Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

Closer Than We Think! Lunar Mailbag (1960)

This Closer Than We Think! strip ran in the December 25, 1960 Chicago Tribune. Chistmas cards of the future may be transmitted electronically. The post office is studying the use of space technology for quick movement of endless quantities of mail between widely separated points. To do this, microwave stations would be set up. Envelopes…

Tech News Matt Novak

Moving Sidewalk (1900)

Below is film of the moving sidewalk featured at the Paris Exposition of 1900. The film is credited to Thomas Edison. The New York Observer ran a series of eight letters from October 11 until December 27, 1900 by a man named Augustus. He was reporting on the Paris Exposition and part two (October 18)…

Tech News Matt Novak

Your Own Wireless Telephone (1910)

Are the switchboard girls listening in on your calls? Get the Wireless Telephone! This story ran in the February 20, 1910 Washington Post (Washington, D.C.). The story has a number of typos and grammatical errors so I took some liberties with the transcript, but you can read it unedited above. The part about calling your…

Tech News Matt Novak

Space Station X-1 (circa 1955)

The image above is from an insert in the Walt Disney Treasures – Tomorrowland: Disney in Space and Beyond DVD set. The image was used in Disneyland as the poster for the Space Station X-1 attraction. Space Station X-1 invited Disneyland guests to circle the earth from fifty miles up for a satellite view of…

Tech News Matt Novak

Robots Will Be Kings (1949)

The March 3, 1949 Austin Statesman (Austin, Texas) ran the picture above, declaring that the people of Nice, France believe robots will be kings in the year 2000. SALUTE TO THE FUTURE – The people of Nice, France, are preparing for their annual carnival, one of the top features of the season on the French…

Tech News Matt Novak

Blondes to be Extinct (1907)

A number of major news outlets got burned in 2002 on a fake story about blondes going extinct. The idea that blondes will soon be non-existent is not a new one, as you can see by reading the story below. “Blondes to be Extinct” ran in the March 7, 1907 New Oxford Item (New Oxford,…

Tech News Matt Novak

Apple’s Grey Flannel Navigator (1988)

Of all the paleo-futuristic concept videos we’ve looked at in the past four months, the future depicted in Grey Flannel Navigator may have been the most accurate. Granted, it’s the safest but computer networking and ordering pizza through your computer was pretty visionary for 1988. The assumption that we need an image of a person…

Tech News Matt Novak

Henry Ford’s Machine Men (1924)

The evening edition of the December 5, 1924 State Journal (Lincoln, Nebraska) ran a short article about Henry Ford’s automated vision for the future. It was titled “Machine Men,” and the author laments the hustle and bustle the automobile has produced. The author calls “pish-posh” on Mr. Henry Ford and his projections of life with…

Tech News Matt Novak

Time Travel (1982)

The 1982 book Fact or Fantasy? (World of Tomorrow) by Neil Ardley features this picture of “time tourists” choosing their destination. Time tourists choose an era of the past to explore. They then enter the time machine on the left and watch history unfold before them. But they can only view the past and not…

Tech News Matt Novak

Apple’s Grey Flannel Navigator (Part 3, 1988)

Part 3 of Apple’s 1988 paleo-future concept video Grey Flannel Navigator gives us much needed closure about that business plan. See also:Apple’s Grey Flannel Navigator (Part 1, 1988)Apple’s Grey Flannel Navigator (Part 2, 1988)Apple’s Knowledge Navigator (1987)Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future (1993)

Tech News Matt Novak

“I Can Whip Any Mechanical Robot” by Jack Dempsey (1930s)

The 1979 book Wasn’t the Future Wonderful? features the above two-page spread of Jack Dempsey challenging a robot. Unfortunately, the book doesn’t specify the publication or date except that it’s from the 1930s and probably from Modern Mechanix. Below is an excerpt from the piece. I can whip any mechanical robot that ever has or…

Tech News Matt Novak

Closer Than We Think! Monoline Express (1961)

