Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

Flying Family Car (1958)

The November 30, 1958 edition of This Week magazine ran this illustration of the flying family car. The image accompanied a larger piece about Army vehicles of the future. Best thing about the article? It promised that this flying car could be a reality within two years. This post originally appeared at Paleofuture.com.

Tech News Matt Novak

Computerized Kitchen of the Future (1977)

We seem to have been waiting for the smart cupboard/fridge for quite a while now. Though the continued spread of RFID chips makes such an idea more plausible today, the future kitchen isn’t yet quite what we imagined. A January 3, 1977 piece in the Winnipeg Free Press (Winnipeg, Manitoba) predicted the smart cupboard, kitchen…

Tech News Matt Novak

Beyond Tomorrow: The Next 50 Years in Space (1965)

Who says advertising doesn’t work? And 40 years later, no less. I was flipping through the November, 1966 issue of Space World magazine when I stumbled upon this ad for the 1965 book Beyond Tomorrow: The Next 50 Years in Space by Dandridge M. Cole, with art by Roy G. Scarfo. At 168 pages, with…

Tech News Matt Novak

Motor Car of the Future (1918)

The March 10, 1918 Oakland Tribune (Oakland, CA) ran this illustration of the motor car of the future. If so inclined, one can read the entire article here. But let’s face it, you’re just here for the pretty pictures. The new car will be all glass-enclosed and controlled entirely by a set of push buttons.…

Tech News Matt Novak

Moon Settlement by 2007 (1985)

The February, 1985 issue of The Futurist magazine featured a piece about a permanent settlement on the moon by 2007. NASA envisions the completion of a permanent settlement on the moon by the year 2007, the fiftieth anniversary of the space age. The final design of the base should be completed by the early 1990s,…

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When Wars Are Fought With Robot Soldiers (1935)

The idea that robot soldiers would inevitably replace human troops pops up repeatedly in newspapers of the 1930s. The emergence of humanoid robots, however primitive, lent themselves to people thinking about the human toll of the first World War and how it might be avoided in future wars. This article from the July 28, 1935…

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Courtship in the Year 2015 (1915)

The May 31, 1915 Indianapolis Star (Indianapolis, IN) republished a short piece from the Springfield Republican about a playlet that imagines the courtship of tomorrow. Spoiler alert: they ruin the ending of the playlet. A Hundred Years Hence. Springfield Republican. A recently produced playlet of the year 2015 describes the courtship of tomorrow. “The maiden…

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Victor Cohn (1919-2000)

The prophets of misery and robotism too often focus their sights on the cocktail party instead of the school. They describe the life of past generations in nostalgic terms, but do not really compare the lives of average housewives or factory workers today with the lives of their grandparents and with the drudgery, ignorance and…

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Highway to Russia (1959)

The March 3, 1959 edition of Arthur Radebaugh’s Closer Than We Think depicts a highway to Russia, as imagined by Senator Warren G. Magnuson. According to Wikipedia, (the only source for anything that my generation might care about) this was not a new idea. Joseph Strauss, designer of the Golden Gate Bridge, proposed something similar…

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First Americans on Mars (1964)

The 1964 book Rockets to Explore the Unknown contains some amazing illustrations by George Bakacs of what people thought spacesuits, rockets and even TVs of the future would look like. The image above depicts the first Americans on Mars. Previously on Paleo-Future: Animal Life on Mars (1957) Plant Life on Mars (1957) Mars and Beyond…

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International Travel of the Future (1932)

This illustration of international travel in the future, complete with robotic red-cap porters, appeared in the December 4, 1932 San Antonio Light (San Antonio, TX). It seems that all you need to do is step into the tube of your choice, then be shot out via capsule to your final destination. The design has a…

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Gernsback Imagines Life 50 Years Hence (1925)

This image was lost some time after publication. Hugo Gernsback wrote a syndicated piece in 1925 that imagined the world of 1975. It appeared in the February 8th edition of the San Antonio Light (San Antonio, TX) and has an interesting mix of hits and misses. Highlights from the article are excerpted below. You can…

