Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

Fashion Wired for Sound in Year 2000 (1957)

The May 15, 1957 Chicago Tribune ran a piece titled, “Tell Future of Fashions in Exhibit.” The story described the apparel on display at Marshall Field at the time, which depicted the fashions of the year 2000. An excerpt appears below. Most of the designers represented agreed that the fashionable woman of the future will…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 25

Flowers by Alice (Part 2, 1992)

Part 2 of the US West concept video Flowers by Alice features the business tools of the future. Voice recognition technology seemed to be very popular in concept videos of this era. See also:Flowers by Alice (Part 1, 1992)

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 24

Cyclonic Rocket (circa 1930)

From the 1977 book Rocketship: An Incredible Journey Through Science Fiction and Science Fact: Paul Maiwurm’s fanciful Cyclonic Rocket depends on four rocket engines, unusual rotating tubular wings (wouldn’t the whole vehicle tend to rotate?), scoop propellers and happy pilots. Obviously it’s a California first. See also: Aerial Navigation Will Never Be Popular (1906) Commuter…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 23

Living Room of the Future (1979)

This image appears in the 1979 book Future Cities: Homes and Living into the 21st Century and illustrates the living room of the (paleo)future. This living room has many electronic gadgets which are either in use already or are being developed for people to buy in the 1980s. 1. Giant-size TV. Based on the designs…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 22

Airport of the Future (1967)

Since I was stuck at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport all day, here’s an article from the December 1, 1967 European edition of Stars and Stripes, which describes the airport of the future. An architect says he has an answer to the complaint that the longest and hardest part of a trip often is getting from home…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 21

Flowers by Alice (Part 1, 1992)

The 1992 US West concept video Flowers by Alice features themes and products similar to that of Accenture’s Vision and AT&T’s Connections, both produced in 1993. This clip from Flowers by Alice introduces us to the main characters as well as two emerging technologies. The skyway’s backed up but the bullet train is moving right…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 20

Lost and Stolen Time Capsules

Oglethorpe University in Atlanta has a very interesting list from the International Time Capsule Society which describes the 10 most wanted time capsules. It seems that since the list’s creation in 1991, two have been found. 1. Bicentennial Wagon Train Time Capsule This capsule was supposed to hold the signatures of 22 million Americans. But…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 17

Highways by Automation (1958)

The August 3, 1958 Chicago Tribune ran this Closer Than We Think! strip, demostrating the automatic highway construction of the future. Something very similar to this appears in the May 14, 1958 Disneyland TV episode Magic Highway, U.S.A.. Tomorrow’s turnpikes will “flow” out of giant machines like magic ribbons across the countryside. The basic equipment…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 16

3D Copier of the Future (1979)

This image appears in the 1979 book Future Cities: Homes and Living into the 21st Century and describes the 3D copier of the future. See also: Sea City 2000 (1979) Future Cities: Homes and Living into the 21st Century (1979)

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 15

Television: Medium of the Future (1949)

The 1949 book Television: Medium of the Future by Maurice Gorham correctly identifies, but dismisses, a concern about the visual age: voting with your eyes. Fears have been expressed lest this new reliance on television may lead to choice of candidates for their face rather than their real qualities; that the film-star types will have…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 14

The Electronic Newspaper (1978)

The April, 1978 issue of The Futurist magazine ran an incredibly forward-thinking piece about the future of newspapers. If we think of a newspaper as being a printed object delivered to our homes, we may be talking about replacing newspaper with an electronic signal. But if we think (as I do) of newspapers as organizations…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 14

The Paleo-Future Project

Remember those people you used to talk to before the Internet was invented? I think there was a name for them . . . oh yeah, family and friends! Well, here’s an excuse to talk with them for the good of the Internets. The Paleo-Future Project seeks to document our collective memory of the future.…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 13

Vision (Clip 3, 1993)

Clip 3 from the 1993 concept video Vision, produced by Andersen Consulting, shows us what the portable communications device of the future could look like. I’m pretty sure you could kill an elephant with that tablet she’s holding. See also:Vision (Clip 1, 1993)Vision (Clip 2, 1993)Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future (1993)Writer and Producer of…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 11

Sincerity and the Paleo-Future

The Summer 2007 issue of The Wilson Quarterly contains a small blurb about paleo-futurism. You may even recognize the name of a certain paleo-futurist blogger. An excerpt appears below. Cars still don’t fly, the moon remains uninhabited, and at home there’s no robot doing the laundry. What happened to the future? To find it, bloggers…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 10

Transportation in 2000 A.D. (1966)

This interview from the 1966 radio documentary 2000 A.D. asks William Roman, chairman of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, about our transportation needs for the future. An excerpt appears below but you can hear the entire (5 minute) interview here. I think we’re going to find new types of transportation. I think the vertical…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 10

Evening Fashions of the Year 1952 (1883)

This illustration is from a beautiful 1981 edition of the 1883 Albert Robida book Le vingtième siècle. La vie électrique. The edition I’ve linked to is in French and doesn’t include any color pictures such as the one above. For an English translation check out The Twentieth Century (Early Classics of Science Fiction), but again,…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 10

Headlines of the Near Future (1972)

The 1972 book Futures Conditional contains essays and lists from many different futurists of the era. This list of headlines of the near future, by Billy Rojas, presents readers with events that will “probably happen – in some cases undoubtedly happen – although not necessarily in the order presented.” 1972 February Chiang Kai-shek dead in…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 9

Farm to Market (1958)

This clip from the May 14, 1958 Disneyland TV episode, "Magic Highway, U.S.A." depicts the high-speed freightways of the future. Simplicity and efficiency reign supreme in this streamlined future of yesteryear. These non-stop farm-to-market freightways will bring remote agricultural areas to within minutes of metropolitan markets. At transfer points within the city, individual units automatically…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 8

Fuzzy-Duzzy, The Computer You Cuddle (1976)

The August, 1976 issue of The Futurist magazine ran this blurb about the need for humanized machines, which would make technology less intimidating for the average user. The piece appears to have originally appeared in Hal Hellman’s 1976 book Technophobia: Getting Out of the Technology Trap. We need “humanized machines.” Wes Thomas, editor of the…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 8

Sports Car of Tomorrow (1966)

This Ford concept car appears in the 1966 book Automobiles of the Future by Irwin Stambler. The description of the car appears below. Exotic engines of tomorrow may provide the power for a sports car such as this, which could be mass-produced while keeping the appearance of a racing car. This post originally appeared at…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 8

Matt Novak

Fashion Wired for Sound in Year 2000 (1957)

Flowers by Alice (Part 2, 1992)

Cyclonic Rocket (circa 1930)

Living Room of the Future (1979)

Airport of the Future (1967)

Flowers by Alice (Part 1, 1992)

Lost and Stolen Time Capsules

Highways by Automation (1958)

3D Copier of the Future (1979)

Television: Medium of the Future (1949)

The Electronic Newspaper (1978)

The Paleo-Future Project

Vision (Clip 3, 1993)

Sincerity and the Paleo-Future

Transportation in 2000 A.D. (1966)

Evening Fashions of the Year 1952 (1883)

Headlines of the Near Future (1972)

Farm to Market (1958)

Fuzzy-Duzzy, The Computer You Cuddle (1976)

Sports Car of Tomorrow (1966)

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