Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

Sit Back and Plug In: Entertainment in the Year 2000

In the January, 1950, issue of Redbook author Philip Wylie laid out his predictions for the year 2000. Wylie’s predictions focused on the world of leisure and, depending on your point of view, it’s either a delightfully hedonistic vision of utopian living finally realized — or a darkly hedonistic vision of sloth and sin. This…

Tech News Matt Novak Dec 13 '12

The Best Gifts to Give (or Receive) About Paleofuturism

If you’re looking for the perfect gift for that paleofuturist in your life, might I suggest a few of the books and DVDs currently sitting on my shelf? Well, not these books exactly. But different copies of these books that you can buy from a reputable retailer. You get the picture. Yesterday’s Tomorrows: Past Visions…

Tech News Matt Novak Dec 12 '12

A Futuristic Golf Game in the Sky

This is the twelfth in a 24-part series looking at every episode of The Jetsons TV show from the original 1962-63 season. The 12th episode of “The Jetsons” originally aired in the U.S. on December 9, 1962 and was titled “Astro’s Top Secret.” Personally, this is my least favorite episode in the entire series. It…

Tech News Matt Novak Dec 11 '12

Motopia: A Pedestrian Paradise

“No person will walk where automobiles move,” is how British architect Geoffrey Alan Jellicoe described his town of the future, “and no car can encroach on the area sacred to the pedestrian.” Jellicoe was talking to the Associated Press in 1960 about his vision for a radically new kind of British town—a town where the…

Tech News Matt Novak Dec 6 '12

Your Genetic Future: Horse-Dogs, Plantimals and Mini-Rhino Pets

Maybe you’ve heard the internet meme-ish question: would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or a hundred duck-sized horses. Well, I’ve got a new one for you: would your rather own a kitty-cat sized-rhino or a rhino-sized kitty-cat? Because children of the 1980s were told that in the future they might just get such a…

Tech News Matt Novak Dec 5 '12

Grandpa Jetson is Way Cooler Than Grandpa Simpson

This is the eleventh in a 24-part series looking at every episode of The Jetsons TV show from the original 1962-63 season. The 11th episode of The Jetsons opens with a police officer pulling over Montague Jetson — George’s grandfather and a man whose abundant energy and enthusiasm for life dominate the episode. The cop…

Tech News Matt Novak Dec 4 '12

In the 1920s, Shoppers Got Fooled By Fake Televisions

Today advertisers use futuristic tech like jetpacks and robots in their TV ads so that potential consumers think of their brand as forward thinking and innovative. In the 1920s, the cutting edge gadget that advertisers most wanted to associate themselves with was television. But, since the technology was still in its infancy, they faked it.…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 30 '12

The Episode Where George Jetson Rages Against the Machine

This is the tenth in a 24-part series looking at every episode of “The Jetsons” TV show from the original 1962-63 season. From the very first episode “The Jetsons” promised a push-button future of leisure. But this vision of easy-living sometimes has a dark side. A side where robots might cease helping you—and begin stealing…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 28 '12

Future Classics: Readers of 1936 Predict Which Authors Will Endure

In 1936, a quarterly magazine for book collectors called The Colophon polled its readers to pick the ten authors whose works would be considered classics in the year 2000. Sinclair Lewis, author of the 1935 hit It Can’t Happen Here, was a natural choice for the top spot. Just five years earlier Sinclair had been…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 23 '12

Recapping ‘The Jetsons’: Episode 09 – Elroy’s TV Show

This is the ninth in a 24-part series looking at every episode of “The Jetsons” TV show from the original 1962-63 season. When I was a kid I didn’t quite understand how TV and movies were made. Around the age of four or five, I had a basic understanding of how live TV was recorded…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 19 '12

Nikola Tesla the Eugenicist: Eliminating Undesirables by 2100

Interest in the life of legendary inventor Nikola Tesla has seen a tremendous resurgence in the past two decades. And with good reason. The man was a genius who was able to take so many of the ideas swirling around in the 19th century ether and turn them into fantastic new inventions — both real…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 16 '12

Recapping ‘The Jetsons’: Episode 08 – Rosey’s Boyfriend

This is the eighth in a 24-part series looking at every episode of “The Jetsons” TV show from the original 1962-63 season. The personal humanoid robotic assistant (or robot maid; robot butler; whatever you’d like to call it) easily makes the short list of retro-futuristic dreams still unfulfilled — up there with the flying car,…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 13 '12

Five Past Visions of Our Political Future

Twentieth-century Americans saw many different predictions for what the world of politics might look like in the 21st century. Some people imagined a world where politics ceased to matter much in daily life. Others saw a world where computers would allow for direct democracy and people voting from their homes. Some people thought that once…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 6 '12

Recapping ‘The Jetsons’: Episode 07 – The Flying Suit

This is the seventh in a 24-part series looking at every episode of “The Jetsons” TV show from the original 1962-63 season. The seventh episode of “The Jetsons” premiered on American television November 4, 1962, and was titled “The Flying Suit.” In this episode we’re introduced to Mr. Cogswell (we don’t learn until the 1980s…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 5 '12

Aldous Huxley’s Predictions for 2000 A.D.

