Welcome to the Moth podcast. I'm your host, Dan Kennedy. It's undeniable, just how attached we are to technology and how integral it is to our lives. Sure, there are times, oh, actually, literally making sure my phone is turned off. So we can record this and you can listen to it on your phone.

There are definitely times we take those little breaks, those sort of digital detox periods from social media.

Or we put away messages on our email so that we can go off and be one with nature.

But 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.

But this week, we're talking about the times when technology really isn't the answer.

Our two stories this week are actually from the same story slam here in New York City, fittingly

themed technology.

Up first, Jill Bergman. Here's Jill Live at the Moth. This story takes place in 1999. At the time I had just turned 30, and for my 30th birthday, I decided

to venture into the world of music. My past experience with music was lessons for piano

when I was about seven, and I read the music backwards for a week. And the second venture into music was in middle school.

I took a clarinet back and forth to school for about a month,

too afraid to tell my parents I didn't know where band practice was.

So at 30, I really had no experience with music,

and I thought I'd go for something real easy,

and went with an instrument that would make me happy.

And the one thing that I thought always made me happy was the banjo.

So I thought, boy, easy instrument to learn.

So not the best choice for someone who has no rhythm at all.

And so I got the banjo.

I'm getting lessons.

And the instructor has me buy a metronome technology, metronome.

...