Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

Apple Is Wrong to Pull Historical Games Featuring the Confederate Flag

The Confederate flag is a garbage flag that represents garbage ideas. But in an effort to purge the world of those garbage ideas, some companies are too quick to pull out the banhammer. Here’s one recent example: Apple has begun banning some games that feature the Confederate flag–even if that game is about the Civil…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 25

Queen Elizabeth Meets the Future Queen Who Is A Robot And Not A Human

Everybody knows that futuristic robots are going to take our jobs. Jobs in food service, farm work, and perhaps most importantly, monarchy. Yes, it’s pretty much a given that a robot will replace the Queen of England one day. And earlier today Queen Elizabeth met one of the robots that will put her out of…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 24

This Is The Coolest Vintage Radio Ever

If you were a radio nerd in the 1940s, this was your dream set. Built by Kluge Electronics in Los Angeles, the “California Kilowatt” could not only send and receive messages, but it came with all the bells and whistles — including built-in speakers and an illuminated map of the world, all housed in a…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 23

Gmail Officially Adds Undo Send, Turn It On Right Now

Do you ever wish that there was an undo button for email? Gmail has offered this experimental feature for some time now. Six years, in fact. But today it’s officially a regular part of Gmail. No more accidentally sending that killer turkey burger recipe to your boss when it was intended for your aunt. How…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 23

The Supreme Court Just Kicked Out a CNN Intern For Wearing a GoPro

The US Supreme Court forbids cameras in the courtroom. But apparently one intern from CNN didn’t get the memo. He was removed from the Supreme Court press room today after he was caught with a GoPro strapped to his chest. Politico first reported on the incident this afternoon. CNN claims that the intern, Walbert Castillo,…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 22

The Price For A Videophone in 1955 Was $44,000 Adjusted for Inflation

We’ve been imagining a future of ubiquitous videophones for over a century. And today it’s considered no big deal that we’re able to make video calls with devices that we carry around in our pockets. But it took a while to get to that point. One reason? It was incredibly expensive. Above we have a…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 22

Today’s Fake Video: That Guy Who Cut Everything in Half For His Ex-Wife

Did this German guy really cut all his possessions in half after his divorce? The video below has gone viral, blowing up on Reddit, Time, and yes, Gizmodo. But the video is actually a marketing stunt from a German website that helps people find lawyers. The man was supposedly cutting everything of value in half…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 22

Man Reunited With Message In a Bottle He Tossed Into the Sea In 1971

An Australian couple were vacationing in Scotland recently when they discovered a curious time capsule: A message in a bottle dated January 15, 1971. Amazingly, they were able to track down the teenager (now in his 50s) who first chucked it into the North Sea. The message was scrawled on a piece of paper inside…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 19

Hilarious 1996 News Clip Warns About the Dangers of Virtual Reality

Are you excited for our virtual reality future? Well, don’t get too excited just yet. Because there are hidden dangers! Or at least that was the message from this hilariously alarmist NBC News segment from 1996. Brian Williams (look at that baby face!) introduces the report: In focus this evening, those so-called virtual reality games.…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 18

Shocking Photos of the ‘Time Capsule Mania’ That’s Sweeping Boston

I love time capsules. I’ve been researching them for nearly a decade. But even I know that time capsules are generally pretty boring. Which is why I found this recent headline about the re-sealing of the 1795 Paul Revere capsule in Boston so funny: Time Capsule Mania!!! Can you believe it? That is honestly a…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 18

Robot Fact-Checkers Are Coming Soon

Look out bullshit peddlers, the robot fact-checkers are coming to get you. Researchers at Indiana University have developed an automated system for checking claims made online. And while it’s not the first such system, it’s definitely a sign that automated fact-checking might soon become mainstream. https://gizmodo.com/uberfacts-is-still-full-of-lies-1664836449 The new study published today, Computational Fact Checking From…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 17

Apple Watch Users Explain Why They’re Reselling on eBay

The Apple Watch has been out for less than two months, but already people are trying to unload theirs on sites like eBay. And these people aren’t just resellers hoping to cash in on the hype. Nope, these people are selling their Apple Watches “barely used” — a clear sign that things just didn’t work…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 17

This 1972 Documentary Predicted We’d Choose Our Own Skin Colors

Will it be commonplace for people of the future to get their skin color artificially changed? Not just black or white or brown, but also orange and blue and grey? The 1972 documentary Future Shock, hosted by legendary director Orson Welles, imagined just such a world. “What happens to race?” Welles asks, when people can…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 16