Arthur Radebaugh’s Closer Than We Think! strip for the May 21, 1961 Chicago Tribune envisioned a Monoline Express of the future. Below is the text of the strip. Two ideas now being developed in Detroit – an automatic highway and a high-speed monorail bus system – are combined in the concept of the Monoline Express,…

Tech News Matt Novak

Apple’s Grey Flannel Navigator (Part 2, 1988)

Today we have part 2 of Apple’s 1988 paleo-futuristic concept video, Grey Flannel Navigator. Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion. See also:Apple’s Grey Flannel Navigator (Part 1, 1988)Apple’s Knowledge Navigator (1987)Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future (1993)

Tech News Matt Novak

Year 2000 Time Capsule (1958)

The June 10, 1958 edition of the Chicago Daily Tribune ran an article about predictions for Chicagoland and the world. The predictions were sealed in a time capsule and supposed to be opened in the year 2000. Below is an excerpt from the article as well as a copy of the piece in its entirety.…

Tech News Matt Novak

The Jetsons Intro (Family Guy style)

Family Guy produced a spot-on parody of the Jetsons that you can view here. See also: The Jetsons “A Date with Jet Screamer” (1962) Jetsons

Tech News Matt Novak

Postmodern Paleo-Future Art

The Flickr group Wasn’t the Future Wonderful? has some great examples of postmodern paleo-future art. These pieces co-opt and remix past visions of the future, giving an interesting context to current visions of the future. Kozmonaut by ART NAHPRO eye lines by Nesster Moonweb by Matt West Au Revoir Planet Earth by Mattijn Soon Mariska,…

Tech News Matt Novak

Apple’s Grey Flannel Navigator (Part 1, 1988)

The video above is part 1 of Apple’s futuristic concept video Grey Flannel Navigator. It was produced in 1988 and has a tone similar to other videos we’ve looked at by Apple and AT&T. There are three parts to this rarely seen video, so stay tuned. Many thanks to Keith C. for this great paleo-future…

Tech News Matt Novak

The Answer Machine (1964)

Violet Gaze sent in these great images from the 1964/1971 book Childcraft Vol. 6 How Things Change. The paleo-future view of education was exceptionally accurate compared to a lot of other predictions. The homework machine envisioned in 1981 was big, but not altogether wrong. My favorite element of this two-page spread is the fact that…

Tech News Matt Novak

Flying Bicycle (1919)

We read the predictions of futurist Mr. Bois in a September 26, 1909 New York Times article about the flying bicycles of the future. Just ten years later the September 23, 1919 Janesville Daily Gazette (Janesville, Wisconsin) ran this picture of a “flying bicycle.” If only it worked. See also: A Hundred Years From Now.…

Tech News Matt Novak

Welcome to Moonbase (1987)

The 1987 book Welcome to Moonbase describes the “history” of colonizing the moon. The manual explains “lunar manufacturing,” “job guidelines,” and “lunar tourism,” among other things. Stay tuned as we explore this fascinating book from the paleo-future. See also: Space Colony Pirates (1981) Sport in Space Colonies (1977) Space Colonies by Don Davis More Space…

Tech News Matt Novak

Matt Novak

Closer Than We Think! Lunar Mailbag (1960)

Moving Sidewalk (1900)

Your Own Wireless Telephone (1910)

Space Station X-1 (circa 1955)

Robots Will Be Kings (1949)

Blondes to be Extinct (1907)

Apple’s Grey Flannel Navigator (1988)

Henry Ford’s Machine Men (1924)

Time Travel (1982)

Apple’s Grey Flannel Navigator (Part 3, 1988)

“I Can Whip Any Mechanical Robot” by Jack Dempsey (1930s)

Closer Than We Think! Monoline Express (1961)

Apple’s Grey Flannel Navigator (Part 2, 1988)

Year 2000 Time Capsule (1958)

The Jetsons Intro (Family Guy style)

Postmodern Paleo-Future Art

Apple’s Grey Flannel Navigator (Part 1, 1988)

The Answer Machine (1964)

Flying Bicycle (1919)

Welcome to Moonbase (1987)

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