Daddy-Daughter Podcast, 2025 Edition

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: Cory Doctorow Podcast – Daddy-Daughter Podcast, 2025 Edition

Date: December 15, 2025
Host: Cory Doctorow
Guest: Posey Taylor Doctorow

---

Episode Overview

This special annual episode of Cory Doctorow's podcast continues a family tradition: a year-end conversation with his daughter, Posey, now seventeen. Through lighthearted banter, shared memories, and thoughtful reflections, Cory and Posey revisit major milestones from the past year, discuss college life, family changes, and music, and share a fun tutorial—culminating in a cheerful holiday singalong.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Opening Reflections and Annual Tradition

• Cory welcomes Posey and highlights the tradition of their "Daddy-Daughter" podcast, recalling their first recording when Posey was three years old.
  Notable Quote

  “Here we are again doing this for something like the 10th or 11th time... Can you tell us some highlights from the last year?” —Cory (01:01)

Posey’s Highlights from the Year

• Graduated High School (01:13)
• Dance Achievement: Competed at HHI Worlds with her dance team.
  • Explanation: Hip Hop International (HHI) is a multinational dance competition; Posey’s team earned USA silver and competed internationally in Arizona. (01:21-01:48)
• Started College: Chose UC Santa Cruz over University of Hawaii at Manoa due to climate preference, access to nature and the beach, plus opportunities for dance and horseback riding.

  “It was very hot, and I don't like when it's hot outside. And I liked Santa Cruz... it's next to the beach and it's next to the forest, and it's got a good bus route anywhere you want to go.” —Posey (02:12)

Family Highlights (Cory’s Perspective)

• New York Trip: Saw "The Outsiders" on Broadway from the front row, getting splashed with gravel, water, and fake blood. (02:58)
• Toronto Visit: Spent time at Cory’s brother’s cottage with extended family. (03:08)
• School Events: Posey performed sign language for the national anthem at both a pep rally and her graduation. (03:32)

Posey’s College Life

• Daily Routine:

  “Usually I wake up at nine and I go to one of the cafes on campus and get a bagel and then I'll go to my classes...” —Posey (03:49)

• First Quarter Classes:

  • Math, Environmental Studies (Culture focus), and Core Dorm College class. (04:19)

• Academic Interest:

  • Learned about “Tragedy of the Commons” and Cory encouraged her to study Eleanor Ostrom instead.

    “I think the tragedy of the commons is bullshit and you should study a different economist... What was that economist's name?” —Cory (04:31) “Eleanor Ostrom... she disproves the tragedy of the commons...” —Posey (04:48)

    • Ostrom's eight laws show communities often self-govern effectively and sustainably.

Major Family Changes

• Mom’s New Job:
  • Left Disney for the BBC, returning to London; the family is now geographically spread out.

    “So nobody of our family lives in our house.” —Posey (05:34)

  • A friend is house- and cat-sitting. They decorated their first Christmas tree without Mom—“very crooked” (06:12).

Holiday Plans

• Upcoming Outing: Visiting Christmas markets and hiking in Griffith Park. (06:18)

---

Posey’s Annual Tutorial: How to Play Egyptian War (Card Game)

(06:54-08:13)

• Posey explains Egyptian War, a fast-paced card game emphasizing focus and reflexes.
  • Details on splitting the deck, rules for face cards, slapping mechanics (doubles, sandwiches, marriage/divorce), and the objective of collecting all the cards.
• Reflective Moment:

  “It's a thing that requires you to pay very close attention without taking any breaks. So it's kind of the opposite of what you're doing now, where you're looking at your phone...” —Cory (08:13) “Yeah, but usually we'll listen to music and maybe watch a show at the same time in the background.” —Posey (08:47)

---

Music Tastes & Shared Favorites

(08:55-09:55)

• Posey continues to enjoy Talking Heads, Bruce Springsteen, the Eagles, Led Zeppelin, Canadian ballads (“The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”), and old French music (notably Edith Piaf) for reading and relaxation.

