Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

Women and the Year 2000 (1967)

Glenn T. Seaborg, former chairman of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, wrote a piece for the April, 1967 issue of the Futurist (the second ever!) titled “Women and the Year 2000.” An excerpt appears below. In the year 2000, I think that our society will be much more enlightened than it is today with respect…

Tech News Matt Novak

Robots vs. Musicians (1931)

This ad from the March 9, 1931 Simpson’s Leader-Times (Kittanning, PA) is in no way subtle. The consequences of using recorded music at theatre performances rather than live musicians are, “Monotony in the theatre – corruption of taste – destruction of art.” Yikes. Here is a struggle of intense interest to all music lovers. If…

Tech News Matt Novak

What We Are Coming To (1895)

This illustration by Grant E. Hamilton ran in the February 16, 1895 issue of Judge magazine and can be found in the book Out of Time by Norman Brosterman. Population Close to ‘Standing Room Only’ (Chicago Tribune, 1899) Collier’s Illustrated Future of 2001 (1901) Predictions of a 14-Year-Old (Milwaukee Excelsior, 1901) No One Will Walk…

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The End of the Future (1991)

In his 1991 book, Facing Tomorrow, author Thomas Hine opens with a decidedly pessimistic tone. The first chapter, “The End of the Future,” expresses a feeling of betrayal that the world did not provide the future humanity was promised. An excerpt from that chapter appears below. For at least two decades, no compelling, comprehensive vision…

Tech News Matt Novak

Closer Than We Think! Fat Plants and Meat Beets (1958)

The September 28, 1958 Chicago Tribune ran this Closer Than We Think! strip about meat-plants of the future. There will be less grazing land in tomorrow’s crowded world, so beefsteaks may have to be replaced by extracted vegetable proteins flavored with synthetics that taste like real meat. According to Cal Tech biologist James Bonner, new…

Tech News Matt Novak

Vacations of the Future (1981)

The 1981 book School, Work and Play (World of Tomorrow) illustrates what the vacation of the future will surely look like. With robots and computers doing all of the work, your biggest dillema will be deciding what kind of margarita to order on your space colony retreat. Isn’t it great, living in the future? With…

Tech News Matt Novak

Not a Robot – A Fire Eater (1937)

This photo ran in the October 29, 1937 Chester Times (Chester, PA). The firefighter of the future is shown making his bow at a demonstration in the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Garbed in an asbestos suit, this smoke eater walks undaunted into the flames, armed with a chemical pump which quickly subdues flames. The equipment is…

Tech News Matt Novak

Pacific Bell Concept Video (Part 3, 1991)

The third and final chapter of our untitled 1991 Pacific Bell concept video introduces us to the public videophones of the future, similar to those we saw in AT&T’s Connections video from 1993. See also:Pacific Bell Concept Video (Part 1, 1991)Pacific Bell Concept Video (Part 2, 1991)Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future (Part 4, 1993)Connections:…

Tech News Matt Novak

Mickey Futurism (1980s)

Jeff over at Hyperion 2719 has this photo from the 1980s of assorted Disney characters in their futuristic rainbow costumes. See also: EPCOT’s Horizons EPCOT Publicity Materials (1981)

Tech News Matt Novak

Pacific Bell Concept Video (Part 2, 1991)

Part 2 of this unnamed Pacific Bell concept video has a visual voicemail feature (or in this case, audible voicemail) that iPhone users may find familiar. See also:Pacific Bell Concept Video (Part 1, 1991)

Tech News Matt Novak

Forbes: Special Report on the Future

Forbes currently has an extensive examination of the future, with both past and present perspectives, posted online. Neil Steinberg’s look at the videophone should be of particular interest to paleo-futurists. Somehow, these future marvels of the past—food pills, jet packs, flying cars and, yes, video telephones—have an inertia that reality doesn’t seem to be able…

Tech News Matt Novak

Sky Toboggan (1935)