Tech News Matt Novak

Solar Cars, Electric Guitars and Bionic Arms (1977)

The Journal News of Hamilton, OH devoted much of its February 27, 1977 edition to "Our Third 100 Years." Harding Junior High student James Schmidt wrote a piece for the newspaper, imagining what life might look like in the 21st century. James describes 13-year-old kids driving solar-powered cars, futuristic electric guitars and his father’s bionic…

Tech News Matt Novak

My First Thoughts on Paleo-Futurism (or how I learned to stop worrying and love Disney)

This image was lost some time after publication. Me and Goofy (circa 1989)I’ve visited Walt Disney World about 20 times. Now, for an elderly woman living in Orlando, Florida, this might seem like an appropriate number. But for a 26-year-old man who’s lived his entire life in the Midwest, that number is fairly absurd. My…

Tech News Matt Novak

Portable Telephones (1976)

The 1976 book Future Facts is filled with predictions of artificial life, underwater cities and traveling from New York to Los Angeles in 21 minutes. Though the last excerpted line is pretty hilarious, this prediction of the “portaphone” of the future is surprisingly accurate. A hand-held, completely portable telephone will make it possible to place…

Tech News Matt Novak

Dirigible Plane of the Future (1930)

From the May 12, 1930 Galveston Daily News (Galveston, TX): LOS ANGELES — Claude H. Freese with his latest imaginative model of a future airliner. A combination of heavier and lighter than-air features the finished ship, measuring 902 feet in length. Previously on Paleo-Future: Flying Machines (circa 1885) Horizontal Cities of 2031 (1931) The Family…

Tech News Matt Novak

Hospitals in the Sky! (1958)

This “hospital in the sky,” as imagined by Arthur Radebaugh in the May 11, 1958 edition of his comic Closer Than We Think, operates under the assumption that the “weightlessness, irradiation and low temperatures of outer space” would allow for more effective treatment of patients. The American Rocket Society has reported to President Eisenhower that…

Tech News Matt Novak

200 Years Old in 2000 A.D. (1926)

The January 2, 1926 Charleston Gazette (Charleston, WV) ran this short blurb about the year 2000 and the fear that longer life spans might mean thousands of descendants. A serious scientist has glad news for all those that want to stick to this world, in spite of its troubles and worries. In the year 2000,…

Tech News Matt Novak

Computer May Rule Household in 1999 A.D. (1967)

This image was lost some time after publication. Remember the film 1999 A.D. we looked at a of couple years ago? (I really can’t believe I’ve been doing the Paleo-Future blog that long. That’s like 14 in blog-years.) Well, the October 16, 1967 Fresno Bee (Fresno, CA) ran a piece by Desa C. Belyea about…

Tech News Matt Novak

Robots for Romantic Old Maids (1928)

The July 1, 1928 San Antonio Light (San Antonio, TX) ran a syndicated story titled, “Romantic Old Maids Can Hear the Words of Love They Long For.” The excerpt below tells the tale of a futuristic unmarried woman who keeps a robot under her bed. This automated man, which was naturally all the rage in…

Tech News Matt Novak

Matt Novak

Flying Family Car (1958)

Computerized Kitchen of the Future (1977)

Beyond Tomorrow: The Next 50 Years in Space (1965)

Motor Car of the Future (1918)

Moon Settlement by 2007 (1985)

When Wars Are Fought With Robot Soldiers (1935)

Courtship in the Year 2015 (1915)

Victor Cohn (1919-2000)

Highway to Russia (1959)

First Americans on Mars (1964)

International Travel of the Future (1932)

Gernsback Imagines Life 50 Years Hence (1925)

Solar Cars, Electric Guitars and Bionic Arms (1977)

My First Thoughts on Paleo-Futurism (or how I learned to stop worrying and love Disney)

Portable Telephones (1976)

Dirigible Plane of the Future (1930)

Hospitals in the Sky! (1958)

200 Years Old in 2000 A.D. (1926)

Computer May Rule Household in 1999 A.D. (1967)

Robots for Romantic Old Maids (1928)

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