Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

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

A New Great Depression and Ladies on the Moon: 1970s Middle School Kids Look to the Year 2000

The February 26, 1977 edition of the Herald-Star in Steubenville, Ohio published dozens of predictions for the year 2000 made by the people of Steubenville, a working class town in eastern Ohio (and the birthplace of Dean Martin). Some of these letters came from local middle school kids 10-12 years old and they provide a…

Tech News Matt Novak Oct 12 '12

Matt Novak

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

A New Great Depression and Ladies on the Moon: 1970s Middle School Kids Look to the Year 2000

We Think We Found ‘Human Printer’ Natalie Harp’s Printer Setup. It’s Bulky

What If This Was How You Found Out The Singularity Has Begun?

‘Doctor Who’ Writer Mark Gatiss Says What We’re All Thinking About the Show’s Future

‘Lanterns’ Season 2 Is Already in the Works Whether It Happens or Not

Ozlo Sleepbuds 2 Review: Comfy Sleep Earbuds With an Uncomfortable Price

Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL Review: Still Growing Into Their AI Shoes

New NASA Images Reveal Crater Left Behind by SpaceX Rocket Impact on the Moon

An ‘Exercise Pill’ Just Cleared Its First Human Test

FBI Warns That Hackers Are Targeting Siemens Equipment Amid Recent Water Plant Breaches

You Can Soon Say ‘Wassup’ to ‘Scary Movie’ on Paramount+

Bose QuietComfort Headphones (2nd Gen) Review: Still More Quiet and Comfortable Than Most

Schlage Sense Pro Review: Who Needs a Key Anyway?

Viture Pro 2 Review: A Dark Horse in the Entry-Level AR Glasses Race

Insta360 X6 Review: The King of 360 Cameras Reclaims Its Crown

Samsung Odyssey G80HS Monitor Review: 6K Isn’t the Future of Gaming

Roborock RockNeo Q110H Review: A Quiet and Capable Robot Lawn Mower

Lenovo Pro 9i 16 G11 Aura Edition Review: A Pretty Screen Stuffed Into an Ugly Laptop

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Review: The Most Fun Phone in Ages

CMF Clip Pro Review: An Affordable Challenger in the Clip-Style Earbuds Craze

Back to School: The 8 Best Smart Home Devices for Your Dorm Room