Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

Behind the scenes of “behind the scenes at National Geographic”

Have you seen that “behind the scenes at National Geographic” photo where those guys are running from a bear? It’s pretty amusing. But it’s a fake. Super duper, 100 percent fake. So where did it come from? After I debunked the photo in my latest FAKES round-up, Tim Sparks, a filmmaker in Colorado, contacted me…

Social Media Matt Novak Jan 19

There’s a Real Robotics Company Called Cyberdyne And Now I’m Scared

Remember the company from the Terminator franchise called Cyberdyne Systems? The same company that builds lethal robots and develops Skynet, the network of computers that eventually tries to destroy all of humanity? Well, there’s a real company called Cyberdyne. And they make robotic exoskeletons. Should we be worried? The company is based in Japan and…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 16

These Circular Runways Were Designed To Catapult Planes Skyward

The January 10, 1960 edition of Arthur Radebaugh’s Sunday comic “Closer Than We Think” includes a curious invention that was supposed to literally catapult us into the Jet Age: The circular runway. From the Chicago Tribune: The heart of tomorrow’s airfield may be a circular catapult-like mechanism for sending planes into the air. It would…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 16

Amazon’s New Series ‘The Man In The High Castle’ Is Amazing

What if the Allies had lost World War II, the Nazis had been first to develop the atomic bomb, and the Germans and Japanese had carved up control of United States? That’s the premise of the new streaming series from Amazon, The Man in the High Castle — an adaptation of the 1962 book by…

Commerce Matt Novak Jan 15

Steven Soderbergh Recuts Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey

Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of the most iconic science fiction films of all time. Transcending the very genre it helped to modernize, it would be an act of desecration for any other person to re-cut Kubrick’s masterpiece. Well, hey would you look at that, guess what Steven Soderbergh just did? Soderbergh’s…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 14

12 More Viral Photos That Are Actually Fake

Last year was a big one for fakes. And if the first couple weeks of 2015 are any indication, we’ll have plenty of fake images, silly hoaxes, and outright lies this year as well. Below we’ve debunked a few photos that you may have seen floating around social media recently. None are quite what they…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 14

Meet the New Cold War, Same As the Old Cold War

Remember the Cold War? We basically spent half a century on the precipice of worldwide nuclear annihilation. Well, like it or not, the Cold War is back. In fact, it never really ended. Russia is invading old Soviet countries. China has put a robot on the moon. North Korea is the prime suspect in an…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 13

What Is A Time Capsule?

Time capsules can be buried, sealed in a vault, or even shot into space. They can be regular old boxes, enormous vaults, or a simple letter. Time capsules can take so many different forms that it’s about time we ask, what is a time capsule, exactly? I’ve been writing about time capsules for nearly a…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 12

Ugh, look at all these chumps using cameras even bigger than iPads

In a recent study, we learned that roughly a quarter of Americans take photos with their tablets. Ugh. Don’t these people know that they look ridiculous? I mean, these people are totally ruining modern society by taking photos with something so enormous! Even though people who take pictures with iPads are objectively the worst, they…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 9

The “next Charlie Hebdo cover” that’s going viral is fake

You may have seen the magazine cover above, purported to be Charlie Hebdo’s next cover. “Urgently looking for six cartoonists,” the stark white-on-black text reads in French. But it’s not real. It’s a fake created by a satirical French TV show. Twelve people were brutally murdered at the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday and…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 9

The most requested photo in the National Archives is of Nixon and Elvis

What do you suppose the most requested photo from the U.S. National Archives might be? Troops raising the American flag on Iwo Jima? That sailor kissing a random woman at the end of WWII? Nope. It’s Richard Nixon shaking Elvis Presley’s hand. The meeting took place in the Oval Office on December 21, 1970 and…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 8

No, that broken pencil illustration isn’t by Banksy

You may have seen a clever Banksy illustration of broken pencils being shared far and wide on social media yesterday. It’s a powerful message about optimism and rebuilding after facing adversity. But it’s not by Banksy. The illustration is actually by Lucille Clerc, a London-based illustrator. After being posted on an Instagram account purporting to…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 8

