The Phileas Club

4.8 (101)
Society & Culture
Updated Monthly

World news, the "not boring" way: get the news at the source! People from around the world tell you what has been making the news in their country, both locally and internationally. The Phileas Club is a show about different cultures and opinions, and the space between them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8h ago

Hey Phileas, Francesca says you should walk

Hey Phileas, this week Patrick talks about something French and Tom tells us about the Mayoral election in LA. If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️ Or just send a letter directly (with a few details about you) to phileas@frenchspin.com -- Patrick I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/ The Phileas Club 213 - here are five AWESOME books for you to read Contributors: Patrick does podcasts for a living and hails from France (and often Finland) with his wonderful wife and two kids. Tom is a US-based independent tech podcaster who lives in Los Angeles with his excellent content creator wife and their Instagram-famous dog. And finally the Bruce "The Demoted" Woodward also produces the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

49 min
Jun 5

Hey Phileas, here are five AWESOME books for you to read

Hey Phileas, this week Patrick takes a break from the serious world news and also recommends some books, John hopes to not continue his curse and Michael tells us about how supply chains are impacting Japanese politics. If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️ Or just send a letter directly (with a few details about you) to phileas@frenchspin.com -- Patrick I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/ The Phileas Club 212 - here are five AWESOME books for you to read Contributors: Patrick does podcasts for a living and hails from France (and often Finland) with his wonderful wife and two kids. John was born in Melbourne, Australia, let's face it, an ever-increasing long time ago. His childhood saw him moving between the UK, Melbourne and Sydney. He initially pursued a career in sound (a highlight from this era was mastering Metallica's legendary Black Album (for its cassette release (though he usually doesn't mention that bit)). He later switched gears, studying archaeology and then IT/Programming, which launched a successful tech career. He remains a lifelong musician, currently playing with the band Monkeyskin (monkeyskin.au), and is a loving husband and father of four. Michael Westbay is a software developer living in Yokohama, Japan. He's lived in Japan for a total of 38 years, where he and his wife, Margarita, raised two wonderful children. Besides programming, Michael really enjoys Japanese baseball. He started writing about Japanese baseball on the Internet in 1995 and continues to manage a sports database for not only Japanese baseball, but also Korean and Taiwanese professional leagues. He helped people visiting Japan get tickets for 9 years (after which the Yomiuri Giants, who originally suggested that he get tickets through their Fan Club for early access, decided to shut the business down). He still helps people get tickets on their own via a shared Google Sheet. You can find him by his handle, Westbaystars (a combination of Westbay and BayStars -- the local Yokohama professional baseball team) in most places, though he's not really active on the socials. And finally the Bruce "The Backup" Woodward also produces the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1h 9m
May 22

Hey Phileas, Jean wants to tell you about parenthood (in different countries)

Hey Phileas, this week Patrick talks about Finland and what it is like being a content creator, Jean talks about parenthood in different countries and Bruce talks the results of the most recent UK elections. If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️ Or just send a letter directly (with a few details about you) to phileas@frenchspin.com -- Patrick I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/ The Phileas Club 211 - Jean wants to tell you about parenthood (in different countries) Contributors: Patrick does podcasts for a living and hails from France (and often Finland) with his wonderful wife and two kids. Jean Guegant is a French Software Developer working on video-game engines. His passion for computer science and his thrill for adventures led him to experience life in different countries in his twenties. He has now settled in Stockholm, Sweden, for over a decade with his lovely partner from Hong-Kong and his two children. Though desk-bound by work, he prefers outdoor activities and somewhat extreme sports: windsurfing on water or ice, snowboarding, bouldering... all the while listening to podcasts! Bruce does not do podcasts and has no wife but has two wonderful kids and is happily divorced! He lives in Scotland living the lower-middle class dream, originally from Zimbabwe but moved several times over the years. He works as a data monkey for a Health and Social Care Partnership and loves to play computer games even at 48... recently back into World of Warcraft and re-learning how to play bass guitar, which is apparently not like riding a bike. And finally the Bruce "Everpresent" Woodward also produces the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

1 hr
May 8

Hey Phileas, I want to talk about the new podcasters

Hey Phileas, this week Patrick talks about the new kind of podcasters and moustaches... Alex talks about cheeseburgers and Bruce talks about how our voices are important. If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️ Or just send a letter directly (with a few details about you) to phileas@frenchspin.com -- Patrick I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/ The Phileas Club 210 - I want to talk about the new podcasters Contributors: Patrick does podcasts for a living and hails from France (and often Finland) with his wonderful wife and two kids. Alec is a middle-class white American dude originally from the suburbs of Chicago. He moved to the French/Swiss border almost exactly 3 years ago to do PhD research at CERN, and now lives with his wife in Clermont-Ferrand on a research contract. He moved knowing no French and expecting to be there for just one year, but for so many reasons he decided to stay there permanently. Bruce does not do podcasts and has no wife but has two wonderful kids and is happily divorced! He lives in Scotland living the lower-middle class dream, originally from Zimbabwe but moved several times over the years. He works as a data monkey for a Health and Social Care Partnership and loves to play computer games even at 48... recently back into World of Warcraft and re-learning how to play bass guitar, which is apparently not like riding a bike. And finally the Bruce "The Self Indulgent" Woodward also produces the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

