Avsnitt
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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 involved
If 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 and other podcasters know they can listen for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, their preferred podcast app, or online at Artifacts Podcast.
Products I Use for Artifacts
Note: 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
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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 involved
If 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 and other podcasters know they can listen for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, their preferred podcast app, or online at Artifacts Podcast.
Products I Use for Artifacts
Note: 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
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Saknas det avsnitt?
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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 involved
If 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 and other podcasters know they can listen for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, their preferred podcast app, or online at Artifacts Podcast.
Products I Use for Artifacts
Note: 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
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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 involved
If 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 and other podcasters know they can listen for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, their preferred podcast app, or online at Artifacts Podcast.
Products I Use for Artifacts
Note: 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
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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 involved
If 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 and other podcasters know they can listen for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, their preferred podcast app, or online at Artifacts Podcast.
Products I Use for Artifacts
Note: 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
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Remember Winamp skins? Burned CDs? AIM away messages? The Dreamcast? Those weird little corners of the internet that somehow felt more human than everything online today?
Maybe we don’t actually miss the technology. Maybe we miss how it made us feel.
Artifacts is a podcast about forgotten platforms, dead gadgets, old internet culture, creative communities, and the strange emotional connection we still have to them.
But this isn’t just nostalgia. It’s about why these things mattered.
Why people still defend the Zune.
Why some gamers are still obsessed with the Dreamcast.
Why old forums felt more personal than social media.
Why podcasting used to feel smaller… and maybe more exciting.
Every episode starts with an artifact. And then follows the story underneath it. The people. The feeling. The moment in time. And what it says about who we are now.
Because sometimes the objects fade. But the feeling doesn't.
I’m Danny Brown.
And this is Artifacts.
Get involved
If 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 and other podcasters know they can listen for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, their preferred podcast app, or online at Artifacts Podcast.
Products I Use for Artifacts
Note: 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