NYC taxi medallion prices have fallen almost 25% since last year

The New York Times’ Upshot blog reports that regular New York City taxi medallion prices have fallen about 23 percent since last year’s peak. A medallion now sets taxi drivers back about $805,000. Why are prices plunging? Uber. Well, probably. New York City, like other major cities, regulates the number of taxis allowed on the…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 7

Flying Car Prototype From 1990 Going Up For Auction

Want to own your very own flying car? Will you settle for a prototype that never left the ground? Well then you’re in luck! Because the Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona has a 1990 prototype with your name on it. The car is called the Sky Commuter and was produced in 1990 by a company in…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 7

Nike Designer: Back to the Future II Shoes Will Be Released This Year

Did you ever dream of having Marty McFly’s Nike powerlace shoes from Back to the Future Part II? Well, if all goes according to plan you might get your chance to own a pair. Nike reportedly has plans to release some version of the MAG shoes sometime this year. But they’re not saying precisely when.…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 7

LAPD Orders Tasers That Activate Body Cameras When They’re Used

Today the LA Police Department announced that it had purchased 3,130 new Tasers that activate a body camera when they’re being used. The camera is activated after the officer turns off the safety on the Taser. The “non-lethal” weapon communicates with the officer’s body camera via bluetooth. Equipping police officers with body cameras has been…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 6

Paul Revere’s 1795 Time Capsule Will Be Opened Tonight (Again)

People are understandably excited to see what’s inside Paul Revere’s time capsule when it’s opened tonight in Boston. The capsule was first interred in a cornerstone by Revere and Samuel Adams in 1795, and many news outlets are playing up the idea that the contents are a complete mystery. Except that it’s not. Because it…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 6

Nikola Tesla’s Incredible Predictions For Our Connected World

We might complain that it’s 2015 and we’re still waiting on our hoverboards. But if Nikola Tesla were alive today, he’d probably wonder where the hell our fuel-free, super fast airplanes were. And who could blame him? Fuel-free planes aside, he actually predicted a lot of 21st century technologies quite accurately. The January 30, 1926…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 6

That North Korean News Twitter Account Is Fake

You may have seen a strange North Korean news account floating around the Twitters recently. DPRK News Service (@DPRK_News) sends out weird messages posing as an official mouthpiece of the authoritarian regime. But don’t be fooled. It’s a fake account run by a blogger. CNN, Newsweek, and Fox News have all quoted the account as…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 5

The CIA has to approve every script for spy drama The Americans

The Cold War TV spy drama The Americans is a fictional account of two Soviet spies living in the United States. It may be fiction, but that doesn’t stop American intelligence agencies from being concerned about the show’s content. In fact, the CIA has to approve every script before it’s even shot. The Americans was…

Tech News Matt Novak Jan 2

Matt Novak

Behind the scenes of “behind the scenes at National Geographic”

There’s a Real Robotics Company Called Cyberdyne And Now I’m Scared

These Circular Runways Were Designed To Catapult Planes Skyward

Amazon’s New Series ‘The Man In The High Castle’ Is Amazing

Steven Soderbergh Recuts Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey

12 More Viral Photos That Are Actually Fake

Meet the New Cold War, Same As the Old Cold War

What Is A Time Capsule?

Ugh, look at all these chumps using cameras even bigger than iPads

The “next Charlie Hebdo cover” that’s going viral is fake

The most requested photo in the National Archives is of Nixon and Elvis

No, that broken pencil illustration isn’t by Banksy

NYC taxi medallion prices have fallen almost 25% since last year

Flying Car Prototype From 1990 Going Up For Auction

Nike Designer: Back to the Future II Shoes Will Be Released This Year

LAPD Orders Tasers That Activate Body Cameras When They’re Used

Paul Revere’s 1795 Time Capsule Will Be Opened Tonight (Again)

Nikola Tesla’s Incredible Predictions For Our Connected World

That North Korean News Twitter Account Is Fake

The CIA has to approve every script for spy drama The Americans

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