The Phileas Club

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

5 juin 2026· 1:08:32

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.

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

22 mai 2026· 1:00:01

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.

Hey Phileas, I want to talk about the new podcasters

8 mai 2026· 56:29

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.

Hey Phileas, something happened in Hungary

24 avril 2026· 36:35

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.

Hey Phileas, let's talk about Iran

10 avril 2026· 56:58

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.

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

27 mars 2026· 48:37

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.

Hey Phileas, nuclear is back!

13 mars 2026· 51:46

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.

Hey Phileas, I (don't) hate the delivery dude (anymore)

27 février 2026· 44:04

Hey Phileas, Patrick talks about something personal and something local in France, and John tells us about how Australia is coping with the attack on Bondi Beach

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 205 - Hey Phileas, I (don't) hate the delivery dude (anymore)

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.

And finally the Beepless Bruce Woodward produces the show.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, here are five interesting books I think you'd like

13 février 2026· 58:25

Hey Phileas, Patrick talks about discovering aphantasia, Dan talks about being a tourist in India and Jean talks about the business environment in Sweden.

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 204 - Hey Phileas, here are five interesting books I think you'd like

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.

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!

And finally the a-fantastic Bruce Woodward produces the show.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, we need to talk about Minnesota

28 janvier 2026· 37:06

Hey Phileas, Patrick, Gunnar and Alec tell us about Minesotta.

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 203 - Hey Phileas, we need to talk about Minnesota

Contributors:

Patrick does podcasts for a living and hails from France (and often Finland) with his wonderful wife and two kids.

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.

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.

And finally Bruce Woodward produces the show.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, I'm really confused right now

16 janvier 2026· 49:23

Hey Phileas, Patrick is a bunch confused despite feeling swell, Bart tells us about how he is keeping sane and Michael tells us about the new Japanese Prime Minister.

If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

If you just want to send in a one off letter in to Phileas please feel free to send in your contributions 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 202 - Hey Phileas, I'm really confused right now

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.

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.

And finally the producery Bruce Woodward produces the show!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, it's the last letter of 2025!

19 décembre 2025· 35:03

Hey Phileas, Patrick talks about former president Nicolas Sarkozy and his stint in prison and Tom ponders just how important recognising our bias is.

If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 201 - Hey Phileas, it's the last letter of 2025!

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 unbiased Bruce Woodward produces the show!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, We all have biases

5 décembre 2025· 1:01:25

Hey Phileas, Patrick talks about how we have biases, Matthias discusses the institutionalisation of fascism in Germany and Baptiste talks about how people vote in Switzerland and what that says about us as a society.

If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 200 - Hey Phileas, We all have biases

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.

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 Bruce "Amazing People" Woodward produces the show!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, I'm not special anymore

21 novembre 2025· 48:51

Hey Phileas, Patrick makes a special request, Gunnar discusses the government shutdown on local politics and John talks about AI bubbles whilst amongst race riots.

If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 199 - Hey Phileas, I'm not special anymore

Contributors:

Patrick does podcasts for a living and hails from France (and often Finland) with his wonderful wife and two kids.

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.

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.

The great Bruce Woodward produces the show!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, There Are Diminishing Returns on Anger

7 novembre 2025· 39:17

Hey Phileas, Patrick talks about the hardships of being a content creator and Paul talks about the teacher's strike in Canada.

If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 198 - Hey Phileas, There Are Diminishing Returns on Anger

Contributors:

Patrick does podcasts for a living and hails from France (and often Finland) with his wonderful wife and two kids.

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.

The astounding Bruce Woodward produces the show!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, There's Hope to be Had

24 octobre 2025· 38:48

Hey Phileas, Patrick talks about political culture, Dan talks about the difficulties in Mexico, and Bruce gives us hope with Zack Polanski,

If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 197 - Hey Phileas, There's Hope to be Had

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.

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 47... recently back into World of Warcraft and re-learning how to play bass guitar, which is apparently not like riding a bike.

He also produces the show!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, did you know France is a mess too?

10 octobre 2025· 44:34

Hey Phileas, Patrick talks to us about a very interesting event, Michael talks about baseball in Japan with some life lessons learned, and Alec talks about being an ex-pat, what it means, and how he feels about it.

