just 30 years if you use the shorthand I’ve used for so much of…

Tech News Matt Novak Dec 13 '17

Stranger Things Is Ruining Netflix for Me

In theory, one of the best things about living in 2017 is that we have over a century of recorded entertainment that we can enjoy virtually anytime we like. But in practice, we’re still not there. And it’s all because video streaming services like Netflix only care about signing up new customers who just want…

Tech News Matt Novak Dec 12 '17

The War on Christmas Travels to the Moon in This 1950s TV Clip About The Future

Back in the early 1950s, a ventriloquist named Paul Winchell had a TV show that featured his dummy named Jerry Mahoney. The program was a hit and is perhaps most notable today for featuring Carol Burnett’s TV debut. But even if you’re not interested in ventriloquism, one episode from December 20th, 1953, will be amusing…

Tech News Matt Novak Dec 11 '17

This Goofy Vintage Navy Movie ‘How to Succeed With Brunettes’ Cost a Small Fortune to Produce

When I saw the title for this 1967 US Navy film, “How to Succeed With Brunettes,” I expected that it would be silly and pretty sexist. But what I didn’t expect was that such a simple movie would cost about a quarter of a million dollars to produce. According to the National Archives, the 1967…

Tech News Matt Novak Dec 5 '17

That Time a Grand Dragon of the KKK Was Forced Out for Marrying a 15-Year-Old

In June of 1957, Alvin Horn, a 45-year-old Grand Dragon of the KKK, married a 15-year-old. It set off a major scandal in Alabama and around the country, causing Horn to resign in disgrace—or at least what counts for disgrace in a hate group. But does the story sound at all familiar? (Except for the…

Tech News Matt Novak Dec 4 '17

This Was the Portable Hard Drive of 1985—Clocking In at 20MB

Portable hard drives seem like they’re bound to go way of the dinosaur, thanks to the rise of services like Dropbox and Google Drive. But if you wanted to take a large file home with you back in 1985, you didn’t have quite so many options. Your best bet? Maybe this hard drive from Maynard.…

Tech News Matt Novak Dec 4 '17

Where Did the Term ‘Desktop Computer’ Come From?

Everybody knows that computers were huge and unwieldy in the middle of the 20th century. But a lot of the tech terminology that we take for granted today had to be invented at some point. Such is the case with the term “desktop computer,” which emerged long before “personal computers” became commonplace in American homes.…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 29 '17

What’s on the Ground in The Jetsons?

Who lives on the ground in the world of The Jetsons? Homeless people and walking birds. This isn’t a fan theory. This is canon. Fight me. Whenever I see jokes about The Jetsons on Twitter (and there are a lot of good ones) people inevitably float fan theories about the show. Some people believe that…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 28 '17

You Can Finally Buy a Copy of the Voyager Golden Record, Gold Plating Not Included

The Voyager 1 spacecraft might be the most famous time capsule in history, soaring through space as a testament to humanity’s achievements. We don’t know if intelligent life will ever find the craft or its contents, launched in 1977 to explore the planets before sailing indefinitely beyond our solar system. But at least humans here…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 27 '17

That ‘Town Crier’ Who Made the Royal Engagement Announcement Is Totally Fake

Did you see that video of the town crier announcing the engagement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle? Yes, the happy couple are really going to have a royal wedding. But that “town crier” is just a random guy dressed in goofy clothes and has nothing to do with Buckingham Palace. The self-appointed town crier,…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 27 '17

No, Sarah Sanders Didn’t Steal a Thanksgiving Pie Photo From PBS

The amateur sleuths of Twitter thought that they had uncovered a Thanksgiving conspiracy today, claiming that White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders stole a photo of a pie from PBS and posted it as her own. Did Sanders lie about her pie? No. And we’ll show you why. The origin of this bizarre conspiracy…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 24 '17

Here’s What the CIA Thought of Australia’s Anti-Communist Prime Minister, Robert Menzies

Sir Robert Menzies was Australia’s longest serving Prime Minister, first holding office at the beginning of World War II from 1939 until 1941, and then again from 1949 until 1966. And thanks to a recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, we now know a bit about how the CIA viewed this legend of Australian…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 22 '17

Facebook Still Lets Landlords Discriminate by Race and Disability in Apartment Ads

