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 shelf may soon depend on who's buying. 

Renee and Marc cover freight-car grime, grease pencils, the mark of the beast, and the smart cart that still wants you to hold everything up to the light.

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Join Renee and Marc as they discuss the history of technology, and what it teaches us about now.

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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 below.

[Verse 1]
I'm on the milk and the morning bread
I'm on the pills beside your bed
You carry me through every door
You never looked at me before

[Pre-Chorus]
There's so much in me
Waitin' to come free
Just shine on me

[Chorus]
When the light hits me (when the light)
Gonna tell you all I know
Every mile and every hand
Everywhere I've had to go
When the light hits me

[Verse 2]
I rode a truck from Tennessee
I waited weeks in Aisle Three
I've seen the loading dock at dawn
I know the hands that passed me on

[Pre-Chorus]
There's so much in me
Waitin' to come free
Just shine on me

[Chorus]
When the light hits me (when the light)
Gonna tell you all I know
Every mile and every hand
Everywhere I've had to go
When the light hits me

[Bridge]
Here it comes
I see it red
Everything
I never said
Closer now
It's findin' me
Oh, this is it
Now you'll see

[Final Chorus]
When the light hits me (when the light)
Gonna tell you all I know
Every mile and every hand
Everywhere I've had to go
When the light hits me
When the light hits me

[outro]
Oh (oh)
Seven, two, four (seven, two, four)
One, oh, six (one, oh, six)
Eight, three, nine (eight, three, nine)
One... five

[Outro - spoken]
Huh.
...I thought there'd be more.

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Join Renee and Marc as they discuss the history of technology, and what it teaches us about now.

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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 increased drastically and it's the first time this has happened in the mechanical storage era. This generation of storage is more expensive today than it was last year. 

Renee and Marc, always students of history, decided to take a look into the history of storage. From clay, to papyrus, to parchment, to sticks, and beyond into the modern era. 

Grab a frosty beverage and relax as we briefly tour the history of storing information. And losing some of it too. 

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Join Renee and Marc as they discuss the history of technology, and what it teaches us about now.

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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? That's what this week's song is all about.

Tune in tomorrow for our chat on storage, but enjoy that awkward moment when you realise you lost a precious memory forever. Lyrics below.

[Verse 1]
Had to find a tape tonight
Didn't have a second spare
Grabbed the one that caught my sight
Never saw your writin' there

[Pre-Chorus]
Pushed it in
Pressed record
Walked away
Never thought no more

[Chorus]
Taped over (taped over)
Lord, I taped over
Every word we said that day
Every promise gone away
Taped over (taped over)
And I can't get it back

[Verse 2]
Came our wedding day again
Poured us both a glass of wine
Put it on at half past ten
Lady screamin', "That one's mine!"

[Pre-Chorus]
Bells all ring
Wheel goes round
Crowd goes wild
Come on, come on down

[Chorus]
Taped over (taped over)
Lord, I taped over
Every word we said that day
Every promise gone away
Taped over (taped over)
And I can't get it back

[Bridge]
Your daddy's toast
Your sister's song
The first slow dance
We got all wrong
Your grandma's tears
The second row
Now nothin' left
To ever show

[Final Chorus]
Taped over (taped over)
Lord, I taped over
Every word we said that day
Every promise gone away
Taped over (taped over)
And there ain't no gettin' it back

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Join Renee and Marc as they discuss the history of technology, and what it teaches us about now.

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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 proved right, which is more than we expected. Join us for prophecies, politely revisited, and a parlous state of affairs.

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Join Renee and Marc as they discuss the history of technology, and what it teaches us about now.

email us at [email protected]

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Merch is available on the site too. It helps cover the cost of the podcast.

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 because things that they predicted in previous episodes came true. What prognostications did they make? 

Tune in to hear all about it. But, as usual, they pulled together a song that represented the episode. And it seems that everything they talked about this week just..got...worse. So, come have a listen.

