Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

The First Hair Plug Machine Looks Absolutely Horrifying

Think people going bald here in the 21st century have it tough? Just imagine what the folks of 100 years ago went through. Balding men were apparently so desperate for hair that they’d let a doctor near them with this terrifying machine. I was flipping through my collection of 1920s magazines when I came across…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 26

The NSA’s In-House Magazine Looks Like a 1970s Punk Zine

Back in 1974, the NSA started an in-house magazine called Cryptolog that served as reading material for employees of the top secret agency. In 2013, the agency declassified heavily redacted issues of the magazine dating up to 1997… and its design is actually pretty amazing. So much of Cryptolog reads as a kind of punk…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 25

Director Billy Wilder: Don’t Worry About Those Nerds In Silicon Valley

Billy Wilder directed some of the greatest films of midcentury, including Double Indemnity, Some Like it Hot, and my personal favorite Wilder film, The Apartment. But Wilder was pretty skeptical of emerging tech, as we can see from this 1986 acceptance speech at the American Film Institute. The opening of his speech actually sounds like…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 24

The Kindle of 1922 Looks Super Uncomfortable

Think of it as an early version of the Kindle, except from a time when Amazon was still just the name of a river. This “pocket reading machine” was invented by Admiral Bradley Fiske in the early 1920s and sought to squeeze an entire novel into a tiny device. At just over 6 inches long…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 23

Most Americans Wouldn’t Take a Trip to Space, Even If It Was Free

If you grew up during the space race of the 1960s, you probably thought that tourist flights into space would be common by now. Sadly, nobody is honeymooning on the moon just yet. But a new poll shows that most Americans actually have no desire to go to space — even if the trip was…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 20

A History of Internet Spying, Part 2

How long have intelligence agencies been keeping tabs on the internet, and what role did these agencies play in creating the internet we use today? For the most part, these kinds of questions have been relegated to comments sections on random blogs and the occasional tweet from researchers. We’re hoping to remedy that in whatever…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 20

The Medical Miracle Headlines of the Future (from 1951)

On January 2, 1951, the Rex Morgan, M.D. comic strip featured a New Year’s greeting insisting to readers that time is measured by progress instead of simply by years. And it’s not a bad thought! But looking at the “headlines of the future” from 1951, one can’t help but be a little bummed out. Miracle…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 19

25 Years of Beautiful, Fake Images Brought to You By Photoshop

Happy birthday Photoshop! You might be turning 25 this week, but you don’t look a day over 20. (We suspect you’ve had some photoshopping done.) It’s no secret that Adobe Photoshop didn’t invent image manipulation. People have been dramatically altering photos since the invention of photography itself. But Photoshop pushed image tinkering into the digital…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 18

The Hate-Spreading Economy Is So Hot Right Now

Futurists estimate that by 2019 hate-spreading products will be a $37 gajillion industry. And it’s easy to see why! From sending glitter bombs to your enemies to giving exploding boxes of packing peanuts to romantic interests who’ve left you in the lurch, hate-spreading products are everywhere. For example, we just got a press release for…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 17

These Headphones From 1927 Look So Much Worse Than Earbuds

Throughout the 20th century, radio nerds were trying to figure out how to build the perfect headphones. Over-the-ear varieties could get hot and sweaty. In-ear varieties would fall out. And then there were these clamp-ons from 1927, which looked like the least comfortable of the bunch — despite what the manufacturers insisted. The June 1927…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 17

The Computer Simulation That Almost Started World War III

Remember the 1983 movie WarGames? The film is about a computer “game” with the potential to start thermonuclear war. But strangely this scenario is more truth than fiction. Because in 1979 programmers at NORAD almost started World War III when they accidentally ran a computer simulation of a Soviet attack. In the early morning hours…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 16

Last Night’s Jetsons Parody on The Simpsons Was Pretty Weird

The Simpsons and The Jetsons are two of the greatest American cartoons ever created. So it was exciting to see those two worlds collide in last night’s new episode of The Simpsons. Too bad it was so uncomfortable. The whole thing plays out as you might expect, with Bart skipping school for a Spaceball game,…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 16

