The Nostalgic Nerds Podcast

Tomorrow's episode is all about the microwave...where it came from and where it's headed. But, as modern and convenient as the microwave is...sometimes it just leave your food cold in the middle. Have a listen to the...

The first thing ever scanned at a supermarket checkout was a 67-cent pack of Juicy Fruit, in Troy, Ohio, in 1974. Now barcodes get scanned ten billion times a day, the price sticker is long gone, and the price on the...

What would the barcode say to you if it could talk? Would it wax poetic on its journey through the consumer landscape? Would it tell you all about the hands it passed through? No. It wouldn't. It's a barcode. Lyrics...

For centuries, even millennia, the price of storing important information has gone down as technology advances make each generation obsolete. That was mostly true until the last couple of years. Storage prices have...

This week's episode is all about storage. And one of the things Renee and Marc cover is reuse. Have you ever taped over a sentimental moment? Ever lost a wedding video by recording The Price is Right over the top...

Prophecy is a poor trade. The pay is parlous and nobody thanks you. A year on we went back to three predictions: precipitation, power, and proving you're a person. We prognosticated, we were patronised, and then we were...

Every once in a while, Renee and Marc go back and talk about things from previous episodes that have changed over the last year or so. In this episode, they decided to share that conversation with everyone else. Mostly...

The Gas Meter. Wait, what? We're doing an episode about gas meters? That's pretty nerdy even for Renee and Marc isn't it? Yes. It ticks all the Nostalgic Nerds Podcast check-boxes. It's invisible infrastructure It's got...

Tune in Thursday for this week's episode all about Gas Meters. You know we love invisible infrastructure and the gas meter is one of those things that worked for 180 years with very little change...and now natural gas...

What started out as a text from Marc's brother turned into an investigation into the hundred year history of monosodium glutamate and how that turned into a durable insulating film for high-end processors. The umami...

What does MSG have in common with microprocessor coatings? You'll have to listen to our new episode "Chips and Chips" coming this week to find out. Renee and Marc dive into the strange world of food and CPU coatings...

Tomorrow's episode is all about the history of bowling technology. Pins, pinboys, automatic pinsetters, rubbers, resins, polymers! Oh, so much chemistry and mechanical engineering. But this week's lively soul/funk...

For most of history, the top floor was where the poor people lived. Nobody wanted to climb four flights, so the ground floor was the good address and the attic was the punishment. Then a man in Yonkers built a brake...

Have you ever entered a full elevator car just to ride the elevator one single floor? Did you feel the judgement? Did you feel the shame? This week's song is a begging, pleading, song about that unforgivable sin. The...

Happy One Year Anniversary! Marc and Renee want to thank you for a great year of the Nostalgic Nerds Podcast. We've been on a bit of a holiday with the summer months, but people are still listening. This is just a bit...