Lyrics below:

[Verse 1]
Hey, I got to tell you
Went away a little while
Comin' on home, feet back on the ground
Hopin' to see how the world went round
But every time I'm lookin'
It's the same all the time

[Chorus]
It got worse (worse)
Oh, it got worse (worse)
Why, oh why are they tellin' me it's all fine
When all I see
It got worse

[Verse 2]
Went out to the river
Where it used to run so high
Fella says it's for everyone's sake
Says the more they take the more we make
And the whole town is grinnin'
So I just nod and smile

[Chorus]
It got worse (worse)
Oh, it got worse (worse)
Why, oh why are they tellin' me it's all fine
When all I see
It got worse

[Verse 3]
Went and looked at the sky
Like I done here all my life
They sent the balloons up twice a day
Nobody's sendin' 'em up today
So I ask what happens now
And nobody replies

[Chorus]
It got worse (worse)
Oh, it got worse (worse)
Why, oh why are they tellin' me it's all fine
When all I see
It got worse

[Verse 4]
Went to buy me a ride
Like I done a thousand times
Thing already knows me and it shows
Still it makes me tell it what it knows
Give a piece of my brain
Just to prove I'm alive

[Chorus]
It got worse (worse)
Oh, it got worse (worse)
Why, oh why are they tellin' me it's all fine
When all I see
It got worse

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Join Renee and Marc as they discuss the history of technology, and what it teaches us about now.

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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 a neat history
• Cool, science-y stuff
• Replacing with new "smart" tech

What do you know about the gas meter in your basement, or on a wall on the side of your house? Come have a listen and learn a bit about this invisible piece of tech that did its job for 180 years before anyone thought to replace it.

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Join Renee and Marc as they discuss the history of technology, and what it teaches us about now.

email us at [email protected]

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Merch is available on the site too. It helps cover the cost of the podcast.

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 is fading out very slowly in residential use and the meter infrastructure is changing too. Ok, maybe gas meters don't sound fun...but Renee and Marc always bring the laughs and this week is no different. Lots of great knowledge this week.

So, this week's bonus song, "Never Broken," is all about the meter that did its job, but now the job isn't there anymore. It's being replaced with infrastructure that is part of the connected world. Lyrics down below:

[Verse 1]
Started countin’ back in fifty-two
Bolted to the wall
No one ever came to look
Nobody at all

[Verse 2]
No wire. No battery
All I got is that gas line
Seventy years of countin'
I got it right every time

[Chorus]
I did my job (did my job)
I did it right. I never lied.
Never broke.
Not a single night
But that job's moved on
Breathin' and countin'
Just ain't good enough no more

[Bridge]
There's a new job now
Peak load
Count down
Software
Real time
Smart grid
Rate plan
Watchin' all the time

[Verse 3]
Van come Tuesday mornin'
Two men and a key
Read my dials one last time
Then that was it for me

[Bridge 2]
Time of use
Load profile
Intervals
Remote read
Disconnect
Override
Now they got a word for me
Legacy
End of life
Scrap value
Nobody's comin' back for me

[Final Chorus]
I did my job (did my job)
I did it right. I never lied.
Never broke.
Not a single night
But that job's moved on
They don't need me now
I was never broken

[Outro]
I did my job
I did my job
Never broken

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Join Renee and Marc as they discuss the history of technology, and what it teaches us about now.

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Merch is available on the site too. It helps cover the cost of the podcast.

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 taste gave us critical microprocessor coatings. Crazy.

So, coatings for chips...and chips.

This one is a bit weirder than what we normally cover, so you know it's going to be fun. 

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Join Renee and Marc as they discuss the history of technology, and what it teaches us about now.

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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 this week and that's the inspiration for the song. There was a time when MSG was vilified. It was so demonised that restaurants would put signs in their windows saying "No MSG." But you know what? MSG is in every savoury food you love. It's not going to kill you. Humans have been eating it and using it for centuries.

Lyrics below.

[Verse 1]
It's in the ham (it's in the ham)
It's in the cheese (it's in the cheese)
It's in the mushroom
It's in the anchovy

[Verse 2]
It's in the soy sauce (soy sauce)
It's in the soup (in the soup)
It's in the tomato
It's in the gravy

[Chorus]
I know, I know, MSG (I know)
Ain't no good, they say, for me
But lord, the taste is driving me
It's in everything I eat

[Verse 3]
Monosodium (monosodium)
Glutamate (glutamate)
Sitting on your plate

[Bridge]
They put a sign up in the window
Said no MSG
Mama's got it in the pot
And I ain't walked away
No MSG (no MSG)
I Know MSG (know MSG)

[Final Chorus]
I know, I know, MSG (I know)
Ain't no good, they say, for me
But lord, the taste is driving me
And it's in everything I eat

[Outro]
It's in the ham
It's in the cheese
Know MSG (know MSG)
In everything I eat

We'd love to hear from you. Click here to give us ideas on new episodes.

Join Renee and Marc as they discuss the history of technology, and what it teaches us about now.

email us at [email protected]

Come visit us at https://www.nostalgicnerdspodcast.com/episodes or wherever you get your podcasts.

Merch is available on the site too. It helps cover the cost of the podcast.