Forget personal jet packs, where’s my sky toboggan? The April, 1935 issue of Science and Mechanics featured this wonderful “Sky Sled” on its cover. See also: Cyclonic Rocket (circa 1930) ‘Flying Saucer’ Buses (1950) New York in 1960 (1935) Amphibian Monorail (Popular Science, 1934)

Tech News Matt Novak

PC Magazine’s 100 Favorite Blogs

The Paleo-Future blog made PC Magazine’s list of their 100 Favorite Blogs. It’s truly an honor and I’d like to thank everyone for reading. Pretty soon, all this attention is going to go to my head. When starting a blog, the simplest ideas are sometimes the best. High-concept sites are often better left in the…

Tech News Matt Novak

Future City: 20 | 21

The Skyscraper Museum, at 39 Battery Place in New York, has an exhibit opening at the end of the month that will certainly interest paleo-futurists. New York Modern, which opens on October 24 and runs through March 2008, looks back at prophecies of the skyscraper city in the early 20th century when the first dreams…

Tech News Matt Novak

Pacific Bell Concept Video (Part 1, 1991)

This unnamed Pacific Bell concept video from 1991 is set in the year 2003. With a young woman giving birth as our main plot device, we’re able to see how people of the 21st century will work, shop and communicate. Below is part 1 of 3. See also:Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future (1993)Flowers by…

Tech News Matt Novak

Glenn T. Seaborg’s 1989 (1964)

The September 20, 1964 Chicago Tribune ran an article about Glenn T. Seaborg’s predictions for the futuristic year of 1989. An excerpt appears below. In another 25 years, [Seaborg] speculates, teen-agers and adults will have two-way wrist watch radios . . . their own computers to aid studies or automatically translate foreign tongues into English…

Tech News Matt Novak

Tomorrow’s TV-Phone (1956)

The November 23, 1956 Pasadena Star-News (Pasadena, CA) ran this picture of the “TV-Phone” of the future. If I’m not mistaken, that looks like Dick Clark on the screen. The phone of the future will fit in the palm of the hand and enable a caller to hear and see the other party in color…

Tech News Matt Novak

GTE’s Classroom of the Future (1987)

GTE’s 1987 concept video Classroom of the Future envisions a bright future for voice synthesis, speech recognition and insanely small monitors. Will’s acting career, however, holds less promise. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 This post originally appeared at Paleofuture.com.

Tech News Matt Novak

Atomic Power Plant of the Future (1939)

The October, 1939 issue of Amazing Stories published this painting of the atomic power plant of the future. The image can also be found in the book Out of Time by Norman Brosterman. If you look closely you can see the streamlined cars and trains of the future driving by. As noted in the book,…

Tech News Matt Novak

The Future is Now (1955)

The 1955 short documentary The Future is Now showed viewers what technological changes they could expect in the near future. The clip below demonstrates home video, videophone and electronic music. What do you wear to answer the phone? What difference does it make? None, today! But tomorrow, if videophone comes, as well it might, then…

Tech News Matt Novak

Matt Novak

Women and the Year 2000 (1967)

Robots vs. Musicians (1931)

What We Are Coming To (1895)

The End of the Future (1991)

Closer Than We Think! Fat Plants and Meat Beets (1958)

Vacations of the Future (1981)

Not a Robot – A Fire Eater (1937)

Pacific Bell Concept Video (Part 3, 1991)

Mickey Futurism (1980s)

Pacific Bell Concept Video (Part 2, 1991)

Forbes: Special Report on the Future

Sky Toboggan (1935)

PC Magazine’s 100 Favorite Blogs

Future City: 20 | 21

Pacific Bell Concept Video (Part 1, 1991)

Glenn T. Seaborg’s 1989 (1964)

Tomorrow’s TV-Phone (1956)

GTE’s Classroom of the Future (1987)

Atomic Power Plant of the Future (1939)

The Future is Now (1955)

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