Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

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 '07

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 '07

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 '07

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 '07

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 '07

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 '07

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 '07

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 '07

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 '07

Vision (Clip 2, 1993)

This clip from the 1993 concept video Vision demonstrates why the videophone has never caught on. There is nothing communicated between the characters that necessitates visuals. If the best application of videophone technology you can think of is proving that helicopters exist, there probably isn’t a pressing need for the technology. See also:Vision (Clip 1,…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 7 '07

Jamaican Food in 2000 A.D. (1969)

The December 4, 1969 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) ran a piece by James MacDonald titled, “Food in 2000 A.D.” that examined the food of the future within the context of Jamaican beef imports and communal eating. It is interesting to note that the communal kitchen concept was very much in vogue in the late nineteenth…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 6 '07

The Complete Book of Space Travel (1956)

The classic 1956 book The Complete Book of Space Travel contains some amazing imagery. The book was targeted at young boys and had that unique blend of sincerity, wonder and confidence we so often see in 1950s futurism. As early as 1956 the question was not if we’d explore the moon and other planets in…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 6 '07

Flying Machines (circa 1885)

This image, depicting many different flying machines, is from the Library of Congress, dated circa 1885. The full image appears below along with many different cropped versions showing the detail of the piece. The Library of Congress description of the engraving also appears below. No. 18 shows a collapsible Montgolfier balloon from 1784; no. 23…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 4 '07

WALL-E Promo Postcards

In what seems to be another example of postmodern paleo-futurist design (repurposing past visions and versions of the future) we have promotional postcards for the upcoming Disney/Pixar movie WALL-E. Apparently these were given out at Comic-Con 2007. (via The Disney Blog) You can view the teaser trailer for WALL-E here. See also: Disney Calls Future…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 3 '07

Going Backward into 2000 (1966)

This clip from the 1966 radio documentary 2000 A.D. is of a short interview with Philip Johnson, an architect that designed the John F. Kennedy Memorial in Dallas, Texas. Mr. Johnson sounds quite pessimistic about the future of American cities but ends the interview with an oddly optimistic tone. Below are excerpts from the interview.…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 3 '07

Nazi Paleo-Futurism (1941)

Heliport/Railway Station Martin Kappler has scanned and uploaded a German poster from 1941 which shows Third Reich images of the paleo-future. The poster was in a book called Durch die weite Welt vol. XIX, one in a series of books for boys. Many thanks to Flickrfy for the tip, and of course, Martin Kappler for…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 3 '07

Vision (Clip 1, 1993)

In 1993 Andersen Consulting (now known as Accenture) created a concept video called Vision, which demonstrated the communications possibilities of the future. The clip below shows us a universal language translator, digital personal assistants, a tablet, as well as the pervasive videophone culture we were supposed to see by now. (Thanks to the iSight camera…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 1 '07

Start ’em Young (1991)

I have three questions about this picture: 1. Why did we believe paper faxes were the future? 2. Does that toddler have Wi-Fi? 3. Why does the teddy bear have a phone? This illustration by Tom Chalkley ran in the November-December, 1991 issue of The Futurist magazine. See also: Apple’s Grey Flannel Navigator (1988) Connections:…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 1 '07

Lyndon B. Johnson on 2063 A.D. (1963)

Today we have Lyndon B. Johnson’s predictions for the future of space exploration, as printed in the book 2063 A.D.. Perhaps the outstanding feature of a prediction about the next century in space is that our imagination today is too limited to visualize the vast possibilities. In other words, more will be accomplished in space…

Tech News Matt Novak Aug 1 '07

“Grasshopper” Golf Cart (1961)

The March 5, 1961 Chicago Tribune ran this Closer Than We Think! strip, showcasing the golf cart of the future. Hey, it can’t all be starving children and future shock. To save steps for the par-shooter of the future, a Tokyo firm has designed a remote-control golf cart, based on the same principles that permit…

Tech News Matt Novak Jul 31 '07

Matt Novak

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)

Vision (Clip 2, 1993)

Jamaican Food in 2000 A.D. (1969)

The Complete Book of Space Travel (1956)

Flying Machines (circa 1885)

WALL-E Promo Postcards

Going Backward into 2000 (1966)

Nazi Paleo-Futurism (1941)

Vision (Clip 1, 1993)

Start ’em Young (1991)

Lyndon B. Johnson on 2063 A.D. (1963)

“Grasshopper” Golf Cart (1961)

Bask in the Glorious Detail of Jason Momoa’s Lobo

Cops Want to Turn Your Kid’s School Bus Into a Surveillance Tool

New ‘Vampire: The Masquerade’ Project in the Works from White Wolf

Erin Brockovich Targets AI Industry With New Data Center Map

Alfred Molina Would Totally Play Doc Ock Again

The Global Population Could Crash by 2064, New Model Suggests

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Explains Where Simon Could Go in ‘Wonder Man’ Season 2

‘House of the Dragon’ Season 3 Teases Epic Battle of the Gullet

AI Investment Is ‘Harder to Justify’ as Productivity Returns Lag, Uber COO Says

‘Obsession’ Just Did Something Most Movies Never Do

Alienware Fixed the One Problem With the Area-51, and Now I’m Afraid I Love It

Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro Max Review: Wireless Earbuds With Enough Features to Make Your Head Spin

Anker Solix E10 Review: No Power? No Problem

Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker Review: Sonos Can Start Sweating Now

Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar Review: A Boisterous Stab at Dominating Home Theater

Dell’s XPS 16 (2026) Is Almost Everything I Could Have Asked for… Almost

Smart Glasses With Subscriptions Are As Bad as They Sound

iBuyPower’s Trace X Gaming PC Is the Fishbowl You Want to Swim In

Govee Ceiling Light Ultra Review: AI Art Ain’t It

JBL Live 780NC Review: Solid Wireless Headphones You Can Live Without