Last year, an explosive investigation by ProPublica revealed that Facebook was allowing advertisers to discriminate in housing ads by enabling landlords to filter out people who might view a given ad by their race. And today ProPublica released a follow-up to that investigation. Did Facebook fix its discrimination-enabling practices? Apparently not. ProPublica purchased a number…

Social Media Matt Novak Nov 21 '17

Apple Criticized for Not Investigating App Developer Who Faked Her Cancer

When the Apple Watch launched in 2015, Belle Gibson was touted by Apple as a star. Not only had Gibson supposedly cured her own cancer through healthy eating, she now had an app for both the iPhone and Apple Watch that could help others do the same. But now that her own cancer and “cure”…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 20 '17

Hawaiian Airlines Seals New Time Capsule With Over 100 Items for the Year 2079

We’ve looked at a lot of different time capsules over the years. And quite frankly, most are incredibly boring. But they don’t have to be. There are two ways to combat the scourge of Boring Capsules. The first method to ensure that future generations won’t be bored to tears by your capsule creation is to…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 15 '17

Russian ‘Proof’ That the US Is Helping ISIS Is Actually From a Video Game

Russia’s Ministry of Defense released startling visual proof this morning that the United States military is assisting ISIS. The only problem with Russia’s claims? The photographic “evidence” actually came from a video game. Russia’s MoD posted the claims on Facebook and Twitter, saying that the images showed the US had “categorically refused to carry out…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 14 '17

Jeffrey Richelson, FOIA Legend and National Security Expert, Dies at 67

Jeffrey T. Richelson wrote over a dozen books about national security, nuclear weapons, and agencies like the CIA and KGB—books that were often the product of incredible new revelations obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Richelson, a legend to FOIA advocates and anyone else with an interest in national security, died this past…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 14 '17

President Trump’s Latest Federal Judge Nominee is a Ghost-Hunting Horror Novelist

Have you heard about Brett Talley? He’s the 36-year-old lawyer that President Trump chose to become a federal judge. And while Talley is getting a lot of heat for being unqualified, never once even trying a case, and for failing to mention that his wife is a senior lawyer at the White House, there’s another…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 13 '17

‘Real Life Iron Man’ Sets Record For Fastest Jetpack Flight

We’ve been waiting to get our hands on real life jetpacks for almost a century now. And while you can’t buy them at Costco yet, they seem to be one modest step closer to reality. Richard Browning, test pilot for the British tech company Gravity Industries and “real life Iron Man,” just set the Guinness…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 9 '17

Matt Novak

What Would You Put in a Time Capsule to Explain How Terrible 2017 Was?

The Year 2000 Is Officially Retro

Stranger Things Is Ruining Netflix for Me

The War on Christmas Travels to the Moon in This 1950s TV Clip About The Future

This Goofy Vintage Navy Movie ‘How to Succeed With Brunettes’ Cost a Small Fortune to Produce

That Time a Grand Dragon of the KKK Was Forced Out for Marrying a 15-Year-Old

This Was the Portable Hard Drive of 1985—Clocking In at 20MB

Where Did the Term ‘Desktop Computer’ Come From?

What’s on the Ground in The Jetsons?

You Can Finally Buy a Copy of the Voyager Golden Record, Gold Plating Not Included

That ‘Town Crier’ Who Made the Royal Engagement Announcement Is Totally Fake

No, Sarah Sanders Didn’t Steal a Thanksgiving Pie Photo From PBS

Here’s What the CIA Thought of Australia’s Anti-Communist Prime Minister, Robert Menzies

Facebook Still Lets Landlords Discriminate by Race and Disability in Apartment Ads

Apple Criticized for Not Investigating App Developer Who Faked Her Cancer

Hawaiian Airlines Seals New Time Capsule With Over 100 Items for the Year 2079

Russian ‘Proof’ That the US Is Helping ISIS Is Actually From a Video Game

Jeffrey Richelson, FOIA Legend and National Security Expert, Dies at 67

President Trump’s Latest Federal Judge Nominee is a Ghost-Hunting Horror Novelist

‘Real Life Iron Man’ Sets Record For Fastest Jetpack Flight

PlayStation DualSense Edge Wireless Controller Hits Record Low for the First Time This Year as Sony Pushes Harder Into Gaming Device Deals

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

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