-
Tech NewsU.S. Troops Asked About Using ‘Heat Ray’ Weapon Against Protesters, According to Whistleblower
Federal troops in Washington, D.C. considered using high-tech weapons, including sound cannons and so-called “heat rays,” against protesters outside the White House in June, according to sworn testimony from a whistleblower with the D.C. National Guard. The new evidence was obtained by both NPR and the Washington Post late Wednesday, and it’s just one more … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsTransportation‘Disturbing Revelations’ About Boeing 737 Max Crashes Made Public in New Report
Two plane crashes in 2018 and 2019 involving the new Boeing 737 Max aircraft weren’t a result of one single issue, but instead were caused by the failures of Boeing staff, Boeing management, and the Federal Aviation Administration, according to a new 245-page report released Wednesday by the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. In … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsU.S. Concentration Camp Sent Undocumented Women to Be Sterilized, According to Whistleblower
Why have the terms “Nazi Germany” and “Mengele” become trending topics on Twitter? The words dominated the social media platform on Monday after it was revealed that a whistleblower has alleged “high numbers” of immigrant women at a U.S. concentration camp in Georgia were sent to be given unnecessary hysterectomies. Many of the women reportedly … Continued
By Matt Novak -
ScienceHealthAnti-Maskers Forced to Dig Graves for Covid-19 Victims in Indonesia
At least eight people who have refused to wear masks during the coronavirus pandemic have been forced to dig graves for people who died from covid-19 in the province of East Java, Indonesia, according to a report from the Jakarta Post. “There are only three available gravediggers at the moment, so I thought I might … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsPentagon Official Warns About Chinese Drones Without Explaining Specific Security Risks (Again)
Ellen Lord, the top official at the Pentagon in charge of acquiring new technology, appeared on a virtual panel Thursday to discuss the threat posed to the U.S. by small drones made by Chinese companies like DJI. And while it might seem self-evident to many people within the national security establishment that a geopolitical adversary … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsCensoring Jon Hamm’s Penis Doesn’t Violate Copyright Law, Federal Judge Rules
What does Jon Hamm’s penis have to do with internet freedom and the future of memes? Quite a lot, believe it or not, following a new court ruling in New York. A federal judge in the Southern District of New York ruled on Thursday that digital news outlet HuffPost didn’t violate copyright law when it … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsDrone Video of Bay Area’s Orange Haze Fits Too Perfectly With Blade Runner 2049 Soundtrack
A YouTuber has combined drone footage of San Francisco’s apocalyptically orange real-life landscape from Wednesday with music created for the 2017 movie Blade Runner 2049. And it all fits together almost too perfectly. The entire west coast of the U.S. is experiencing devastating wildfires this week, with people in California’s Bay Area waking up on … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsSocial MediaWould Axios Co-Founder Mike Allen’s Dad Have Been Banned From Facebook?
Axios co-founder Mike Allen recently sat down over videochat with Mark Zuckerberg for an interview that aired last night on HBO. And while everyone in the tech world is spending the morning discussing Zuck’s most disingenuous quotes, we here at Gizmodo couldn’t help but zone out during the softball chat while wondering about something a … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsPoliticsTrump Campaign Starts Using Proper Grammar For ‘Democrat Party’ in Facebook Ads
President Donald Trump is constantly whining about the “Democrat Party,” “Democrat cities,” and “Democrat programs,” all grammatically incorrect phrases that use a noun as an adjective. But Trump’s online ad creators started using proper grammar on Tuesday, referring to the Democratic Party rather than the “Democrat Party.” And despite being correct, it somehow feels wrong … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsThat Viral Video of a Trump Boat Sinking Is Old (No, Not That One, the Other One)
President Donald Trump, America’s most prominent white supremacist, has celebrated the so-called “Trump boat parades” that have popped up across the country, a frightening symbol of 21st century fascism and the people who are normalizing it. But just like everything else tinged with politics in 2020, there’s a lot of fake information floating around on … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsComedian Sued For Creating Fake ‘Antifa’ Events on Facebook
The mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana has filed a lawsuit against a 28-year-old comedian who created three fake events on Facebook that claimed “antifa” was coming to the town. Police responded to one of the fake events in late August with at least 30 squad cars and heavily armed officers, shutting down a shopping mall and … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsPresident Trump Tells Supporters to Commit Felony by Voting Twice
President Donald Trump, a white supremacist who frequently spreads pro-fascist disinformation, told his supporters on Wednesday to vote twice—once with an absentee mail-in ballot and again at a polling station. Trump implied that attempting to vote twice was just a way to test how secure the mail-in voting system will be during the upcoming presidential … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsPoliticsExclusive Interview: The Saucy Nugs Guy Is Taking on Trump and Biden
Ander Christensen went viral on Wednesday after his speech about the absurdity of boneless chicken wings gained traction on multiple social media platforms. Christensen believes the phrase “boneless chicken wings” doesn’t make any sense and asked his local city council in Lincoln, Nebraska to officially rename the dish to something more appropriate like “wet tenders” … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsPoliticsHero Addresses Most Important Problem Facing the World Today
There are a lot of problems in the country right now, from police shootings of unarmed civilians to a pandemic that has killed over 184,000 Americans. But one man in Lincoln, Nebraska, recently addressed a city council meeting to draw attention to the most important problem facing the world today: boneless chicken wings. Ander Christensen, a … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsPrivacy & SecurityWoman Arrested For Facebook Post Promoting Anti-Lockdown Protest in Australia
Police in Australia arrested a 28-year-old woman on Wednesday for publishing a Facebook post that promotes an anti-lockdown protest in the country’s state of Victoria. Footage of the arrest was captured by her partner and shows police officers handcuffing the woman and saying that she’s being charged with “incitement.” The woman’s phone and computers were … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsSocial MediaFacebook Threatens to Ban Australian Users From Posting Any News Content
Facebook has threatened to ban all news content for users in Australia if a law proposed by the Australian government moves forward, according to a press release published by the social media company late Monday. Facebook’s ban on news would apply to both news organizations and individual users in Australia and is intended to be … Continued
By Matt Novak -
ScienceHealthMan Who Famously Died From Covid Says Covid Isn’t Very Deadly
Former presidential hopeful Herman Cain died of covid-19 on July 30, but that hasn’t stopped the man from tweeting. In fact, Cain (or whoever is running his account, if you don’t believe in ghosts) has been tweeting about a subject near and dear to his lifeless heart: How the coronavirus pandemic is overblown and not … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsSocial MediaAmerica’s Nice Guy Finally Says ‘Fuck You’ to Trump Supporters on Twitter
Jim Gaffigan, arguably America’s most wholesome comedian, has finally had enough of Donald Trump’s shit. And he’s here to tell you that Trump and his minions are destroying America. Gaffigan sent out a number of angry tweets last night during Trump’s RNC speech at the White House, pointing out the president’s lies and the devastation … Continued
By Matt Novak
Matt Novak
Matt Novak is a reporter at Gizmodo covering news and opinion, with a little history thrown in for good measure. Novak started at Gizmodo in 2013 and has been writing about past visions of the future at Paleofuture.com since 2007. Novak is fascinated with the history of technology and got his start writing professionally for Smithsonian magazine. Emails telling him to "stick to tech" can be sent to [email protected].
Matt Novak's posts