Report: Amazon Is Developing an Uber-Style Service for Package Delivery

Like Uber, but for delivering Amazon packages? In its ongoing effort to get packages to consumers as quickly as possible, Amazon may soon employ an Uber-like app that uses ordinary people as delivery drivers. The Wall Street Journal reports that the plan is known as “On My Way” and would involve using urban retail stores…

Commerce Matt Novak Jun 16

We Don’t Have a Moon Base Because You Don’t Need One to Nuke Moscow

Why doesn’t the United States have a base on the Moon? Because getting to the Moon was a matter of national security. Setting up a permanent base there? Not so much. Through the fog of history it’s really, really easy for Americans to forget why we went to the Moon in the first place. It…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 15

This Season’s Hottest Dadjoke: Become a Trillionaire For Just $5 on eBay

Hyperinflation in Zimbabwe has caused that country’s currency to be worth virtually nothing. So the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is ditching their local currency in favor of US dollars. Soon Zimbabwe’s cash will be used only in the American dadjoke economy, where being a trillionaire and meaning it is the height of comedy. There are…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 12

That Time a Young Girl’s Lemonade Stand Gave Her Neighbors Polio

This week police in Overton, Texas shut down two sisters (aged 7 and 8) who were operating an illicit lemonade stand. These kinds of stories have become an annual summertime tradition, complete with that cool and refreshing thanks Obama! subtext about government overreach. The part we seem to forget? America has always been at war…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 11

Time Capsule Teaches Valuable Lesson In Never Getting Your Hopes Up Ever

Time capsules can sometimes be pretty cool. But more often than not, they’re boring as shit. As this editorial about a recently opened time capsule in Concord, New Hampshire explains: After months of fanfare and speculation, the time capsule entombed beneath City Plaza on Main Street was finally opened and its contents revealed – largely…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 10

Prelude to a Robot Uprising

Gizmodo visits the the DARPA Robotics Challenge in California for a glimpse of the future.

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 10

Neil deGrasse Tyson Says Hoverboards Are Still a Ways Off

It’s been the dream of countless nerds since at least 1989. We want our hoverboards, and we want them now. But if Neil deGrasse Tyson is to be believed, we’re going to be waiting for a while. The Huffington Post recently talked with Tyson about the likelihood that we’ll see hoverboards like the ones in…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 8

Matt Novak

Apple Is Wrong to Pull Historical Games Featuring the Confederate Flag

Queen Elizabeth Meets the Future Queen Who Is A Robot And Not A Human

This Is The Coolest Vintage Radio Ever

Gmail Officially Adds Undo Send, Turn It On Right Now

The Supreme Court Just Kicked Out a CNN Intern For Wearing a GoPro

The Price For A Videophone in 1955 Was $44,000 Adjusted for Inflation

Today’s Fake Video: That Guy Who Cut Everything in Half For His Ex-Wife

Man Reunited With Message In a Bottle He Tossed Into the Sea In 1971

Hilarious 1996 News Clip Warns About the Dangers of Virtual Reality

Shocking Photos of the ‘Time Capsule Mania’ That’s Sweeping Boston

Robot Fact-Checkers Are Coming Soon

Apple Watch Users Explain Why They’re Reselling on eBay

This 1972 Documentary Predicted We’d Choose Our Own Skin Colors

Report: Amazon Is Developing an Uber-Style Service for Package Delivery

We Don’t Have a Moon Base Because You Don’t Need One to Nuke Moscow

This Season’s Hottest Dadjoke: Become a Trillionaire For Just $5 on eBay

That Time a Young Girl’s Lemonade Stand Gave Her Neighbors Polio

Time Capsule Teaches Valuable Lesson In Never Getting Your Hopes Up Ever

Prelude to a Robot Uprising

Neil deGrasse Tyson Says Hoverboards Are Still a Ways Off

First Statewide Data Center Ban Passed by Maine Legislature

FCC Exempts Netgear from Foreign-Made Router Ban for Some Reason

Jamie Dornan Is Your New Aragorn in ‘The Hunt for Gollum’

Trump’s Fed Pick Is Knee Deep in Tech and Crypto Investments

The First Trailer for ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Takes Terror Stateside

The Trump Phone Still Looks Like Total Trash

‘Masters of the Universe’ Really, Really Wants to Be the Next ‘Barbie’

Samsung’s Micro RGB TVs Provide So Much Color It May Be Too Much

The Crypto Bros Want to Get Their Hands on Anthropic’s ‘Super Dangerous’ Model

This Is What a Music Industry ‘Plant’ Looks Like in 2026

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