Artifacts

Enjoying the show? Support it here.What did it feel like to discover an entire world inside a CD-ROM? A time before Google, Wikipedia, and instant answers, when there was a different way to explore knowledge.CD-ROM encyclopedias like Microsoft Encarta turned the family computer into a doorway to somewhere much bigger. You could look up the Roman Empire, discover dinosaurs, explore a map, watch a video, and somehow end up learning about something you never intended to find.In this episode of Artifacts, Danny Brown explores the likes of Encarta and the sense of wonder they created. Not simply because they contained an enormous amount of information, but because they encouraged us to wander through it.Because finding an answer is one thing.Discovering something is another.Get InvolvedIf you enjoy Artifacts, you can support it with either a one-off tip, or become a monthly Archivist.No commitment - just a simple way to say thanks. Show your support here.If you enjoy the show, I'd love for you to leave a rating or review on your favourite podcast app!And please let your friends know they can listen for free on Apple Podcasts or their preferred podcast app, or online at Artifacts Podcast.The ArchiveThe sister newsletter to the Artifacts podcast, sharing a story that didn't quite fit into an episode, a forgotten corner of the internet I've stumbled across, or a memory that deserves preserving before it quietly fades away.Get the Artifacts NewsletterProducts I Use for ArtifactsNote: these may contain affiliate links, so I get a small percentage of any product you buy when using my link.My equipment:RODE NT1-A large diaphragm condenser micRodecaster Pro II audio production studioSony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor HeadphonesElgato Wave Mic Arm Low ProfileRecommended resources:Captivate.fm podcast hosting, distribution, analytics, and monetizationHindenburg Pro recording and editingAuphonic mastering tool for audio post productionBeehiiv email marketing

Enjoying the show? Support it here.What if the best discoveries were the ones you never planned to make?Before recommendation engines, personalized playlists, and "Because you watched..." suggestions, discovery looked very different.You wandered through record shops, browsed library shelves, explored video rental stores, and followed one link after another across the early internet, never quite knowing where you'd end up.In this episode of Artifacts, Danny Brown reflects on the joy of browsing without a destination, the happy accidents that introduced us to favourite bands, films, books, and websites, and why some of the most meaningful discoveries happened when we weren't searching at all.Because sometimes the objects fade.But the feeling doesn't.Get InvolvedIf you enjoy Artifacts, you can support it with either a one-off tip, or become a monthly Archivist.No commitment - just a simple way to say thanks. Show your support here.If you enjoy the show, I'd love for you to leave a rating or review on your favourite podcast app!And please let your friends know they can listen for free on Apple Podcasts or their preferred podcast app, or online at Artifacts Podcast.The ArchiveThe sister newsletter to the Artifacts podcast, sharing a story that didn't quite fit into an episode, a forgotten corner of the internet I've stumbled across, or a memory that deserves preserving before it quietly fades away.Get the Artifacts NewsletterProducts I Use for ArtifactsNote: these may contain affiliate links, so I get a small percentage of any product you buy when using my link.My equipment:RODE NT1-A large diaphragm condenser micRodecaster Pro II audio production studioSony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor HeadphonesElgato Wave Mic Arm Low ProfileRecommended resources:Captivate.fm podcast hosting, distribution, analytics, and monetizationHindenburg Pro recording and editingAuphonic mastering tool for audio post productionBeehiiv email marketing

Enjoying the show? Support it here.What did technology teach us about waiting? Long before instant streaming, cloud storage, and one-click downloads, there was another familiar sight: the progress bar.Whether you were connecting to the internet over dial-up, downloading your favourite song, installing a new game, or burning the perfect mix CD, technology constantly asked us to wait. And somehow, those quiet moments became part of the experience.In the Season Two premiere of Artifacts, Danny Brown explores how one of the most overlooked symbols of the digital age - the humble progress bar - became an unexpected reminder of anticipation, patience, and why some things felt more meaningful because they took time.Because sometimes the objects fade.But the feeling doesn't.Get InvolvedIf you enjoy Artifacts, you can support it with either a one-off tip, or become a monthly Archivist.No commitment - just a simple way to say thanks. Show your support here.If you enjoy the show, I'd love for you to leave a rating or review on your favourite podcast app!And please let your friends know they can listen for free on Apple Podcasts or their preferred podcast app, or online at Artifacts Podcast.The ArchiveThe sister newsletter to the Artifacts podcast, sharing a story that didn't quite fit into an episode, a forgotten corner of the internet I've stumbled across, or a memory that deserves preserving before it quietly fades away.Get the Artifacts NewsletterProducts I Use for ArtifactsNote: these may contain affiliate links, so I get a small percentage of any product you buy when using my link.My equipment:RODE NT1-A large diaphragm condenser micRodecaster Pro II audio production studioSony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor HeadphonesElgato Wave Mic Arm Low ProfileRecommended resources:Captivate.fm podcast hosting, distribution, analytics, and monetizationHindenburg Pro recording and editingAuphonic mastering tool for audio post productionBeehiiv email marketing