  “I like old French music. Like, I don't know, Edith Piaf. Yeah, Edith Piaf. I like to listen to that while I read...” —Posey (09:47)

---

Memorable Song: “Jingle Bells” Singalong

(10:12-12:08)

• Closing the episode, Cory and Posey sing “Jingle Bells” together, reviving a tradition from earlier episodes.

  “Jingle bells, jingle bells, Jingle all the way—oh, what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh, hey!” —Cory & Posey (10:16)

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the Christmas Tree:

  “Yeah, I think she'll like that. All the decorations are on one side.” —Posey (05:55) “And all the lights were put on after the decorations. Yeah, that's Mom's favorite thing...” —Cory (05:59)

• On Family and Change:

  “So nobody of our family lives in our house.” —Posey (05:34)

• On Academic Exploration:

  “Eleanor Ostrom... has these eight laws of a commons that basically says that people don't [behave entirely selfishly], and a lot of times people or like communities will self govern...” —Posey (04:50)

• On Multitasking and Focus:

  “It's kind of the opposite of what you're doing now, where you're looking at your phone... very close attention without taking any breaks.” —Cory (08:13)

• On Musical Bonds:

  “Well, I still like Talking Heads, so obviously he likes that, too.” —Posey (09:08)

---

Important Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------|------------| | Start & tradition intro | 00:11 | | Posey’s year highlights | 01:13 | | Dance competition (HHI Worlds) | 01:21 | | Choosing UC Santa Cruz | 01:55 | | Broadway & Toronto trips | 02:36 | | Sign-language performances | 03:32 | | College daily life | 03:49 | | Academic focus (Ostrom) | 04:46 | | Family moves & Christmas tree | 05:21 | | Egyptian War tutorial (card game) | 06:56 | | Music sharing and discussion | 08:55 | | “Jingle Bells” singalong | 10:12 |

---

Closing

The episode encapsulates a year of growth, transitions, and family dynamics through Cory and Posey’s warm rapport. Listeners are treated to insights on generational learning, campus life, traditions, and adaptations to change, all capped off by a heartfelt holiday melody, delivering both nostalgia and hopefulness.

---

Transcript

[A]

Hey, welcome back to the Cory Doctorow Podcast. This is a very special podcast because, as I do every year at this time, I've brought on a guest, and that guest is Posey. Posey Taylor Doctorow, my daughter. And how old are you now, Posey?

[B]

Seventeen.

[A]

Seventeen years old. And how old were you when we started doing this?

[B]

3.

[A]

And do you remember that first podcast?

[B]

No.

[A]

So you were three years old. Nursery closed a day early. Mom was still working. Her office hadn't closed, so I brought you to my office, and we sort of faffed around all day. And then you started getting stir crazy. And so I sat you down on my lap and we recorded a podcast. And so here we are again doing this for something like the 10th or 11th time. We missed a few years in there, but we're doing it again. And can you tell us some highlights from the last year? You say you've done many cool things since we last recorded Name, like say three really cool things, and then maybe I'll say some cool things that you did that. I remember

[B]

I graduated high school. I got to compete at HHI Worlds with my dance team.

[A]

Can you explain what that is?

[B]

Hip Hop International is a international dance competition where you have qualifiers in each country that participates. It's like 50 countries. So we were USA silver medalists. And then top five from each country goes to Arizona and competes for their country. So we were Team usa, which is pretty cool. And then I also started college.

[A]

And where have you started college?

[B]

UC Santa Cruz.

[A]

And what are you studying?

[B]

Environmental economics.

[A]

Now, we had two different colleges we were thinking about. One was the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and the other was UC Santa Cruz. And you chose Santa Cruz. Can you say a few words about why, what happened on the school tour or what made you think that Santa Cruz would be a better school for you?

