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Artifacts: Stories from the Emotional History of the Internet: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Danny Brown
Artifacts is a storytelling podcast about the moments technology quietly changed what it meant to be human. Each episode begins with a familiar artifact - a burned CD, a dial-up modem, a movie rental store, a family computer, a paper map - and unfolds into a story about memory, identity, creativity, belonging, curiosity, and the experiences we still carry with us today. This isn't a show about old technology. It's about the people who grew up alongside it. Hosted by award-winning podcaster Danny Brown, Artifacts blends personal storytelling, cultural history, and thoughtful reflection to explore why some of the most ordinary objects became the milestones of our lives. Because sometimes the objects fade, but the feeling doesn't.
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- 2 days ago9 min
The Memory Cards We Couldn't Bear to Lose
Enjoying the show? Support it here.There was a time when saving a game meant writing down a password, carefully copying a code from the screen, or trusting a little piece of plastic not to lose your progress.In this episode of Artifacts, I look at how memory cards changed the way we played and what happened when our game saves became something we could carry with us, from the early days of dedicated memory cards to the wonderfully weird Dreamcast VMU. And why, years later, those tiny cards can still take us straight back to the people and places we were when we used them.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
- 1 weeks ago8 min
Gopher: The Internet We Almost Had
Enjoying the show? Support it here.Before the Web became the Internet as we know it, there were other ways of finding your way around. Gopher was one of them - a menu-driven system that made it easier to explore information across the early Internet.For a while, Gopher was a genuine competitor to the World Wide Web. Then the Web became free, Mosaic arrived, and the Internet took a very different path.In this episode of Artifacts, I look at Gopher, what it was like to explore the early Internet through menus and directories, and what its disappearance tells us about the futures technology leaves behind.Mentioned in this episode:Networking & The Web | Timeline of Computer History | Computer History MuseumRFC 1436 - The Internet Gopher Protocol (a distributed document search and retrieval protocol)Internet Gopher — NSFNETThe Cutting Edge: Computing / Technology / Innovation : POSTCARDS FROM CYBERSPACE : Exploring the Depths of the Internet - Los Angeles TimesGet 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
- 2 weeks ago9 min
The Shareware Games That Asked Us to Trust Them
Enjoying the show? Support it here.Before app stores, digital storefronts and endless in-game purchases, there was shareware. You could get a game for free, play it, and decide whether it was worth sending money to the person who made it.In this episode of Artifacts, I look back at shareware games, registration cards, and the surprisingly personal relationship between creators and players, and how that compares with today's world of DLC, premium editions, and paying to unlock more of what you've already bought.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
- 3 weeks ago7 min
The Home Videos We Never Meant to Keep
Enjoying the show? Support it here.There was a time when recording video felt like an event. Then cameras got smaller, digital storage made recording easier, and suddenly we were capturing the ordinary moments too - family dinners, holidays, kids playing, conversations and afternoons that didn't seem important at the time.In this episode of Artifacts, Danny Brown looks at how home video changed what we chose to remember, and why those imperfect recordings can become some of the most meaningful artifacts we have.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 production
- Aug 21, 20265 min
Why Owning Software Used to Feel Different
Enjoying the show? Support it here.Do you remember when software came in boxes?Before downloads, cloud accounts, and subscriptions, buying software meant bringing something home.A box. A disc. A manual. Maybe a registration card. And somewhere inside was that tiny product key you absolutely couldn't afford to lose.You installed the software, put the box on a shelf, and knew that you owned it.In this episode of Artifacts, Danny Brown explores the old world of boxed software and the sense of permanence that came with it. From enormous cardboard packages and installation discs to product keys tucked safely away, these weren't just things we used. They were physical evidence of something we'd bought and made part of our lives.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 production
- Aug 14, 20265 min
The Magic of Encarta (When Knowledge Fit on a Disc)
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, Spotify, YouTube, 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 production
- Aug 7, 20265 min
The Progress Bar (When Technology Asked us to Wait)
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, Spotify, YouTube, 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 production
- Aug 7, 20264 min
The Joy of Discovery Before Algorithms
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, Spotify, YouTube, 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 production
About Artifacts: Stories from the Emotional History of the Internet
Artifacts is a storytelling podcast about the moments technology quietly changed what it meant to be human. Each episode begins with a familiar artifact - a burned CD, a dial-up modem, a movie rental store, a family computer, a paper map - and unfolds into a story about memory, identity, creativity, belonging, curiosity, and the experiences we still carry with us today. This isn't a show about old technology. It's about the people who grew up alongside it. Hosted by award-winning podcaster Danny Brown, Artifacts blends personal storytelling, cultural history, and thoughtful reflection to explore why some of the most ordinary objects became the milestones of our lives. Because sometimes the objects fade, but the feeling doesn't.
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