This week's episode of The Register's Kettle podcast takes a break from AI coverage to explore a nostalgic theme: how older, simpler technology is regaining appeal as modern systems grow more resource-hungry and complex. Host Brandon Vigliarolo is joined by reporters Liam Proven and Richard Speed to discuss Windows XP's 25th anniversary, Casio's revival of its classic digital watch, and renewed arguments for writing passwords on paper. The common thread is that stripped-back, low-overhead technology from decades past is looking increasingly attractive compared with today's bloated, AI-driven software.

Windows XP, which reached its release-to-manufacturing milestone 25 years ago, is remembered as merging Microsoft's consumer Windows 9x line with the more stable NT codebase, requiring a minimum of 64MB of memory but delivering far greater reliability than its predecessors. The panel also discusses Casio's new take on its iconic digital watch, which adds basic smart features while preserving a two-year battery life, and revisits the debate over paper-based password storage, noting that a notebook cannot be hacked remotely. The episode is available to stream on the article page, Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.