[B]

I'd never been to Hawaii before, and when I went, it wasn't really what I had expected it to be. And it was very hot, and I don't like when it's hot outside. And I liked Santa Cruz. I liked all the nature, and it's next to the beach and it's next to the forest, and it's got a good bus route anywhere you want to go. And it has dance and horseback riding, so I don't have to quit either of them. And Hawaii didn't have either.

[A]

Yeah. So now you're at Santa Cruz. Let me say some of the cool things that we did that I remember that I think of as being highlights of the last year. So we Took a trip to New York and we went to Broadway and we had front row seats for the Outsiders and we got splashed with many stage substances. Could you elucidate some of those stage substances? There were three notable ones.

[B]

There was gravel from the stage and there was water from the rain part. And then there was also fake blood.

[A]

Yes, we got covered in fake blood. It was very exciting. We also went to Toronto and went to my brother's cottage up in snow country and we got to hang out with all the cousins and have a really big dinner. That was pretty good. And then one thing I remember watching you do last year was there were two different big events at your school where you got to do sign language. Could you tell us about those?

[B]

I signed the national anthem at the pep rally and at graduation.

[A]

Graduation was pretty cool too. Okay, so now you're at university and I would like to hear some something about campus life. What's a typical day like at your school?

[B]

Usually I wake up at nine and I go to one of the cafes on campus and get a bagel and then I'll go to my classes. If I have time in between, depends on the day. I'll hang out with my friends, do homework, and if I don't have dance practice at night, then I'll go downtown, probably get food or something.

[A]

And what were the classes you took this year?

[B]

Last quarter I took math, environmental studies in A Focus in Culture and my core class for my dorm college.

[A]

And you were studying economics and I remember you called me up and you said, oh, we're learning about the tragedy of the Commons. And then I told you I think the tragedy of the commons is bullshit and you should study a different economist. And you went and looked up that economist and then the next week they talked about it in school. What was that economist's name?

[B]

Eleanor Ostrom.

[A]

What's her deal?

[B]

She disproves the tragedy of the commons because tragedy the commons sort of assumes that everyone's working in their own best interests all the time and being completely selfish. And she has these eight laws of a commons that basically says that people don't do that. And a lot of times people or like communities will self govern in a way where they regulate within themselves so that their resources aren't being overly used and that they are like sustainable for a long time.

[A]

And there were some big changes in our family this year. What happened with mom?

[B]

She quit her job at Disney, she got a new job at the BBC, so she moved back to London. And you're on tour and And I am at school. So nobody of our family lives in our house.

[A]

Yeah, but we have a friend who's living here and taking care of the cats. And we've just gone and bought a Christmas tree and set that up and decorated it. It was the first time we've done the tree without Mom. Do you think Mom's gonna be okay with the way we did the tree? She's coming back in, like, 10 days, and she'll be able to tell us that we did the tree wrong. Do you think she'll be happy with it?

[B]

Yeah, I think she'll like that. All the decorations are on one side

[A]

and all the lights were put on after the decorations. Yeah, that's Mom's favorite thing. Put the lights on last and clump up all the decorations in one spot.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Oh, also, we made sure it was crooked, right?

[B]

Yeah, very crooked.

[A]

Yeah. And then tomorrow we're going to have an outing. What are we doing tomorrow?

[B]

We're going to a bunch of different Christmas markets and we're going to go

[A]

on a hike, right?

[B]

Oh, yeah, I forgot.

[A]

Probably in Griffith Park. Okay, so this is the part in the annual Daddy Daughter podcast where you give us a tutorial. So have you thought of what you're going to explain to us this year?

[B]

No.

[A]

Better think of something. What if I just hum the Jeopardy Theme?

[B]

No, don't do it. I don't know. Oh, I like card games.

[A]

Oh, yeah. So explain some card games.

