Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

My Failed Quest to Find an American-Made Trump Mask

I know it’s hard to believe, but Halloween is just around the corner. And while we’ll probably see plenty of Harambes and Pepes this Hallow’s Eve, there will be plenty more Trumps and Hillarys. But if you’re a Trump supporter and want to dress up as the Great Fascist Tangerine himself, you’re going to run…

Tech News Matt Novak Sep 19 '16

Woman Finds Mysterious Disney Time Capsule In Her Wall After Louisiana Floods

Janet Knox’s Baton Rouge home is now just a shell of its former self. The recent floods in Louisiana have forced her to tear out the waterlogged walls of her house and begin the rebuilding process. But Knox has had at least one pleasant surprise during the clean up. She found a time capsule dating…

Tech News Matt Novak Sep 19 '16

America’s New Stealth Bomber Is Called the B-21 Raider, Not Bomby McBomberface

The name of America’s latest stealth bomber was just announced this morning. And it’s not Bomby McBomberface. The B-21 will be known as the Raider and it’s all thanks to two airmen who submitted the name. The name was crowdsourced by the Air Force, but the contest was only open to airmen and women and…

Tech News Matt Novak Sep 19 '16

Donald Trump Is Still Stealing His Campaign Banners From the Internet

Remember when Donald Trump had that week where he went to Kinko’s and just printed off random shit he found on the internet? Well, today he continued that fabulous tradition at a rally in Miami. He entered to the theme song of Les Misérables and behind him was projected a photoshopped Les Deplorables parody. If…

Tech News Matt Novak Sep 16 '16

Police Robot Grabs Gun From Suspect in LA, Ending Standoff

Last week, Brock Ray Bunge ran into a field in suburban Los Angeles with a shotgun. He was being pursued by the LA Sheriff’s Department for allegedly attempting to kill one person and robbing two others. You might expect a story like this to end in a nasty shoot-out. But instead, you can chalk up…

Tech News Matt Novak Sep 16 '16

Facebook, Noted Not-A-Media Company, Will Help Collect Questions For the Presidential Debates

Presidential debate season is upon us, and in our Age of Social Media™ that means your voice will be heard. Well, sort of. Facebook is helping source questions from average people, for better and for worse. The second presidential debate on October 9th is the “town hall” style debate, which has a long history as…

Tech News Matt Novak Sep 15 '16

FBI Director Says You Should Cover Your Webcam With Tape

Do you cover your webcam with tape or a sticker? Mark Zuckerberg does. It’s used to guard against hackers who might want to peek at your or your environment through your devices. And now the FBI Director has come out defending his own use of tape on his devices. “Do you still have a piece…

Privacy & Security Matt Novak Sep 14 '16

Remember Virtual Reality? We Were Such Dorks Back Then

Virtual reality has been the promise of the future for generations. And it keeps getting better with each passing year. But I remain skeptical that it’s going to become mainstream anytime soon. And it seems like I’m not alone. Apple CEO Tim Cook did an interview this morning on Good Morning America where he said…

Tech News Matt Novak Sep 14 '16

Google’s Burrito Delivery Drones Have Officially Started Testing In Virginia

Last week we learned that X’s Project Wing (formerly Google) and Chipotle would soon be testing burrito-delivery drones at Virginia Tech. Well, the Roanoke Times has the first photos and video of what appear to be tests in nearby Blacksburg, Virginia. “I can confirm that we’ve started testing in Blacksburg,” X’s communications manager Jacquelyn Miller…

Tech News Matt Novak Sep 13 '16

No, a Chinese Zoo Did Not Name a Baby Gorilla Harambe McHarambeface

Did you see that viral story about a zoo in China naming their baby gorilla Harambe McHarambeface? Well, it’s fake. But it fooled plenty of news outlets like The Mirror and The Metro. Because anything involving Harambe, the dead gorilla-turned-meme, is too good to check. The Jinhua Zoo in China allegedly had an online contest…

Tech News Matt Novak Sep 13 '16

Disney Almost Built a Park Based on the Myst Computer Game

Do you remember Myst? That mysterious 3D computer game from the 1990s where you walked around solving puzzles? Well, believe it or not, the folks over at Disney were in talks with the creators of Myst to turn it into a theme park down in Florida. No joke. The AV Club has a new interview…

Tech News Matt Novak Sep 12 '16

Defective Envelopes Delay Presidential Vote Between Normal Human Being and ‘Austria’s Donald Trump’

The American political system is in shambles. But at least we can take solace knowing that we’re not alone this year. Austria (the one in Europe with the Schwarzeneggers, not the one with the kangaroos) is having some major problems with their current presidential election. And it’s all because of some defective envelopes. Austria’s in-person…

Tech News Matt Novak Sep 12 '16

EpiPen Competitor Says Their Generic Won’t Be Available Until Late 2017 Or 2018

Mylan Pharmaceuticals spent the past decade raising the price of the EpiPen from $57 to $600. Why? Because they could. The company didn’t have any real competition. And now one competitor, Teva Pharmaceuticals, a company that has tried and failed to bring a generic EpiPen to market before, says that their product won’t be ready…

Tech News Matt Novak Sep 9 '16

Rare Photos From Inside NORAD Will Give You Retro-Armageddon Nostalgia

Ever since NORAD’s Cheyenne Mountain underground facility became fully operational in 1966, it’s been America’s command and control center for the nuclear apocalypse. But photos from inside the top secret bunker, even historical ones, are incredibly rare. Yesterday the folks over at Memory Hole 2 helped make them a bit less rare by uploading some…

