The Nostalgic Nerds Podcast

Renee Murphy, Marc Massar

5.0 (3)
TECHNOLOGY

The Nostalgic Nerds Podcast, where we take a deep dive into geek culture, tech evolution, and the impact of the past on today’s digital world.

12/20/2025 · BONUS

Elastic Hearts (Oh, Vulcanised Rubber)

Send us a text Elastic Hears (Oh, Vulcanised Rubber) [Verse] Born from heat and sulfur’s kiss A miracle we can’t dismiss Tougher than the strongest thread Holds the world where we tread [Chorus] Oh vulcanised rubber you keep us alive Stretching and snapping you help us survive From tires to soles to seals that don't break You're the bond in the world we make [Verse 2] Rain won’t rot you fire won’t win You’re the armor on which we spin Bridges hold and engines hum You’re the reason we overcome [Prechorus] You bend but you never let go Holding tight through the highs and lows [Chorus] Oh vulcanised rubber you keep us alive Stretching and snapping you help us survive From tires to soles to seals that don't break You're the bond in the world we make [Bridge] Unseen hero under our feet From jungle sap to industrial beat You’re the silent pulse that keeps time In every bounce and every climb Join Renee and Marc as they discuss tech topics with a view on their nostalgic pasts in tech that help them understand today's challenges and tomorrow's potential. email us at nostalgicnerdspodcast@gmail.com

2 min
12/19/2025

S1E17 - Built on Rubber!

Send us a text Quick note - a few audio drop outs here and there. Tried to edit around them, but nothing too serious and you'll get the gist in all the spots with issues. Rubber is one of those materials we almost never think about, right up until it fails. From tyres and medical gloves to seals, gaskets, and global logistics, modern life quietly depends on a substance that still comes, quite literally, from trees. In this episode, Renee and Marc trace the unlikely journey of rubber from indigenous use in the Amazon, through the boom and collapse of Brazil’s rubber economy, to the accidental discovery of vulcanisation and the rise of a global industry built on a single species of tree. Along the way, they explore the colonial economics and ethical costs of the rubber boom, the fragility of today’s supply chains, and why the world remains dangerously dependent on Southeast Asian plantations. Drawing on firsthand experience touring rubber plantations in Thailand and research into modern alternatives, the conversation moves from tree sap to tyres to the future of latex itself. From aircraft tyres and hospitals to dandelions, desert shrubs, and genetically engineered crops, the episode looks at how rubber is being reinvented before its weaknesses become unavoidable. Disruption to natural rubber could trigger cascading failures across medicine, sanitation, and global trade, this episode asks a simple question with unsettling implications: what happens when the quiet material holding everything together disappears? Featuring the song "Elastic Hearts" Join Renee and Marc as they discuss tech topics with a view on their nostalgic pasts in tech that help them understand today's challenges and tomorrow's potential. email us at nostalgicnerdspodcast@gmail.com

27 min
12/12/2025 · BONUS

Steel Titans of the World - An Ode to Shipping Containers

Send us a text Just a bit of fun from Renee and I. If you're a listener, you know that Marc believes that double-entry bookkeeping might be the most important technological innovation ever. But...just maybe...he's willing to concede that the venerable Shipping Container might be up there with double-entry. It's silly, heavy, and catchy. Have a listen. Here are the lyrics: [Verse] Steel walls rise Fortress of trade Born to conquer Empires made Stacked like giants Towering high Bridging oceans Piercing sky [Prechorus] Silent sentinels Hold the load Carrying dreams down every road [Chorus] Steel titans of the world Unite! Through storm and flame They fight the night Boundless cargo They bear the weight The world spins on They seal our fate [Verse 2] Rust and scars Yet still they stand Forged in fire Shaped by hand From ports of chaos to shores of peace Every journey Their might released [Prechorus] They hold the lifeblood Unseen Untold A universe within In steel they mold [Chorus] Steel titans of the world Unite! Through storm and flame They fight the night Boundless cargo They bear the weight The world spins on They seal our fate Join Renee and Marc as they discuss tech topics with a view on their nostalgic pasts in tech that help them understand today's challenges and tomorrow's potential. email us at nostalgicnerdspodcast@gmail.com

