The Long Distance Blues (S2E2 Bonus)

S2E2 - Blue Boxes, SIM Swaps, and the Myth of Secure Phones

In this week's episode, Renee and Marc dial through the history of telecom fraud and hacking. But more importantly we even talk about some things you can do to protect yourself. 

Here's a companion song for the episode. The Long Distance Blues

[Verse 1]

Mama said
“Keep it short
Every minute costs a dime”
Clock on the wall
Second hand
Watching every line
Static on the wire
Voice coming through
Paid a little piece of me
Every time I talked to you

[Verse 2]

Now the line stays open
Day and night
Doesn’t cost a thing
To say “you alright?”
But somewhere past the dial tone
Past the copper and the truth
The line learned how to travel
Without asking me or you

[Chorus]

Got the long distance blues
But the distance ain’t the miles
It’s the space between the promise
And the voice I don’t know now
Used to pay in quarters
Used to hear it click
Now it’s free as falling water
And twice as hard to fix

[Verse 3]

Didn’t hear it break
Didn’t hear it bend
Just one day
The voice on the other end
Wasn’t quite where I left it
Wasn’t quite mine
Like a train that keeps on rolling
Long after it left the line

[Bridge]

Old switches humming
In a locked back room
Built for a world
That was smaller
Soon
Trust was the tariff
Distance the fee
Now the bill comes due
Somewhere I can’t see

[Final Chorus]

Got the long distance blues
But the distance ain’t the miles
It’s the space between the promise
And the voice I don’t know now
Used to pay in quarters
Used to hear it click
Now it’s free as falling water
And twice as hard to fix

[Outro]

Used to count the minutes
Now I count on trust
Funny how the cheap things
Cost us the most

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

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