Matt Novak, Author at Gizmodo

The Kids’ Whole Future Catalog (1982)

The 1982 book The Kids’ Whole Future Catalog features a broad range of paleo-futuristic hopes and dreams. From floating cities to rocketbelts this book runs the gamut of 1980s futurism. Unfortunately, it also contains some scam artists such as Uri Geller. For the most part it’s a great read and we’ll definitely be checking out…

Tech News Matt Novak

Superfarm of the Year 2020 (1979)

The 1979 book Robots (World of the Future) includes the “Superfarm” of the year 2020. Many of the advances that they write about appear to have become a reality. That being said, I’ve never seen a farm that looked like that. Plastic domes are in contention with the videophone and flying cars for supreme perpetual…

Tech News Matt Novak

Sealab 1994 (1973)

The 1973 book 1994: the World of Tomorrow has yet another example of future colonization of the world’s oceans. In this permanent undersea base of the future, scientists working at an oceanographic laboratory and operations center seek ways to exploit the vast food and mineral resources of the earth’s ocean basins. Such a center would…

Tech News Matt Novak

Animals of 2076 (1977)

The quote below from Phoebe Burdg of San Martin, California was featured in the Tricentennial Report, published in 1977. Phoebe describes animals of 2076 that will of course be mechanical. The only live animals are these necessary to provide meat. Any others are expertly mechanized duplicates of the real thing, as depicted in the many…

Tech News Matt Novak

Computer Rights Pact of 2007 (1982)

The Omni Future Almanac is 293 pages of paleo-future glory. In the “Projected Computer Milestones” section of the book I naturally turned to 2007, curious just how far behind we are. It then occurred to me that if we interpret the DMCA in a certain way, we are sadly right on schedule. Demand for a…

Tech News Matt Novak

Startling Changes in Housing in Year 2000 (Chicago Tribune, 1961)

The Chicago Tribune ran an article in their July 22, 1961 issue titled, “An Expert Foresees Startling Changes in Housing in Year 2000.” The article outlined the revolutionary changes that we would see by the year 2000. What will our homes be like in the year 2000? This question was the basis for some long…

Tech News Matt Novak

Future Shock (1972)

According to a review in The History Teacher, the movie Future Shock, hosted by Orson Welles, was shown on American TV in early 1974. While the reviewer calls it, “one of the most provocative short films of the past decade,” I dare call it the single weirdest film to ever claim the genre of documentary.…

Tech News Matt Novak

Space Colony Pirates (1981)

This scene of a picnic gone horribly wrong can be found in the book Future War and Weapons (World of Tomorrow) by Neil Ardley. The author talks about “the ultimate weapon,” the death ray of science fiction which has become a reality. I suspect that this image had an effect on the children of 1981…

Tech News Matt Novak

Postcards Show the Year 2000 (circa 1900)

A Quick Stroll on the Water Paleo-Future reader Tom T. sent me an amazing collection of postcards from the dawn of the twentieth century that depict what life would be like in the year 2000. According to Tom the postcards were originally featured here but have since been removed. The site claimed that the postcards…

Tech News Matt Novak

Civilized Adultery (1970)

Futurism books and documentaries of the 1970s were adament that attitudes towards sex and sexuality would change drastically by the year 2000. What I call civilized adultery will exist a great deal more in the 21st century. People will agree with each other, husbands and wives, to have adulterous affairs from time to time quite…

Tech News Matt Novak

Tomorrowland, Disneyland Opening Day (1955)

Yes, this is Tomorrowland. And it’s not a stylized dream of the future but a scientifically planned projection of future techniques by leading space experts in science. This clip from Tomorrowland during the 1955 live broadcast of Disneyland’s opening day shows the same brand of optimism we often see in 1950’s predictions of the future.…

Tech News Matt Novak

Factories in Space (1982)