56 min
Apr 24

Hey Phileas, something happened in Hungary

Hey Phileas, this week Patrick talks about the election in Hungary and having children and when they are not about and Dan talks movie festivals and international travel. If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️ Or just send a letter directly (with a few details about you) to phileas@frenchspin.com -- Patrick I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/ The Phileas Club 209 - something happened in Hungary Contributors: Patrick does podcasts for a living and hails from France (and often Finland) with his wonderful wife and two kids. Dan was born in a small city and moved to bigger places until he found his home in Mexico City. Far from the cows and the ranch, he has worked in advertising, taught classes, and enjoys making podcasts—even if it sometimes feels like podcasting will never catch on. He’s also a tech enthusiast and an AI skeptic—not because he doesn’t know how to use the latest digital toys, but because he uses them constantly, and his main job is fixing the things the robot overlords don’t (yet) know how to solve. You can find him as DanCampos on Bluesky and X, or just google “Noticias de Tecnología Express” or “Churros y Palomitas” and you’ll see his face. And finally the Bruce "Title-less" Woodward produces the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

37 min
Apr 10

Hey Phileas, let's talk about Iran

Hey Phileas, this week Patrick talks about the unintended consequences of the war in Iran, Bart talks about social health care in Ireland and Gunnar tells about what it means to be a Minnesotan and the various connotations of Ice Out. If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️ Or just send a letter directly (with a few details about you) to phileas@frenchspin.com -- Patrick I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/ The Phileas Club 208 - let's talk about Iran Contributors: Patrick does podcasts for a living and hails from France (and often Finland) with his wonderful wife and two kids. Bart is a cybersecurity specialist and podcaster originally from Flanders in Belgium but living in Ireland since the age of four. Bart podcasts about cybersecurity, programming, the art and craft of photography, and all things Apple. Bart now lives west of Dublin at boundary between urban and rural Ireland with his husband of twelve years. Gunnar Carlson (he/him) is a lifelong resident of Minnesota and loves the outdoors and working on equity and representation in outdoor recreation. Gunnar spends his personal time advocating for all outdoor recreation to be more inclusive and welcoming while also advocating for more opportunities in general. He loves to fish, camp, hike and mountain bike. Gunnar currently works for Riverton Community Housing at the University of MN where he works with seven cooperative boards to help build their capacity to better represent their members to Riverton while also improving their quality of life through governance. In this role Gunnar has had the opportunity to represent Riverton to the larger community and focus on the policy side of things. And finally the Bruce "The Quality Co-Ordinator" Woodward produces the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

57 min
Mar 27

Hey Phileas, our (municipal) elections didn't go the way we thought

Hey Phileas, Patrick talks about the Municipal elections in France and elegance in Paris, Tom talks about Mayoral elections in LA and Baptiste tells us about the effect of the cost of rent prices in Switzerland. If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️ Or just send a letter directly (with a few details about you) to phileas@frenchspin.com -- Patrick I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/ The Phileas Club 207 - Hey Phileas, our (municipal) elections didn't go the way we thought Contributors: Patrick does podcasts for a living and hails from France (and often Finland) with his wonderful wife and two kids. Tom is a US-based independent tech podcaster who lives in Los Angeles with his excellent content creator wife and their Instagram-famous dog. Baptiste is 26, he grew up in a small village in eastern France and moved to Switzerland at 18 to pursue his studies. He now works as an engineer in Zürich, where he also enjoys outdoor sports, podcasting, and cooking. Politically, he describes himself as a classical liberal, though he believes most people don't fit neatly into any one category. And finally the Bruce "The Unelected" Woodward produces the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

49 min
Mar 13

Hey Phileas, nuclear is back!

Hey Phileas, Patrick talks about the war in Iran, nuclear energy in Europe, and Overwatch! Matthias tells us about strategic autonomy at our level, and Paul tells us about what is going on in Canada and his involvement in political life. If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️ Or just send a letter directly (with a few details about you) to phileas@frenchspin.com -- Patrick I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/ The Phileas Club 206 - Hey Phileas, nuclear is back! Contributors: Patrick does podcasts for a living and hails from France (and often Finland) with his wonderful wife and two kids. Born in the 80s, Matthias is a millennial who grew up with the promise of a brave new world with jet packs and warp drive, only to end up in whatever this is right now. On his way he studied political science, which makes him despair every time he overhears people talk about politics on the train but also made him want to explain to people how political systems actually work. Which he also got to do for an international audience on the Phileas Club. He has lived in different parts of the country over the years but is now based in the southwest of Germany, near the French border, where he follows some of his nerdier passions and is working for a non-profit organization running a maker space and supporting repair initiatives. Paul was born in Winnipeg Manitoba, and moved to Calgary Alberta at the age of 14. He has now lived in Alberta for almost 30 years. He is a father of 2, a 13 year old boy and a 10 year old girl. He has been married for 17 years. He enjoys PC gaming and summer outdoor activities like Cycling and running. And finally the Bruce "The Worrier" Woodward produces the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

52 min

See All (218)

4.8

out of 5

101 Ratings

One of the Best Podcasts Around!

03/31/2019

svenlore

I love listening to the different perspectives of what's going on in the world today from people living in those countries. Patrick is a wonderful host and brings his own opinions but moderates the conversations with skill and good humor. He has covered some controversial topics such as gun control in America, Brexit, and what's been happening Venezuela. You can tell he's interested in the topics and treats his guest with respect. I look forward to each episode! Merci mille fois!
Nuanced conversations from around the world!

10/25/2018

Go GreenPLZ

This podcast provides political views and cultural norms from different countries around the world. This is a great thing in the current political climate worldwide. I believe more and more of these conversations are a good thing for all!
Fantastic!

12/09/2016

Scott Simon

So refreshing to hear people discuss/debate topics in a civil manner. Very informative to hear multiple viewpoints. Keep up the awesome work Patrick (and guests)!
Great podcast!!

11/19/2016

polaris20

I don't think I've ever heard people disagree so politely before! Enjoying hearing different perspectives and opinions.