The Moth Podcast: Technology Fails (April 17, 2026)

Episode Overview

This episode of The Moth Podcast, hosted by Dan Kennedy, explores the theme of "Technology Fails." Through two live stories told at a New York City Moth StorySlam, the episode delves into the often humorous, sometimes nerve-wracking moments when our reliance on technology backfires—or when its absence is profoundly felt. Storytellers Jill Bergman and Ailee Baker recount personal experiences where technology played a comically disruptive role and challenged their sense of self-reliance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Introduction: Our Inextricable Ties to Technology

• Host Dan Kennedy highlights society’s deep dependency on technology, even during attempts to escape it:

  “Even then, we use Google Maps to get to our campground or we download a meditation app to unwind while we're on that trip.” (01:31)

• Sets the stage for stories about technology’s role when it becomes more of a hindrance than a help.

Story 1: Jill Bergman – The Banjo, The Metronome, and The Airplane

[02:37 – 08:31]

Story Highlights

• Jill’s Musical Ambition:
  At age 30, Jill decides to learn the banjo, believing it to be an "easy instrument." She buys a high-tech metronome, which becomes central to the tale.
• Traveling with Banjo:
  Jill brings her banjo (with the metronome buzzing inside its soft case) on a business trip. On the return flight, a flight attendant stores her instrument in first class due to lack of space.
• Tech Fail Turns Security Scare:
  The metronome, still powered on, begins loudly beeping in the overhead bin. Multiple crew members become involved, leading the entire plane—as well as passengers’ carry-ons—to be evacuated amid confusion and emergency procedures.
• Aftermath:
  • Jill is deeply anxious, surrounded by frightened passengers and fearing arrest at her destination.
  • Flight crew eventually identifies the source of the alarm as her musical gear, and the flight resumes after lengthy delays.
  • Overwhelmed by guilt and embarrassment, Jill claims ignorance when questioned later by another passenger at baggage claim.

Notable Moments & Quotes

• On her lack of musical rhythm:

  “Counting to four has never been so hard in my entire life.” (03:14)

• When the evacuation hits:

  “The flight attendants are coming from the back in this military army yelling at everybody, off the plane, off the plane, off the plane.” (05:51)

• Facing possible consequences:

  “Maybe I can sell a kidney. Maybe I could donate my eggs. ... when they’re going to arrest me on the other end.” (06:41)

• On escaping at baggage claim:

  “A man sits next to me. He was like, were you on the flight to Denver? We had a delay with a musical instrument. And I said, oh no, no, no, I just flew in from Hawaii. Thank you very much.” (08:29)

Memorable Images

• Jill tearfully reclaiming her banjo from a circle of “all the pilots and flight attendants … waiting with a banjo sitting in the seat” (08:01)

Story 2: Ailee Baker – Navigation, Bread, and the Limits of Reliance

[10:23 – 15:50]

Story Highlights

• A Life-Changing Invitation:
  Ailee recounts being invited by Cesario, one of the last traditional Pacific navigators, to sail across open ocean without modern navigational aids.
• Traditional Wisdom vs. Modern Habit:
  Cesario steers by the stars, wind, and instinct—with all knowledge internalized, taught from a young age. Ailee, by contrast, feels lost without external aids like the internet or her iPhone.
• The Great Bread Epiphany:
  During a stormy night at sea, Ailee and another former baker dream of making bread upon reaching land—but realize they can’t remember the recipe without looking it up.
  • Cesario overhears and admonishes them:

    “Why are you so lazy? What happens if you lose that recipe? What happens if your computer dies? Can you bake bread, then? You have to learn it to know it.” (12:59)

  • Ailee is struck by how her knowledge is “outside of myself,” compared to Cesario’s embodied understanding of the world.
• Disaster and Dilemma:
  The canoe begins to sink during her star-point trial. In the chaos, Ailee’s instinct is to use the satellite phone:

  “I know that as soon as I call that phone, I'm bringing my world of technology rushing into this wonderful world that we've created. But I can't stop myself.” (15:00)

• Grace from the Navigator:
  Despite this, Cesario comforts her with profound, accepting words:

  “Ailee, everything is going to be okay. Keep an open mind and a clear head and everything will be fine.” (15:24)

  • Ultimately, they are rescued by a cargo ship—but the lesson lingers for Ailee.

Notable Quotes/Memorable Moments

• On Cesario’s traditional skills:

  “There is absolutely nothing between Cesario and the stars and the wind and the waves. He holds it within him. Whereas with me, if I'm without my journal or my iPhone, I am utterly lost. So Cesario will never be lost.” (13:45)

• Ailee’s newfound goal:

  “I will try as hard as I can to walk down a busy street and know which way is north, to be able to bake bread and for God's sake, to look up for my iPhone and know that the stars are more than just points of light.” (15:44)

Reflections and Closing

• Dan Kennedy wraps up with a reflection on Ailee's ongoing attempts to disconnect, noting humorously that her full inbox and absence from social media seem to demonstrate her commitment to more analog living.

  “And I’m not necessarily saying that we should all go fully AWOL, but maybe we can all follow Ailee’s lead. Just taking a little break from technology every once in a while.” (16:43)

• The episode leaves listeners with the question: What do we gain—or lose—by trusting technology with so much of our lives and memories?

Important Timestamps

• Intro & Episode Theme: 01:32
• Jill Bergman’s Story Begins: 02:37
• Evacuation on the Plane: 05:51
• Jill’s Conclusion & Baggage Claim: 08:20
• Ailee Baker’s Story Begins: 10:23
• Cesario’s Rebuke on Recipes: 12:59
• Canoe Sinking & Satellite Phone Dilemma: 15:00
• Cesario’s Consolation: 15:24
• Ailee’s Closing Realizations: 15:44
• Host Reflections and Outro: 15:50 – 16:53

Tone & Style

The episode delivers its stories with warmth, humor, and humility, characteristic of The Moth’s live storytelling format. Both tales embrace vulnerability and personal growth as they shine a light on the awkward, sometimes alarming consequences of trusting (or losing trust in) technology. The storytellers’ voices are candid, self-deprecating, and ultimately hopeful, prompting audiences to reflect on their own digital dependencies.