5 min
12/12/2025

S1E16 - The (Shipping) Container Monologues

Send us a text Everyone loves fast delivery, but nobody loves thinking about how it works. In this episode, we dig into the overlooked story of logistics: the steam engines that kicked it off, the wars that reinvented it, the barcodes and warehouses that scaled it, and the robots now trying to keep it all from breaking. A practical, funny look at the global machine we depend on every day. “You will not find it difficult to prove that battles, campaigns, and even wars have been won or lost primarily because of logistics.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower Join Renee and Marc as they discuss tech topics with a view on their nostalgic pasts in tech that help them understand today's challenges and tomorrow's potential. email us at nostalgicnerdspodcast@gmail.com

55 min
12/05/2025

S1E15 - Bubbles Build the Big Stuff: How Overhyped Tech Leaves Us Infrastructure We Rely On

Send us a text Come for the canals and railroads. Stay for the part where Marc and Renee admit AI might just be the next overbuilt mess we rely on. In this episode, we explore the historical patterns of infrastructure bubbles, revealing how emerging technologies often spark both excitement and economic pitfalls. We analyze past transformative advancements, such as canals and railways, highlighting how they initially fueled industrial growth but ultimately led to speculative investment and significant losses for latecomers. The Infrastructure bubble pattern has repeated throughout history and we end with a discussion on the latest bubble that hasn't quite burst yet...AI...cue impending doom music. Notes - Carlota Perez “Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital: The Dynamics of Bubbles and Golden Ages” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_Carrier_transmission_rates OC-768 is 40 Gb/s Join Renee and Marc as they discuss tech topics with a view on their nostalgic pasts in tech that help them understand today's challenges and tomorrow's potential. email us at nostalgicnerdspodcast@gmail.com

1 hr
SEASON 1, EPISODE 15 TRAILER

Bubbles Build the Big Stuff (Trailer)

Send us a text Come for the canals and railroads. Stay for the part where Marc and Renee admit AI might just be the next overbuilt mess we rely on. Join Renee and Marc as they discuss tech topics with a view on their nostalgic pasts in tech that help them understand today's challenges and tomorrow's potential. email us at nostalgicnerdspodcast@gmail.com

26 sec
11/28/2025

S1E14 - Cinema Reels and Digital Revolutions

Send us a text Cinema is built on technology, from the shape of the very first movie frame to the LED walls and AI tools used today. In this episode, Marc and Renee explore how film evolved in both sight and sound, and how the industry kept reinventing the moving image every time audiences drifted toward a glowing box at home. They walk through the widescreen battles of the 1950s, the triumph of magnetic sound and 70 mm spectacle, the rise of Dolby, the shift from mechanical projection booths to digital servers, and the invention of virtual production that blends cameras with giant LED volumes. Along the way, they share personal memories of revival houses, 70 mm double features, and the messy reality of transitioning a major theater chain into the digital era. The tools have changed, but the goal has always been the same. Cinema keeps searching for a new way to feel alive, even if the audience is not always as impressed as the engineers are. Join Renee and Marc as they discuss tech topics with a view on their nostalgic pasts in tech that help them understand today's challenges and tomorrow's potential. email us at nostalgicnerdspodcast@gmail.com

55 min
SEASON 1, EPISODE 14 TRAILER

Cinema Reels and Digital Revolutions (Trailer)

Send us a text Hollywood has tried every trick to keep us in the dark, from anamorphic lenses to lasers and LED walls. Renee and Marc unpack a century of cinema tech and ask what's the next spectacle that will draw audiences? Tune in tomorrow for the full episode. Join Renee and Marc as they discuss tech topics with a view on their nostalgic pasts in tech that help them understand today's challenges and tomorrow's potential. email us at nostalgicnerdspodcast@gmail.com

29 sec

5

out of 5

3 Ratings

The Nostalgic Nerds Podcast, where we take a deep dive into geek culture, tech evolution, and the impact of the past on today’s digital world.

Creator

Renee Murphy, Marc Massar
Years Active

2K
Episodes

22
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2025 The Nostalgic Nerds Podcast
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The Nostalgic Nerds Podcast