Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

Amazon Is Opening More Physical Bookstores

Remember when news leaked that Amazon was planning to open a lot more brick-and-mortar stores? Amazon’s PR team got pretty angry about those reports and insisted they weren’t true. But today Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos himself has confirmed that they’re “definitely” planning to build more stores. Today Amazon is holding its annual shareholders meeting in…

Commerce Matt Novak May 17

Is This a Time Traveler at a Mike Tyson Fight in 1995?

Does this 1995 video of a Mike Tyson fight show a time traveler with a cameraphone? The simple answer is no. And the complex answer is also no. But it’s a perfect example of how the past can play tricks on us. With the benefit of hindsight we can get to truths that were harder…

Tech News Matt Novak May 17

These Anti-Drone Guns Are The Future of Messing With Your Neighbors

With the rise of consumer drones, everyone from the US military to Border Patrol are stocking up on anti-drone guns. And the Navy Times has a new video of the most sci-fi looking drone gun: Battelle’s DroneDefender. While they’re not available yet commercially, they’re definitely the future of shooting down your neighbor’s pesky drone. The…

Tech News Matt Novak May 17

The NYPD Just Had a School Shooter Drill With Terrorist Drones

Police in the US run active shooter drills all the time. But yesterday the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the New York Police made sure they’d be ready for anything—by including a fake drone attack against a high school in Brooklyn. Sunday’s drill simulated an attack by multiple active shooters (a rarity) using improvised…

Tech News Matt Novak May 16

Philadelphia Police Now Investigating Its Own Fake Google Maps Car

Yesterday we told you about the suspicious SUV in Pennsylvania that had a license plate reader mounted on the front and a Google Maps sticker on the side. The Pennsylvania State Police told us that it wasn’t their vehicle, despite the fact that it had a PSP placard in the window. We now know that…

Tech News Matt Novak May 12

Russia Just Tweeted a Video Game Screenshot to Show Chemical Weapons Trucks

This morning the Russian embassy in the UK tweeted an image with the message, “Extremists near Aleppo received several truckloads of chemical ammo.” The only problem with the tweet? The image they used is from the video game Command & Conquer. Kelsey D. Atherton from Popular Science spotted the tweet and tracked down the source…

Tech News Matt Novak May 12

The Biggest Hurdles for Hyperloop Are Still Land Rights and Bureaucracy, Not Tech

In 2015, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies filed a permit to build a 5-mile prototype in Quay Valley — a utopian, eco-friendly community planned for Central California. And while we’re rooting for them to succeed with their test track, it still doesn’t change the Hyperloop’s largest challenges. Because the biggest hurdle isn’t the tech behind Hyperloop, it’s…

Tech News Matt Novak May 12

Disney Will Stop Printing Disney Dollars This Week

When I was a kid I loved Disney Dollars. For those unfamiliar, they’re Disney’s paper notes that look like real money and feature cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse and Dumbo on the front. They’re only good at Disney Parks and stores, making them essentially like gift certificates. But Disney will stop printing Disney Dollars…

Tech News Matt Novak May 12

Ayn Rand Wrote a Guide for Hollywood on How to Make Pro-Capitalist Movies

Today, Ayn Rand is perhaps best known as your virgin cousin’s favorite author to fawn over during Thanksgiving dinner. But back in the 1940s, Rand was better known for helping root out Communists in Hollywood. She testified to Congress and even wrote an entire pamphlet about how to make their movies as pro-America as possible…

Tech News Matt Novak May 12

The FBI Can Neither Confirm Nor Deny Wiretapping Your Amazon Echo

Back in March, I filed a Freedom of Information request with the FBI asking if the agency had ever wiretapped an Amazon Echo. This week I got a response: “We can neither confirm nor deny…” We live in a world awash in microphones. They’re in our smartphones, they’re in our computers, and they’re in our…

Commerce Matt Novak May 11

Is This a Police SUV Disguised as a Google Street View Car?

Earlier today, security researcher Matt Blaze tweeted out this photo of what’s allegedly a Pennsylvania State Police SUV. It looks like it’s outfitted with a license plate reader (see those cameras on the top?). Blaze contends that not only is this a police vehicle, but it’s disguised as a Google Street View truck. Wait, what?…

Tech News Matt Novak May 11

Clinton Is Fighting the Troll Wars With a Million Dollar Super-PAC Campaign

If we’ve learned anything from this election cycle it’s that American politics gets the messiest when it’s online. And the Clinton campaign has decided that it wants to fight fire with fire when it comes to online trolls. The Clinton camp has built their own troll army using roughly $1 million of super-PAC funds. The…

Tech News Matt Novak May 10

That Time Republicans Smashed a Boombox With Sledgehammers on Capitol Hill

Don’t think Republicans can be punk rock? Well, in 1987, they staged one of the most punk rock protests that Capitol Hill has ever seen. They smashed a boombox to pieces with some sledgehammers. The part that was slightly less punk rock? They smashed it because they were mad at Toshiba for making electronics sold…