[B]

Okay. Well, since getting to college, my friend that I met, she's really into cards, and she taught me a bunch of different games, which I really like. My favorite is Egyptian War, where basically, if you don't know how to play, you split the deck up evenly between everyone and you don't look at your cards, and then you just go in a circle and flip your top card. And if you get any face card, including an ace, depending on the face card, that's how many cards the person after you has to put down. So if you put down a jack, they put down one. If it's a queen, it's two. If it's a king, it's three. And as long as they don't put down any face cards, you get to keep all the cards that you just that they put down as well as all the cards underneath. And then if you have a sandwich, which is like, if you have one card and then a different card and then the same card as the first one on top, and it sandwiches, then you get to slap, and anyone can slap it. And same thing. If you do like doubles, which is like two of the same card on top of each other. And the aim of the game is to get all of the cards in the deck. That's how I play. But I know some people do like marriage and divorce, which is with the king and the queen. And they do top, bottom, which is if the first card that was put down, if it comes up again, you can slap it, no matter how many cards are in between.

[A]

So, yeah, so I've been thinking about this game since you first told me about it. And it strikes me that the thing about this game is it's a thing that requires you to pay very close attention without taking any breaks. And so it's kind of the opposite of like what you're doing now, where you're looking at your phone, where you have to be able to look at stuff with like a great deal of concentration without being distracted at all. So that must be quite good. Different from the way you and your friends kind of normally do things, where you're kind of doing two or three things at once and on your phones and whatever. Is that fair?

[B]

Yeah, but usually we'll listen to music and maybe watch a show at the same time in the background.

[A]

And you've got some new musical taste. We've been driving around in the car the last couple of days and you've been in charge of the music and there's been a bunch of music that I've been kind of excited to hear. So tell us about some of the music that we both like that you've been playing lately.

[B]

Well, I still like Talking Heads, so obviously he likes that, too. And then I like Bruce Springsteen. That's a good one. I like a lot of bands. I like the Eagles and Led Zeppelin. What else?

[A]

Well, you like some Canadian music. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

[B]

Oh, yeah, I do like that one. And I like old French music. Like, I don't know, Edith Piaf. Yeah, Edith Piaf. I like to listen to that while I read, and then I listen to it when I don't read too.

[A]

Okay, so we have had the catch up on the previous year. We have had the tutorial. We have had reflections on the tutorial. And so now it is time to sing a song. And what song are we going to sing?

[B]

Jingle Bells.

[A]

And that, I believe might have been the first song we sang together, too. I don't know, maybe it was Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Do you want to do Rudolph? Okay. Jingle bells 1, 2, 3. Jingle bells, jingle bells Jingle all the way oh, what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh, hey. Jingle bells, jingle bells Jingle all the way oh, what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh Dashing through the snow In a one horse open sleigh O' er the fields we go Laughing all the way Ha ha ha. Bells on bobtailed rings Making spirits bright what fun is to laugh and sing a sleighing song tonight oh, jingle bells, jingle bells Jingle all the way oh, what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh, hey. Jingle bells, jingle bells Jingle all the way oh, what fun it is to ride in a one horse open sleigh. Oh yeah, like Bobby or All right, and it was great talking to you guys. It's probably the last podcast of the year, but boy oh boy, it was fun. And I can't believe I dragged her back to the chair to do this. I think it's because I bribed her with a croissant. Okay, have a great holiday and happy Christmas and Happy Hanukkah and a Happy New Year and a Kwesi Kwanzaa and a festive Yule and a great Ide and a wonderful non denominational secular Winterval. All right, talk to you next year.

[B]

Bye.

[A]

That was the Cory Doctorow podcast. Licensed Creative Commons Attribution Non commercial share alike 4.0 or as woody Guthrie put it in another context, this song is copyrighted in the US under seal of copyright 154085 for a period of 28 years. And anyone caught singing it without our permission will be a mighty good friend of ourn because we don't give a dern. Publish it, write it, sing it, swing to it, yodel it. We wrote it and that's all we wanted to do. Many thanks to John Taylor Williams of Rynek Studio. That's W R Y N E C K for engineering and mastering. John Taylor Williams is a broadcast technology specialist, an audio engineer, and a musician. In his spare time, he likes to carve useful objects out of wood, antler and steel.