Matt Novak

Matt Novak

 

Matt Novak is the author of the Paleofuture blog, which can now be found on Gizmodo.

George crawls into a pneumatic tube which will transport him to Mr. Spacely’s office (1963)

George Jetson Navigates a Series of Tubes

Travel by pneumatic tubes? The idea was seriously considered in the 1960s

None

Robot Vanna, Trashy Presidents and Steak as Health Food: Samsung Sells Tomorrow

Advertisers love to use futurism as a way to position their products as forward-thinking

A military robot washes dishes in “The Jetsons” (1963)

Automating Hard or Hardly Automating? George Jetson and the Manual Labor of Tomorrow

And you think you're having a bad work week, just think about the robots

Title slate from the 1978 short film “Libra” by World Research Inc

Libra: The 21st Century (Libertarian) Space Colony

The government can't get their hands on you when you're floating above Earth

Jane Jetson gets a driving lesson in the 18th episode of “The Jetsons” (1963)

Jane Jetson and the Origins of the “Women Are Bad Drivers” Joke

What happens when a comedy staple of mid-century sitcoms reappears as a late-century Saturday morning tradition?

None

Reckless Breeding of the Unfit: Earnest Hooton, Eugenics and the Human Body of the Year 2000

A future America, populated by horse-faced, spindly giants with big feet

None

Viva Las Venus: The Jetsons and Wholesome Hedonism

What happens in the year 2063 stays in the year 2063

Walter Cronkite gives a tour of the home office of 2001 on his show The 21st Century (1967)

3D-TV, Automated Cooking and Robot Housemaids: Walter Cronkite Tours the Home of 2001

In 1967, the most trusted man in America investigated the home of the 21st century

A miniaturized George Jetson talks to his boss Mr. Spacely on a videophone (1963)

Future Calling: Videophones in the World of The Jetsons

If there's one thing the Jetsons came closest to nailing, its the prevalence of being able to talk with your boss or family via video

None

Ordering Pizza Online in the Retrofuture

In the 1980s and 90s, there we some really cheesy depictions of ordering food online

Roy Wilkins (left) with Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House on November 29, 1963

NAACP Leader Roy Wilkins Predicts: “We’ll Elect A Negro President”

In 1970, the civil rights activist shared his prescient optimism about the future of race relations in the United States

“Nostalgia Man” by Amy Crehore 1996, oil painting (9 1/2″ x 10 1/2″)

Garrison Keillor’s 1996 Predictions for the Future of Media

A woebegone tribute to the ending of an era

None

The Jetsons and the Future of the Middle Class

Living paycheck to paycheck in the techno-utopian future

None

The Gadgets of the Future From the Electrical Shows of Yesterday

Decades before the debut of the Consumer Electronics Show, early adopters flocked to extravagant high-tech fairs in New York and Chicago

The doctor shows George his “Peek-A-Boo Prober Capsule” (1962)

George Jetson Gets A Check-Up

Medical diagnostics in the paleofuture

None

Santa Claus Builds A Flying Machine

As the 1800s gave way to the 1900s, many Americans felt that old Saint Nick needed a new way of getting from house to house

None

The Decline and Fall of the Space Action Hero

Elroy gets to meet the star of his favorite show—but, in the real world, spacemen were disappearing from American televisions

The Smithsonian homepage in 1995

Fun Places on the Internet (in 1995)

What were you doing on the web back in the age of Netscape and Gopher?

None

Sit Back and Plug In: Entertainment in the Year 2000

Was our future to be delightful or depraved? Sort of depends on your perspective

None

The Best Gifts to Give (or Receive) About Paleofuturism

Books and DVDs make up our expert's gift guide of more ideas for this holiday season

Page 2 of 8