There seems to be two occasions when people most enjoy making predictions: anniversaries (think the American Bicentennial, New Year’s, etc) and dates that include round numbers (any year ending in zero). Such was the case in 1950 when many people halfway through the 20th century enjoyed predicting what life would be like in the year…

Tech News Matt Novak Nov 1 '12

Recapping ‘The Jetsons’: Episode 06 – The Good Little Scouts

This is the sixth in a 24-part series looking at every episode of “The Jetsons” TV show from the original 1962-63 season. As a child, did you ever think that one day you might be able to vacation on the moon? You weren’t alone. A permanent settlement on the moon wasn’t some crackpot scheme only…

Tech News Matt Novak Oct 29 '12

And the Winner Is: 2012 Inductees to the Robot Hall of Fame

The 2012 inductees to the Robot Hall of Fame at Carnegie Mellon have been announced. And sadly, Rosey the robot didn’t make the cut. She was beat out in the entertainment category by WALL-E — a worthwhile choice, but kind of like putting Justin Bieber in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before Screamin’…

Tech News Matt Novak Oct 25 '12

Recapping ‘The Jetsons’: Episode 05 – Jetson’s Nite Out

This is the fifth in a 24-part series looking at every episode of “The Jetsons” TV show from the original 1962-63 season. The fifth episode of “The Jetsons” aired on Sunday October 21, 1962, and was titled “Jetson’s Nite Out.” The episode revolves around George’s plans to watch the robot football championship game and the…

Tech News Matt Novak Oct 22 '12

Sex and Space Travel: Predictions from the 1950s

In September of 1992 astronauts Jan Davis and Mark Lee became the first married couple to leave the planet together. But NASA didn’t originally plan on it happening that way. NASA had an unwritten rule that married astronauts couldn’t be sent into space together. Davis and Lee had been assigned to the mission in 1989…

Tech News Matt Novak Oct 18 '12

Recapping ‘The Jetsons’: Episode 04 – The Coming of Astro

This is the fourth in a 24-part series looking at every episode of “The Jetsons” TV show from the original 1962-63 season. The fourth episode of “The Jetsons” originally aired on October 14, 1962 and was titled “The Coming of Astro.” After Elroy brings home a dog and convinces his mother Jane to let him…

Tech News Matt Novak Oct 15 '12

Matt Novak

Sit Back and Plug In: Entertainment in the Year 2000

The Best Gifts to Give (or Receive) About Paleofuturism

A Futuristic Golf Game in the Sky

Motopia: A Pedestrian Paradise

Your Genetic Future: Horse-Dogs, Plantimals and Mini-Rhino Pets

Grandpa Jetson is Way Cooler Than Grandpa Simpson

In the 1920s, Shoppers Got Fooled By Fake Televisions

The Episode Where George Jetson Rages Against the Machine

Future Classics: Readers of 1936 Predict Which Authors Will Endure

Recapping ‘The Jetsons’: Episode 09 – Elroy’s TV Show

Nikola Tesla the Eugenicist: Eliminating Undesirables by 2100

Recapping ‘The Jetsons’: Episode 08 – Rosey’s Boyfriend

Five Past Visions of Our Political Future

Recapping ‘The Jetsons’: Episode 07 – The Flying Suit

Aldous Huxley’s Predictions for 2000 A.D.

Recapping ‘The Jetsons’: Episode 06 – The Good Little Scouts

And the Winner Is: 2012 Inductees to the Robot Hall of Fame

Recapping ‘The Jetsons’: Episode 05 – Jetson’s Nite Out

Sex and Space Travel: Predictions from the 1950s

Recapping ‘The Jetsons’: Episode 04 – The Coming of Astro

Read the Tense Emails Between the Pentagon (Former Uber Exec) and Anthropic (Dario Amodei)

NASA Struggles to Save ‘Multitool’ Orbital Satellite From a Fiery Death

Energy Department Wants Data Centers to Stop Draining the Grid During Brutal Heat Wave

KitchenAid’s Iconic Stand Mixer Hits a Record Low for the Fourth of July, With a 4.5-Quart Stainless Steel Bowl and Tilt-Head Design

China’s Surreal AI-Generated Anti-Drug Ad Accidentally Made Drugs Look Cool

How to Watch Portugal vs Croatia Livestream Free from Anywhere

Danny McBride Is Really Excited About His ‘G.I. Joe’ Script

New Jersey Becomes Latest State to Pass Law Against Surveillance Pricing

‘Akira’ Slides Back Into Theaters in 4K and IMAX This Fall

Lenovo Legion Pro 27UD-10 Review: Slim, Pretty, and Just a Little Boring

The Best Gadgets of June 2026

Meta Fury AI Glasses Review: The Worst Company Still Makes the Best Smart Glasses

Google Home Speaker Review: A Faster Way of Being Frustrated

The Best Tech to Level Up Summer 2026

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MSI Claw 8 EX AI+ Review: The Best Handheld PC, but You’ll Have to Pay for It

HP OmniBook Ultra Review: Perfect, if Not for the Little Things

Fender Elie 6 Review: So Close to Being Great

Govee Outdoor Chromatic String Lights Review: A Colorful Way to (Kind of) Light Your Patio

Logitech’s Folding Travel Mouse Fails at the One Thing That Matters Most