Enjoying the show? Support it here.Season One explored the objects we remember.Season Two explores the experiences they changed.From waiting for a dial-up connection to discovering music, finding your way with a paper map, choosing what was worth keeping, and remembering what it felt like to truly be offline, Artifacts returns with eight new stories about the everyday moments technology quietly transformed.This isn't a season about devices or platforms.It's about curiosity, anticipation, discovery, ownership, memory, and the human experiences that shaped a generation.Join Danny Brown for a new collection of stories from the emotional history of the internet.Because sometimes the objects fade.But the feeling doesn't.Get InvolvedIf you enjoy Artifacts, you can support it with either a one-off tip, or become a monthly Archivist.No commitment - just a simple way to say thanks. Show your support here.If you enjoy the show, I'd love for you to leave a rating or review on your favourite podcast app!And please let your friends know they can listen for free on Apple Podcasts or their preferred podcast app, or online at Artifacts Podcast.The ArchiveThe sister newsletter to the Artifacts podcast, sharing a story that didn't quite fit into an episode, a forgotten corner of the internet I've stumbled across, or a memory that deserves preserving before it quietly fades away.Get the Artifacts NewsletterProducts I Use for ArtifactsNote: these may contain affiliate links, so I get a small percentage of any product you buy when using my link.My equipment:RODE NT1-A large diaphragm condenser micRodecaster Pro II audio production studioSony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor HeadphonesElgato Wave Mic Arm Low ProfileRecommended resources:Captivate.fm podcast hosting, distribution, analytics, and monetizationHindenburg Pro recording and editingAuphonic mastering tool for audio post productionBeehiiv email marketing

Enjoying the show? Support it here.Before status updates, before social media profiles, and before we carried the internet in our pockets, there were away messages.A few lines of text attached to a screen name.And somehow, they mattered.In Episode 4 of Artifacts, Danny Brown explores how AIM away messages became one of the earliest forms of online self-expression. From song lyrics and inside jokes to cryptic messages aimed at one specific person, away messages gave people a small but meaningful way to tell the world who they were.But this isn't really a story about instant messaging.It's a story about identity, connection, and a version of the internet that felt smaller, slower, and more personal.Why do people still remember away messages decades later?And what do they reveal about the way we communicated before algorithms, influencers, and personal brands became part of everyday life?Because sometimes the objects fade.But the feeling doesn’t.Get InvolvedIf you enjoy Artifacts, you can support it with either a one-off tip, or become a monthly Archivist.No commitment - just a simple way to say thanks. Show your support here.If you enjoy the show, I'd love for you to leave a rating or review on your favourite podcast app!And please let your friends know they can listen for free on Apple Podcasts or their preferred podcast app, or online at Artifacts Podcast.Products I Use for ArtifactsNote: these may contain affiliate links, so I get a small percentage of any product you buy when using my link.My equipment:RODE NT1-A large diaphragm condenser micRodecaster Pro II audio production studioSony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor HeadphonesElgato Wave Mic Arm Low ProfileRecommended resources:Captivate.fm podcast hosting, distribution, analytics, and monetizationHindenburg Pro recording and editingAuphonic mastering tool for audio post productionBeehiiv email marketing

Enjoying the show? Support it here.Before streaming playlists, there were burned CDs.Carefully curated collections of songs, handwritten track lists, homemade cover art, and hours spent deciding exactly what came next.In Episode 3 of Artifacts, Danny Brown explores why burned CDs became so much more than a way to listen to music. They were expressions of identity, creativity, friendship, and sometimes even love.From Napster downloads and LimeWire mishaps to the emotional labour of creating the perfect mix, this episode looks at how music discovery used to feel slower, more personal, and more meaningful.Why do people still remember burned CDs so fondly decades later?And what happens when convenience replaces effort?Because sometimes the objects fade.But the feeling doesn’t.Get InvolvedIf you enjoy Artifacts, you can support it with either a one-off tip, or become a monthly Archivist.No commitment - just a simple way to say thanks. Show your support here.If you enjoy the show, I'd love for you to leave a rating or review on your favourite podcast app!And please let your friends know they can listen for free on Apple Podcasts or their preferred podcast app, or online at Artifacts Podcast.Products I Use for ArtifactsNote: these may contain affiliate links, so I get a small percentage of any product you buy when using my link.My equipment:RODE NT1-A large diaphragm condenser micRodecaster Pro II audio production studioSony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor HeadphonesElgato Wave Mic Arm Low ProfileRecommended resources:Captivate.fm podcast hosting, distribution, analytics, and monetizationHindenburg Pro recording and editingAuphonic mastering tool for audio post productionBeehiiv email marketing