Tech News Matt Novak Sep 9 '16

FAA ‘Strongly Advises’ You To Turn Off Your Explosive Samsung Phone While On Planes

On Tuesday we told you that the FAA was considering a ban on Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7, the smartphone that keeps exploding and causing fires. Well, the FAA just released a statement advising passengers not to turn on those phones while they’re on board any flights. The FAA also advises against putting them inside your…

Tech News Matt Novak Sep 8 '16

Samsung’s Exploding Smartphone Suspected in South Carolina House Fire

Last week, Samsung recalled 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 smartphones. But it seems like every day we’re hearing stories about the defective devices being the potential cause of everything from burning Jeeps in Florida to flaming hotel beds in Australia. Now, authorities are investigating a house fire in Horry County, South Carolina with a possible…

Gadgets Matt Novak Sep 8 '16

Chipotle Starts Testing Burrito Delivery Drones at Virginia Tech Next Week

It’s every stoned college kid’s dream: Flying burritos delivered on demand with the push of a button. And if Chipotle and Alphabet’s Project Wing have their way, that dream could soon become a reality. The companies will start testing their burrito-delivery drones at Virginia Tech next week. Alphabet’s Project Wing, a branch of the behemoth…

Tech News Matt Novak Sep 8 '16

The Air Force Denied Our Request For The List of Crowdsourced Names For Their New B-21 Bomber

Back in May, the US Air Force announced that they had received over 4,600 entries in their crowdsourced naming contest for the new B-21 bomber. The announcement even said that they’d narrowed it down to 15 finalists. So, naturally, I did what any weirdo blogger does: I filed a Freedom of Information Act request to…

Tech News Matt Novak Sep 8 '16

You Can Buy This Piece of The Berlin Wall Signed By President Reagan

Christie’s is hosting an auction of President Ronald Reagan’s personal items later this month online from September 19-28th. And there are some genuinely interesting pieces of history for sale. And some rather goofy ones. On the serious side, take this piece of the Berlin Wall, signed by President Reagan himself. Granted, this artifact of the…

Tech News Matt Novak Sep 7 '16

EpiPen Price Gouging Complaints Have Flooded the FTC For Years

By now you probably know the story of the life-saving EpiPen and the company that took it from a product that generated a measly $200 million in 2007 and turned it into a $1 billion-a-year cash-printing machine. That company, Mylan, used a neat little trick: It simply raised the price. And it may have taken…

Tech News Matt Novak Sep 7 '16

Matt Novak

My Failed Quest to Find an American-Made Trump Mask

Woman Finds Mysterious Disney Time Capsule In Her Wall After Louisiana Floods

America’s New Stealth Bomber Is Called the B-21 Raider, Not Bomby McBomberface

Donald Trump Is Still Stealing His Campaign Banners From the Internet

Police Robot Grabs Gun From Suspect in LA, Ending Standoff

Facebook, Noted Not-A-Media Company, Will Help Collect Questions For the Presidential Debates

FBI Director Says You Should Cover Your Webcam With Tape

Remember Virtual Reality? We Were Such Dorks Back Then

Google’s Burrito Delivery Drones Have Officially Started Testing In Virginia

No, a Chinese Zoo Did Not Name a Baby Gorilla Harambe McHarambeface

Disney Almost Built a Park Based on the Myst Computer Game

Defective Envelopes Delay Presidential Vote Between Normal Human Being and ‘Austria’s Donald Trump’

EpiPen Competitor Says Their Generic Won’t Be Available Until Late 2017 Or 2018

Rare Photos From Inside NORAD Will Give You Retro-Armageddon Nostalgia

FAA ‘Strongly Advises’ You To Turn Off Your Explosive Samsung Phone While On Planes

Samsung’s Exploding Smartphone Suspected in South Carolina House Fire

Chipotle Starts Testing Burrito Delivery Drones at Virginia Tech Next Week

The Air Force Denied Our Request For The List of Crowdsourced Names For Their New B-21 Bomber

You Can Buy This Piece of The Berlin Wall Signed By President Reagan

EpiPen Price Gouging Complaints Have Flooded the FTC For Years

The ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Team on Crafting the Sequel’s Human Drama

Jensen Huang Admits to Having an Affair With Suspected Chinese Spy

NASA Is Looking for Astronauts to Live and Work on the Moon

The ‘Dune: Part 3’ Costume Designer Explains Its Gorgeous Clothes

Apple’s New CEO Is Reportedly Pushing to Stuff More AI into iPhones

Open Channel: Tell Us Your ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Thoughts

Microsoft Is Finally Making Windows Sticky Keys Dialogs Less Sticky

‘Spy x Family’ Has a New Mission: Returning for Season 4

Anker Eufy Window Camera E10 Review: A Weirdly Good ‘Outdoor’ Camera

European Union Regulators Tell TikTok to Plug ‘Rabbit Holes’ or Else

The Best Tech Gifts Over $500

Gizmodo’s Best Tech of 2026 Awards: Our Favorite Phones, Laptops, Smart Home Gear, and More

Marshall Stockwell III Review: Big Sound in a Small Package

Sony MDR-3R Review: Walkman Nostalgia Wins Again

MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display Review: Screw Touchscreens, It’s Still the Best Mac

The Best Gaming Gifts Under $100

Arlo Essential Solar Camera Review: Solar Is Great, but Subscription Paywalls Aren’t

iPad mini OLED Review: Apple’s Smallest Tablet Is Also Its Best

HP EliteBook X Flip G2i 14 AI Review: Great for the Office, if Not Your Wallet

The Best Gadgets of October 2026