The 1982 book The Kids’ Whole Future Catalog made the rather ambitious prediction of entire industries sprouting up in space by the year 2000. In the future, products from space will be in great demand. Economists are predicting a 20 billion dollar market for space-made goods by the year 2000. See also: Challenge of Outer…

Tech News Matt Novak

Animal Food Abandoned (The Anaconda Standard, 1914)

The Anaconda Standard in Anaconda, Montana ran a piece on January 11, 1914 titled, “How Things Will Be in the Twenty-First Century.” The story states the fairly common belief that the world would move away from meat consumption. Cooking, perhaps, will not be done at all on any large scale at home…..and cooking will be…

Tech News Matt Novak

Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future (1993)

After spending the past two weeks looking at the 1993 video, Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future, I think we’ve learned a lot about the paleo-future. Most interestingly, we’ve learned that the communications networks of tomorrow will be highly rational, controlled systems brought to you by AT&T. Below are all nine parts of the 14-minute…

Tech News Matt Novak

Man’s Future Beneath the Sea (1968)

This image from the 1968 book Explorers of the Deep: Man’s Future Beneath the Sea depicts the inevitable colonization of the ocean floor. Man has only two vast, natural frontiers left to him: outer space and the oceans, both of which are still virtually unexplored and unexpoited. In the years to come, technological breakthroughs will…

Tech News Matt Novak

Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future (Part 9, 1993)

And now, the thrilling conclusion to our paleo-futuristic tale of love, loss and mountain climbing bears. See also:Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future (Part 1, 1993)Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future (Part 2, 1993)Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future (Part 3, 1993)Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future (Part 4, 1993)Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future…

Tech News Matt Novak

The Robot Rebellion (1982)

In all the futurism books written for children, this may be the most hilariously disturbing two-page spread I’ve seen. This image, from the book Fact or Fantasy (World of Tomorrow) depicts robots that have determined humans are no longer necessary and now must be hunted down. I can just see some little Billy or Susie…

Tech News Matt Novak

Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future (Part 8, 1993)

Part 8 of our 9 part series looking at the 1993 video Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future begins with some rather mundane character development and moves into the final resolution of the dispute over a new housing project. "Mountain Climbing Bear" also makes a cameo. It’s noteworthy that we don’t get to see the…

Tech News Matt Novak

Tricentennial Report Ad (Oakland Tribune, 1976)

This ad requesting submissions for the Tricentennial Report begins with, “We have always been a nation more interested in the promise of the future than in the events of the past.” Curiously, the second sentence then plays Debbie Downer with, “Somehow, the events of the past few years have made us doubt ourselves and our…

Tech News Matt Novak

Predicts Conventions in Space by Year 2000 (Chicago Tribune, 1965)

The June 15, 1965 edition of the Chicago Tribune contained a great prediction from a Chicago real estate broker about the year 2000: By the year 2000, business conventions will be held at interplanetary “cosmotels,” to which most delegates will travel in their own family “volkscapsules” or “satellacs,” Walter P. Kuehnle, a Chicago real estate…

Tech News Matt Novak

Matt Novak

The Kids’ Whole Future Catalog (1982)

Superfarm of the Year 2020 (1979)

Sealab 1994 (1973)

Animals of 2076 (1977)

Computer Rights Pact of 2007 (1982)

Startling Changes in Housing in Year 2000 (Chicago Tribune, 1961)

Future Shock (1972)

Space Colony Pirates (1981)

Postcards Show the Year 2000 (circa 1900)

Civilized Adultery (1970)

Tomorrowland, Disneyland Opening Day (1955)

Factories in Space (1982)

Animal Food Abandoned (The Anaconda Standard, 1914)

Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future (1993)

Man’s Future Beneath the Sea (1968)

Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future (Part 9, 1993)

The Robot Rebellion (1982)

Connections: AT&T’s Vision of the Future (Part 8, 1993)

Tricentennial Report Ad (Oakland Tribune, 1976)

Predicts Conventions in Space by Year 2000 (Chicago Tribune, 1965)

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