Here’s What Skype Was Like In 1947

Thanks to tech like Skype, the ability to both see and hear someone across thousands of miles is a mundane exercise for most of us here in the early 21st century. But back in 1947, signing a contract over videophone was like looking into the future. Even if that future turned out a bit different…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 13

A History of Internet Spying, Part I

In last year’s documentary Citizenfour, Edward Snowden said, “I remember what the internet was like before it was being watched.” Snowden is just 31 years old, so there’s simply no way this is true. Intelligence agencies have been keeping tabs on the internet since before Snowden was even born. They were instrumental in creating it.…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 13

10 Cold War-Era Board Games About Spies and Secret Agents

Americans were obsessed with spy culture during the Cold War. I mean, who didn’t love James Bond? Communists, that’s who. The gosh darn Communits. Spying seeped into every aspect of pop culture in the 1960s and 70s—from TV and movies to comic books and even board games. Below we have a collection of ten board…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 12

These Penguins In Sweaters Are Fake

You may have recently seen the heartwarming story of Australia’s oldest man (109 years young!) who knits sweaters for penguins. The story is currently making the rounds with an adorable photo purporting to show the grateful penguins of Australia’s Phillip Island. The only problem? Those penguins in that particular photo are totally fake. The photo…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 11

What’s Your Favorite Olde Timey Slang?

I love old slang. And today I came across my new favorite phrase from the beforetimes. It dates back to the late 19th century, yet anybody from the early 21st century can easily figure out what it means: Got the morbs. Not only does it sound like it’d be right at home in our truncation-obsessed…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 10

It’s Flying Car Season Again

Every six months, websites proclaim that the flying car is just over the horizon! And as if on schedule, the Daily Mail has a new article about how Terrafugia’s Transition is coming soon! The only problem? We’ve been hearing that since 2008. The last time that Terrafugia really took over the flying car conversation was…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 9

This Enormous Car-Boat Probably Needed Oceans of Oil to Run

Life for Americans after World War II was supposed to be filled with open roads and open waters. The roads, more often than not, were for getting to work. And the water? That was pure leisure time. This “water-mobile” of 1947 was imagined to provide the best of both, with an enormous (and, one imagines,…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 9

The Anti-Vaccine Movement Should Be Ridiculed, Because Shame Works

The best way to win a debate is to present your facts in a clear, respectful way. When that doesn’t work, another option is incessant ridicule. Here’s why we have to use shame if we want to stop the anti-vaccine movement. By now I’m sure you know the score. America’s anti-vaccination movement has steamrolled its…

Tech News Matt Novak Feb 6

Matt Novak

The First Hair Plug Machine Looks Absolutely Horrifying

The NSA’s In-House Magazine Looks Like a 1970s Punk Zine

Director Billy Wilder: Don’t Worry About Those Nerds In Silicon Valley

The Kindle of 1922 Looks Super Uncomfortable

Most Americans Wouldn’t Take a Trip to Space, Even If It Was Free

A History of Internet Spying, Part 2

The Medical Miracle Headlines of the Future (from 1951)

25 Years of Beautiful, Fake Images Brought to You By Photoshop

The Hate-Spreading Economy Is So Hot Right Now

These Headphones From 1927 Look So Much Worse Than Earbuds

The Computer Simulation That Almost Started World War III

Last Night’s Jetsons Parody on The Simpsons Was Pretty Weird

Here’s What Skype Was Like In 1947

A History of Internet Spying, Part I

10 Cold War-Era Board Games About Spies and Secret Agents

These Penguins In Sweaters Are Fake

What’s Your Favorite Olde Timey Slang?

It’s Flying Car Season Again

This Enormous Car-Boat Probably Needed Oceans of Oil to Run

The Anti-Vaccine Movement Should Be Ridiculed, Because Shame Works

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