Digital voice recorders - and now smartphones - have moved oral history from backstage to center stage. They make memory tangible, messy, and risky. This article explores how democratized recording changes what we call history, the ethics it obliges, and practical steps for doing it responsibly.
A sentimental and technical tour from Edison's tinfoil phonograph to pocket digital recorders and smartphones - exploring how voice recording gadgets evolved, what we lost and gained, and how to preserve the fragile audio threads that tether us to the past.
Digital voice recorders have quietly resurrected a human art we were about to lose: the telling of true lives, in human voices. This piece explores how pocket-sized recorders turn private memories into public patrimony, includes interviews with enthusiasts, and gives practical, ethical, and technical tips to make your recordings sing.