Enjoying the show? Support it here.Before social media feeds, algorithms, and endless scrolling, the internet felt different.Smaller.Messier.More personal.In Episode 2 of Artifacts, Danny Brown explores the strange emotional connection people still have to old internet forums - from recognizable usernames and chaotic communities to forum signatures, inside jokes, and the feeling of belonging to tiny digital neighbourhoods.Why did these spaces feel so human?And what did we lose when the internet became optimized for performance, visibility, and engagement instead of connection?From niche communities and message boards to the emotional texture of the early web, this episode explores why people still miss an internet that was slower, weirder, and more personal.Because sometimes the objects fade.But the feeling doesn’t.Get InvolvedIf you enjoy Artifacts, you can support it with either a one-off tip, or become a monthly Archivist.No commitment - just a simple way to say thanks. Show your support here.If you enjoy the show, I'd love for you to leave a rating or review on your favourite podcast app!And please let your friends know they can listen for free on Apple Podcasts or their preferred podcast app, or online at Artifacts Podcast.Products I Use for ArtifactsNote: these may contain affiliate links, so I get a small percentage of any product you buy when using my link.My equipment:RODE NT1-A large diaphragm condenser micRodecaster Pro II audio production studioSony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor HeadphonesElgato Wave Mic Arm Low ProfileRecommended resources:Captivate.fm podcast hosting, distribution, analytics, and monetizationHindenburg Pro recording and editingAuphonic mastering tool for audio post productionBeehiiv email marketing

Enjoying the show? Support it here.The Dreamcast failed. At least, that’s the official version of the story.Released on 9/9/99, Sega’s final console lasted only a few short years before disappearing from store shelves forever. But decades later, people still talk about the Dreamcast with a kind of emotional reverence usually reserved for much bigger success stories.So why does it still matter so much?In the first episode of Artifacts, Danny Brown explores how the Dreamcast became more than just a game console - it became a symbol of optimism, experimentation, creativity, and a version of the future that never fully arrived.From Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi to online gaming over dial-up and the strange emotional power of failed technology, this episode explores why some artifacts stay with us long after they disappear.Because sometimes the objects fade.But the feeling doesn’t.Get InvolvedIf you enjoy Artifacts, you can support it with either a one-off tip, or become a monthly Archivist.No commitment - just a simple way to say thanks. Show your support here.If you enjoy the show, I'd love for you to leave a rating or review on your favourite podcast app!And please let your friends know they can listen for free on Apple Podcasts or their preferred podcast app, or online at Artifacts Podcast.Products I Use for ArtifactsNote: these may contain affiliate links, so I get a small percentage of any product you buy when using my link.My equipment:RODE NT1-A large diaphragm condenser micRodecaster Pro II audio production studioSony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor HeadphonesElgato Wave Mic Arm Low ProfileRecommended resources:Captivate.fm podcast hosting, distribution, analytics, and monetizationHindenburg Pro recording and editingAuphonic mastering tool for audio post productionBeehiiv email marketing

Season One of Artifacts explores the emotional history of the internet generation. Not just the technology itself, but the feelings attached to it.The optimism. The weirdness. The creativity.The sense that the internet once felt smaller.More personal. More human.This season:the Dreamcast becomes a lost futureold forums become digital neighbourhoodsburned CDs become emotional time capsulesand forgotten corners of the internet remind us what online spaces used to feel like before everything became contentThis is Artifacts Season One: Lost Futures.New episodes weekly.Get InvolvedIf you enjoy Artifacts, you can support it with either a one-off tip, or become a monthly Archivist.No commitment - just a simple way to say thanks. Show your support here.If you enjoy the show, I'd love for you to leave a rating or review on your favourite podcast app!And please let your friends know they can listen for free on Apple Podcasts or their preferred podcast app, or online at Artifacts Podcast.Products I Use for ArtifactsNote: these may contain affiliate links, so I get a small percentage of any product you buy when using my link.My equipment:RODE NT1-A large diaphragm condenser micRodecaster Pro II audio production studioSony MDR-7506 Studio Monitor HeadphonesElgato Wave Mic Arm Low ProfileRecommended resources:Captivate.fm podcast hosting, distribution, analytics, and monetizationHindenburg Pro recording and editingAuphonic mastering tool for audio post productionBeehiiv email marketing