Tech News Matt Novak May 9

The 19th Century Hyperloop Was Going to Travel From NY to SF in 24 Hours

In 1894 the Wright Brothers’ first flight was still nearly a decade away. But people were obsessed with figuring out how to use powered flight for any number of applications. The May 5, 1894 issue of Scientific American featured one such idea—an aero-train that could zip across the country at 150 miles per hour. In…

Tech News Matt Novak May 6

I Accidentally Found a New JFK Assassination Conspiracy Theory

I’ve never been one for JFK assassination conspiracy theories. But I do love studying what movies the presidents watched. So while compiling the list of films that President Kennedy viewed while in the White House I was surprised to stumble on what seems like fuel for a new conspiracy theory. How did President Kennedy watch…

Tech News Matt Novak May 4

Traffic Spikes on This YouTube Video Might Help Predict ISIS Attacks

Do you ever listen to a particular song to get psyched up for something? Maybe it’s a morning run or a sick day of surfin’ the ‘net. Well, ISIS fighters do the same thing. But in this case, they’re all watching the same video on YouTube. So much so that when traffic on the video…

Tech News Matt Novak May 3

Making Your Kid Charge Your Phone Will Not Make Her The Next Zuckerberg

The Wall Street Journal has a new pair of articles about how to make your kid the next Mark Zuckerberg. One of the articles is literally titled “How to Raise the Next Mark Zuckerberg.” But, needless to say, following their advice will not put your kid on the fast-track to VentureCapitalLand. There’s no magic formula…

Tech News Matt Novak May 2

US Border Patrol Doesn’t Want a Wall—They Want Drones and Sensors

Many people have pointed out that Donald Trump’s idea for a wall along the entirety of the US-Mexico border is silly. Most undocumented immigrants enter the country legally and simply overstay their visas. But what do Border and Customs officials really want along the border? More tech. Reuters has a new report citing unpublished documents…

Tech News Matt Novak Apr 28

Protesters Are Angry About Google’s Sponsorship of the Republican Convention

On Thursday a group of anti-Trump activists will descend on Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, California to protest against the tech giant’s participation in the Republican National Convention this July. And Google isn’t the only tech company that plans to be there. The protestors, all of whom are angry about Donald Trump’s misogyny and racism,…

Tech News Matt Novak Apr 27

The White House Screening of The Hunt For Red October Had Celebrities, Spies and (Maybe) a Sex Scandal

President George H. W. Bush hosted a star-studded screening of The Hunt for Red October at the White House on February 19, 1990. The guests included everyone from Tom Clancy and James Earl Jones to the CEO of Paramount and Colin Powell. Robert Gates was there, as was the director of the CIA, and men…

Tech News Matt Novak Apr 26

Matt Novak

Amazon Is Opening More Physical Bookstores

Is This a Time Traveler at a Mike Tyson Fight in 1995?

These Anti-Drone Guns Are The Future of Messing With Your Neighbors

The NYPD Just Had a School Shooter Drill With Terrorist Drones

Philadelphia Police Now Investigating Its Own Fake Google Maps Car

Russia Just Tweeted a Video Game Screenshot to Show Chemical Weapons Trucks

The Biggest Hurdles for Hyperloop Are Still Land Rights and Bureaucracy, Not Tech

Disney Will Stop Printing Disney Dollars This Week

Ayn Rand Wrote a Guide for Hollywood on How to Make Pro-Capitalist Movies

The FBI Can Neither Confirm Nor Deny Wiretapping Your Amazon Echo

Is This a Police SUV Disguised as a Google Street View Car?

Clinton Is Fighting the Troll Wars With a Million Dollar Super-PAC Campaign

That Time Republicans Smashed a Boombox With Sledgehammers on Capitol Hill

The 19th Century Hyperloop Was Going to Travel From NY to SF in 24 Hours

I Accidentally Found a New JFK Assassination Conspiracy Theory

Traffic Spikes on This YouTube Video Might Help Predict ISIS Attacks

Making Your Kid Charge Your Phone Will Not Make Her The Next Zuckerberg

US Border Patrol Doesn’t Want a Wall—They Want Drones and Sensors

Protesters Are Angry About Google’s Sponsorship of the Republican Convention

The White House Screening of The Hunt For Red October Had Celebrities, Spies and (Maybe) a Sex Scandal

Scientists Found Literal Ink From Ballpoint Pens in Martian Meteorites

The ‘Galaxy’s Edge’ Han Solo Proves You Really Can’t Replace Harrison Ford

BYD Is Rolling Out 5-Minute Charging on Several Popular EVs

Jury Does What Trump’s DOJ Wouldn’t, Deems Ticketmaster a Monopoly

Govee RGBIC TV Smart Light Bars Go on Clearance, Bringing Each Down to Under $25 on Amazon

EU Is Rolling Out an Online Age Verification App That Could Become the Global Blueprint

16 Underrated Anime That Deserve Your Love

The West Finally Got Some Snow, but It’s Too Little, Too Late

Elon Musk Scores a Victory Against Free Speech

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

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice