Generations

Peter and Aubrey Jones
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A father and daughter discuss life across their generations. Science, medicine, music, and whatever else they choose to discuss are on the table.

  1. The Crawl Review - Dungeon Crawler Carl

    -17 H

    The Crawl Review - Dungeon Crawler Carl

    Peter and Aubrey dig into Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinneman — all seven books, with book eight nine days out. They cover how they each came to the series, why the audiobooks (narrated by Jeff Hays) are basically the only correct way to experience it, and what separates DCC from the litRPG slop Peter burned out on years ago. The back half goes full spoilers: theories on the ending, whether Donut survives, and a frank debate about where DCC actually sits in the pantheon — fun and entertaining, they agree, but not literature, which is fine — and which leads Peter to take a brief shot at Brandon Sanderson on his way out the door. SHOW NOTES How they found the series — Aubrey was skeptical (a talking cat named Princess Donut did not sell her), but Hayden's enthusiasm eventually won out; Peter needed something lighter after slogging through The Three-Body Problem book two.The audiobook question — Both agree Jeff Hays is essential; his voice work is so distinctive that he omits dialogue tags in places because you simply know who's talking. Audiobook sales reportedly outpace ebook and print combined.The litRPG problem — Peter contextualizes why he's wary of the genre: most of it trends toward male power fantasy with inexecrable harem dynamics. DCC's reluctant, morally grounded protagonist is a deliberate contrast.Matt Dinneman's origin story — Before the pandemic, he traveled the country doing commissioned cat portraits at cat shows. A staring Persian cat inspired Princess Donut. COVID shut that down; he started posting chapters on Royal Road, and it exploded from there.Series overview (spoiler-free) — Earth gets strip-mined by the Borant Corporation, collapsing all buildings and turning the planet into an 18-level dungeon broadcast as galactic entertainment. Carl and his now-sentient cat Princess Donut navigate it while inadvertently becoming agents of chaos against the whole system.SPOILER SECTION: Series theories — Both think Carl will dismantle the Borant Corporation rather than complete the dungeon; Peter predicts the series ends at level 12, with the deity/ascension mechanics being the key. Ten books total, per Matt Dinneman's own Reddit comments.Will Donut survive? — Neither is confident. Peter says if Donut dies, he stops reading; Aubrey thinks losing her would send Carl fully off the rails. The cover where Donut is absent did not help their anxiety.Favorite moments — Aubrey's top two: Carl telling Prepotente to "eat a bag of dicks," and Donut screaming "die m**********r die" while drunk. The Prepotente/Carl reconciliation in book seven gets genuine appreciation from both.Jeff Hays fandom — He's locked into the Carl and Donut voices permanently; he's confirmed he can't use them for other projects. A convention clip of Hayes singing "Wonderwall" in the Donut voice while Matt Dinneman plays guitar on stage is, per Aubrey, simply iconic.The verdict — Fun books, not great books, and that's okay. Peter lands a parting shot: Brandon Sanderson could learn something from DCC about not taking himself quite so seriously.

    1 h 3 min

  2. 19 AVR.

    S Tier or We're Done Here

    Peter and Aubrey work through all 37 official MCU films on Peter's custom tier list tool, placing each from S down to D with no shortage of strong opinions along the way. The results are roughly what you'd expect from two Marvel fans who still remember opening-night midnight showings — Thor: Ragnarok and The Winter Soldier are untouchable, Eternals and Iron Man 2 are not. The episode also touches on the MCU's recent creative upswing (Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four), the ongoing wound that is Secret Invasion, and a pre-show check-in that includes Aubrey's genuinely harrowing week of tornado evacuations in Madison. SHOW NOTES Check-in: Peter escaped a work trip in Austin early by paying $75 for a same-day flight change — no business casual required, shorts were involved. Aubrey's week involved actual tornado warnings in Madison, a mid-workday shelter evacuation with her kids, and baseball-sized hail; she later raced home with Hayden to beat a second tornado approaching from the west. Friday brought a school district preemptive cancellation and, fortuitously, weather pay.Episode setup: With Avengers: Doomsday trailer apparently shown at CinemaCon (not yet public), Peter thought it was a good time to tier-rank all 37 MCU movies using his custom tier list tool. He and Eden did a bracket format on The Middle of Culture previously, but Peter prefers the tier list because it doesn't force unfair head-to-head matchups.S tier (locked in): Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Spider-Man: No Way Home. Peter notes The Winter Soldier is probably the best MCU film, even if not his personal favorite; No Way Home earns its S on pure emotional impact, despite Homecoming arguably being the tighter movie. Both agree Infinity War is the stronger film over Endgame.A tier highlights: Black Panther, Black Widow (Aubrey advocates for it; Peter concedes despite CGI complaints), the original Avengers, Civil War, Endgame, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four: First Steps, Guardians Vol. 1, Homecoming, Ant-Man, and Iron Man 1. Peter is bullish on both Thunderbolts ("hits emotionally a lot harder" than Fantastic Four) and Fantastic Four ("it's got the juice").B tier: Guardians Vol. 3, Wakanda Forever, Spider-Man: Far From Home, original Thor, Guardians Vol. 2 (Peter's least favorite of the trilogy, despite online discourse claiming otherwise), Deadpool & Wolverine, Captain America: The First Avenger, Doctor Strange, and Shang-Chi — though Peter notes Shang-Chi gets docked for Marvel's failure to do anything with the character afterward: "My boy Shang-Chi deserves better."C and D tiers: Age of Ultron lands in C; Iron Man 2 in D ("you can't enjoy the experience of Iron Man 2 ever again"). Eternals earns a D with Peter suggesting he might genuinely prefer Iron Man 2 over a rewatch. Brave New World lands in D simply because neither of them has had any interest in watching it — the tier list as disinterest metric.MCU fatigue and cautious optimism: Post-tier-list conversation touches on the post-Endgame drop-off in quality and excitement. Aubrey recalls having a nightmare the night before the Endgame midnight premiere that they couldn't go see it — that's the level of hype she wants back. Both see Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four as signs of an upswing heading into Doomsday.Secret Invasion tangent: Peter revisits his custom-built tier list feature (a bonus below-D tier for truly irredeemable content) — originally created for DC's Black Adam, but Secret Invasion is the MCU equivalent. Six episodes and rage-quit; he says it soured him on MCU TV generally, leaving him behind on Loki S2, What If S2, Echo, and Daredevil Born Again.Tease for next episode: Aubrey mentions she already has an outfit planned to go with next week's topic.

    33 min

  3. 5 AVR.

    Fist My Bump – Project Hail Mary

    Peter and Aubrey dig into the Project Hail Mary film adaptation — both are big fans of the book and came in with high hopes and specific anxieties about how it would translate to screen. They start spoiler-free with their history with Andy Weir's work and their first impressions of the casting, then move into a full spoiler breakdown of the story, the Grace/Rocky relationship, the practical effects choice for Rocky, and what the filmmakers got right (and wrong) about adapting the book. Peter notes no medical fact this week, and Aubrey closes with a brief Astro Fact about the Artemis II moon launch. Project Hail Mary — Book Backgrounds Aubrey came to the book recently via a recommendation from Hayden, listened on Audible, and loved it — specifically calling out the audiobook's interpretation of Rocky's voice as a standout experience. Peter claims Andy Weir hipster status, having bought The Martian on Kindle before it was picked up by a publisher.Andy Weir's Body of Work Peter gives a quick rundown: The Martian (great), Artemis (a letdown), Project Hail Mary (a major return to form). Both agree the book is worth reading even after seeing the movie — it goes much deeper into the science and the characters' inner lives.Spoiler-Free Premise Dr. Ryland Grace wakes up alone in a spaceship with no memory of who he is or why he's there. The story unfolds through present-day mystery and flashbacks, piecing together how humanity ended up in crisis — and how he ended up being the one sent to solve it.Ryan Gosling as Dr. Grace Aubrey was skeptical going in, having mostly seen Gosling in pretty-boy leading man roles. First trailer changed her mind; the performance won her over completely. Peter agrees he's a better actor than his typecast reputation suggests.Directors: Lord and Miller Peter felt reassured once he knew Phil Lord and Chris Miller were at the helm. Credits discussed: The Lego Movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street, and their screenwriting work on the Spider-Verse films.Rocky and the Practical Effects Decision Aubrey was relieved that Rocky — the film's alien character — was built as a practical puppet rather than pure CGI. Both agree it's the right call: the physical presence makes the central relationship feel genuinely earned.Book vs. Film — Adaptation Discussion Both appreciate that the filmmakers understood that books and movies are different mediums. The movie streamlines and adds warmth; the book rewards readers with more depth. Neither feels like a substitute for the other.No Medical Note This Week — Peter didn't have anything to share. Astro Fact — Artemis II Aubrey notes the Artemis II moon launch, which had just taken off. Artemis III is planned to actually land on the moon — Aubrey's verdict: nothing ever goes to plan, so we'll see.

    41 min

  4. 22 MARS

    Themes In Progress

    Peter and Aubrey do a mid-year check-in on their yearly themes — but first, Peter has to process something: Neurosis, his favorite band and a formative musical experience, just surprise-dropped their first album in nearly a decade on the spring equinox, and he has many feelings about it. The episode covers how both of their themes are going (fitness and peace for Aubrey; a flexible experimental framework for Peter), detours into the relative merits of Notion vs. dedicated apps, and closes with some genuinely good news: Aubrey is officially a published astrophysics author. SHOW NOTES Neurosis surprise album drop — Peter opens the episode buzzing about An Undying Love for a Burning World, an unannounced album from his all-time favorite band Neurosis, released without warning on the spring equinox. He describes it as a life-dividing event: there's before Neurosis and after Neurosis.Neurosis backstory — A brief catch-up on the band: their last album was in 2016, then the Scott Kelly situation in 2022, then... silence. The new album adds Aaron Turner (of post-metal band Isis) and was recorded in three weeks in the Pacific Northwest.Fire in the Mountains festival — Neurosis was also revealed as the surprise headliner for this festival in Montana, held on First Nations land and raising funds for mental health and suicide prevention in First Nations youth.Yearly theme check-in — The main episode topic. Peter's theme is intentionally malleable — structured experimentation — and he's found mixed results: exercise started well, evening routine still shaky, creative output planning is a work in progress.Aubrey's theme: peace — Her theme centers on finding peace, and fitness has been the main vehicle. She's been locked in on a cut with her Apple Watch and the Athletic app since their last tracking-apps episode, and reports it's going well.Notion deep-dive tangent — Aubrey wants to use Notion to build a meal planning/recipe tracker as a creative project. Peter shares his own Notion journey, including his verdict: "I'd rather use five apps that full-ass what they do than one app that half-asses everything." He demos Mela, a dedicated recipe and meal-planning app, as an alternative.Learning sprints update — Peter's Q4 learning sprint spilled over (book prep took longer than expected, photography project hasn't started yet). He's also been doing some vibe coding. Aubrey's sprint got derailed by trying to finish her research paper.Aubrey's published astrophysics paper — Big news buried near the end: Aubrey is officially published as first author in an astrophysics journal. The timing just missed her grad school application window, but she's planning to reapply next year.Grad school rejection — Aubrey got rejected from the program she applied to and, understandably, went through a "no I hate you guys, I'm not doing math" phase before finding her footing again.Health note — Peter shares a study finding that a single dedicated chunk of exercise (e.g., one 5,000-step walk) produces measurably better outcomes than the same total steps spread throughout the day in small bursts.No Astro Fact this week — Aubrey flags it's coming next episode after she does a deep dive. Stay tuned.

    39 min

  5. 8 MARS

    Everything is Vibes-Based

    Peter and Aubrey dig into the role music plays in their daily lives — not what they're listening to, but how and when they listen. The conversation covers workout playlists, surgery soundtracks, sleep conditioning, studying to isochronic tones on YouTube, and the art of playlist curation. A highlight: Peter reveals an elaborate system of thematic, pun-named playlists (Egyptian death metal, Lovecraft, Poe references) that genuinely impresses Aubrey, who mostly just has "My Pookies" and a birthday party banger playlist she still uses. SHOW NOTES The topic: Peter proposes talking about the role music plays in their lives — not recommendations, but how and when they actually use it throughout the day.Aubrey's origin story: She shares a memory from childhood of seeing a hospital bio that described Peter as loving music — and being completely confused, because her only concept of "music" at the time was what her mom played on the piano.Vibes-based listening: Both Peter and Aubrey describe a shared but hard-to-explain phenomenon — channel-surfing through albums and playlists until something clicks, with no rational explanation for why one thing works and another doesn't.Albums vs. playlists: Peter listens almost exclusively to full albums, but creates playlists to queue multiple albums in a row. Aubrey curates mood-specific playlists of individual songs — and Hayden's entire music library is basically just her playlists.Peter's playlist names: An extended segment where Peter reveals his elaborate, pun-based playlist naming system — highlights include "A State of Denial" (Egyptian death metal / the band Nile), "Quoth the Raven" (bands with members of Nevermore), "An Elder List" (Lovecraft/Cthulhu-themed metal), and "Let My People Go" (all things Exodus).Blocked artists: Aubrey has Taylor Swift, Drake, and Kanye permanently blocked on Spotify. On Drake specifically: she always hated his voice, then the Kendrick beef gave her a "valid reason" she'd been waiting for.Surgery playlists: Peter reveals most of his surgeries finish in under one album's length, so he usually just starts an album. Longer cases (robotic surgery) get a full playlist.Study music deep dive: Aubrey credits a YouTube channel called Jason Lewis Mind Amend — isochronic tones over repetitive electronic beats, with thumbnails of animals wearing headphones — for getting her through her degree. She's convinced that if she heard the lizard video again, she'd involuntarily snap into astrophysics homework mode.Sleep conditioning: Aubrey listened to Five Easy Hotdogs by Mac DeMarco every night during her hospital shifts until her top 12 Spotify Wrapped songs were just the album, in order. Now it works on planes too.No Astro Fact or Health Note this week — both Peter and Aubrey come up empty, but Aubrey teases a spring break deep dive on an astrophysics concept.

    41 min

  6. 22 FÉVR.

    Fitness, Feelings, and Finding the Trends

    This week on Generations, we dive into health tracking—why we use it, where it falls short, and how it can actually help instead of hurt. We talk Apple Watches, calorie deficits, anxiety, sleep data, menstrual cycle tracking, and why trends matter more than daily numbers. We share what we’ve learned from years of experimenting with fitness wearables, why privacy matters in tech, and how being “in tune with our bodies” isn’t about obsession—it’s about awareness. And we wrap with some surprising research on how just a little resistance training can dramatically lower your risk of death and even cancer.  Show Notes  We kick off with winter fatigue, weird sleep weeks, and how small disruptions affect how we feel.Why this episode started with a text about starting a calorie deficit — and why we decided tracking was worth discussing.Peter’s long experiment with wearables (Fitbit, Garmin, Pebble, Microsoft Band) — and why most of them ultimately fell short.Why we landed on the Apple Watch:Best overall smartwatch experienceSolid fitness tracking for normal humansActually useful smart featuresBetter privacy model than Google-owned ecosystemsThe real value of tracking:Not the daily numbersThe trends over timeUsing data for awareness, not obsessionHeart rate alerts and anxiety:Using elevated heart rate notifications as a cue to regulateTracking medication side effects responsiblyCalorie tracking on a cut:We don’t rely on watch calorie burn to determine deficitsApps like Chronometer and MacroFactor help — but ease of use mattersSleep tracking:Sleep latency, HRV, resting heart rateSeeing physiological effects of behaviors (like late eating)Why tracking can be helpful if it doesn’t increase anxietyCycle tracking & women’s health:Logging symptoms daily reveals powerful patternsHormones affect sleep, hunger, mood, and performanceBeing in an “in tune with my body” eraApple Health collects a lot of data — but doesn’t present it well.Third-party apps like Athlytic make it more usable.Medical Fact:Resistance + cardio training linked to 40% lower all-cause mortalityNearly 30% lower cancer-specific mortalityStrength training plays a particularly protective role

    42 min

  7. 8 FÉVR.

    Mistborn, Stormlight, and the High-Risk of Art Adaptations

    This week, we dig into the news that Brandon Sanderson has sold the rights to the entire Cosmere to Apple TV. We talk through our initial reactions—excitement mixed with very real nervousness—about what it means when beloved books make the jump to live-action. Along the way, we explore why Apple TV might actually be the best possible home for something this ambitious, how creative control (and unfinished stories) matter more than ever, and what makes Sanderson’s worlds both uniquely difficult and incredibly promising to adapt. We wrap up with thoughts on casting, representation, unfinished series trauma, and why this could be one of the rare cases where hope feels justified. Show Notes We open with a quick life check-in, including wildly different winter weather and a discussion of apartment life, visitors, and an ever-expanding collection of houseplants.We shift into the main topic: the announcement that Apple TV has acquired the rights to the entire Cosmere.Initial reactions focus on adaptation anxiety—why turning beloved books into movies or shows so often goes wrong, and why live-action adaptations feel especially risky.We talk about how Sanderson’s reported level of creative control is unusual, especially compared to other high-profile adaptations.Peter reflects on growing up with The Lord of the Rings and how that experience shapes his optimism about adaptations done well.We discuss why animation might have been safer—and why live action still has enormous potential if handled carefully.A big point of optimism: Apple TV’s reputation among creators for funding projects well, giving creative freedom, and actually letting stories finish.Comparisons to Netflix and Amazon highlight the frustration of canceled shows and unfinished narratives.We talk about how Apple’s long-term planning (and willingness to greenlight full arcs) could be critical for something as massive as Stormlight and Mistborn.Casting comes up, with strong agreement that unknown actors would be ideal to avoid baggage and preserve immersion.We joke about nightmare casting scenarios and the dangers of star-driven decisions.Representation matters: we discuss how Stormlight’s cultures are intentionally written and why accurate casting is important.We explore the challenge of Cosmere “cross-pollination” and how later books rely heavily on wider lore.Peter raises an interesting upside: some of Sanderson’s weaker prose moments may translate better on screen, where dialogue and visuals carry more weight.We touch on structural questions—movies vs. series, pacing, and how to handle extremely long books.

    35 min

  8. 25 JANV.

    Gaming Across Generations

    This week, we dive into video games—what we play, what we love, what we bounce off of, and what being a “gamer” even means anymore. We talk through our very different gaming habits, from hundreds of hours in Stardew Valley and Minecraft to deep, story-driven single-player epics like Mass Effect and Assassin’s Creed. Along the way, we explore why some games feel comforting, why others feel like work, how difficulty and time shape our choices, and how gaming has changed with age, technology, and expectations. It’s a laid-back, honest conversation about play, frustration, storytelling, and why it’s okay to like what you like.   Show Notes We open with a quick check-in about extreme winter weather, frozen windows, and how different winters feel depending on where you liveWe introduce the episode’s theme: video games we love, games we don’t, and what we’re currently playingWe question what it even means to be a “gamer” in 2026, especially in a world where mobile games dominate total playtimeWe talk about how gaming habits change with age, time constraints, and life responsibilitiesAubrey walks through her most-played games:Stardew Valley as her all-time favorite, including multiple worlds, co-op play, and reaching “perfection”Minecraft as both a comfort game and a way to stay connected during long-distance relationshipsHow co-op gaming became a form of long-distance date nightWe discuss different types of games and why they appeal differently:Sandbox and simulation gamesRoguelikes and progression-based loopsLoot-driven games like Diablo and BorderlandsStory-first, single-player gamesPeter explains why story and characters are the biggest draw for him, especially in:The Mass Effect trilogy as his all-time favorite gaming experienceAssassin’s Creed Origins and Odyssey, and why Valhalla eventually felt too grindyWe talk about difficulty settings, “story mode,” and why difficulty shouldn’t be a barrier to enjoying gamesWe discuss games we want to like but don’t:Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the KingdomSuper Mario platformersWhy exploration-heavy games don’t always clickAubrey shares her experience with Cult of the Lamb, including finishing it on normal difficulty and attempting the harder survival modeWe explore It Takes Two as a co-op experience that’s fun but emotionally and mechanically demandingAubrey talks about discovering a newer, more systems-focused space game and why optimization and calm progression really work for herPeter brings up Cyberpunk 2077 as one of the best—but emotionally heavy—games he’s ever playedWe touch on party and group games:Mario KartBoomerang FuSuper Smash Bros (and character loyalty)We talk about competitive vs. solo gaming and why online multiplayer just doesn’t appeal to usPeter reflects on strategy games like Civilization—always buying them, rarely playing themWe close by agreeing that gaming doesn’t need justification: comfort games count, single-player counts, and enjoying one game deeply is enough

    48 min
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À propos

A father and daughter discuss life across their generations. Science, medicine, music, and whatever else they choose to discuss are on the table.

Informations

  • Création
    Peter and Aubrey Jones
  • Années d’activité
    2021 - 2026
  • Épisodes
    69
  • Classification
    Contenu explicite
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Peter and Aubrey Jones
  • Site web de l’émission
    Generations