If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 195 - Hey Phileas, did you know France is a mess too?

Contributors:

Patrick does podcasts for a living and hails from France (and often Finland) with his wonderful wife and two kids.

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.

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.

And the superlative Bruce Woodward produces the show!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, how do I stay sane?

26 septembre 2025· 45:55

Hey Phileas, Patrick talks about American lives among other things, Tom talks about his news regime to stay sane and Matthias talks about conscription in Germany and its history.

If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 195 - Hey Phileas, how do I stay sane?

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.

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.

And the amazing Bruce Woodward produces the show!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, what does "integrated" mean?

12 septembre 2025· 41:44

Hey Phileas, Patrick talks about the fall of the 1,200th French government in 18 months, Baptiste, talks about being integrated in Switzerland and Gunnar talks about nature reserves and school shootings...

If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 194 - Hey Phileas, what does "integrated" mean?

Contributors:

Patrick does podcasts for a living and hails from France (and often Finland) with his wonderful wife and two kids.

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.

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 the wonderful Bruce Woodward produces the show!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, it's international plumbing day

29 août 2025· 50:35

Hey Phileas, today we've had a holiday and we are exhausted.

If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 193 - Hey Phileas, it's international plumbing day

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.

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.

And the wonderful Bruce Woodward produces the show!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, Let's talk about Gaza

15 août 2025· 1:08:00

Hey Phileas, today we talk about Gaza and about the fall out of American tariffs and the idea of a very Canadian fifty first state.

If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 192 - Hey Phileas, Let's talk about Gaza

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.

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 am 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, we don't want to talk politics today

1 août 2025· 32:11

Hey Phileas, today I don't want to talk about politics anymore, and want to talk about how useful debating really is and how important it is to have community. Alec introduces himself and how ideas can change and how important it is to get to know people and how easy it is to misunderstand.

If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

Alec on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/lancaster2124.bsky.social

The Phileas Club 191 - Hey Phileas, We don't want to talk politics today

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 in France/Switzerland permanently.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, Matthias Gets Real

18 juillet 2025· 41:22

Hey Phileas, today I am on vacation in Finland, and talk about how tired we all are these days and how we all view taxes differently. Matthias talks about the recent German elections and how some political strategies might not be as clever as people think they are.

If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 190 - Hey Phileas, Matthias Gets Real

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, It's a French Consensus!

4 juillet 2025· 32:10

Hey Phileas, today I talk about how mean kids books can be here, how hot it is right now and how Bruce is always right, and we hear from Baptiste who talks about consensus politics in Switzerland.

If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 189 - Hey Phileas, It's a French Consensus!

Contributors:

Patrick does podcasts for a living and hails from France (and often Finland) with his wonderful wife and two kids.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, Bruce gets preachy

20 juin 2025· 32:47

Hey Phileas, today I have an issue with social media and how it is impacting our kids and wants to know what your "thing" is, and we hear from Bruce of The Brexit Saga and Parenthood Trials fame who has a little monologue about where we could possibly do better.

If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 188 - Hey Phileas, Bruce gets preachy

Contributors:

Patrick does podcasts for a living and hails from France (and often Finland) with his wonderful wife and two kids.

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 47... recently back into World of Warcraft and re-learning how to play bass guitar, which is apparently not like riding a bike.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, Gunnar is back

6 juin 2025· 42:35

Hey Phileas, today we hear from Gunnar from back in the day with a thoughtful letter, and I go on about a couple more things I noticed in France and how awesome our healthcare system is (even though most French people don't think so).

If you're interested in becoming an AWESOME contributor please fill out this form: ➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 187 - Hey Phileas, Gunnar is back

Contributors:

Patrick does podcasts for a living and hails from France (and often Finland) with his wonderful wife and two kids.

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, I have a problem with France

30 mai 2025· 21:52

Hey all, in this today's episode I talk about my very serious problem with being back in France, and a discussion happening around the "right to die" being discussed and voted on in the country. Hope you enjoy the episode and I'll talk to you in the next one!

If you're interested in becoming a contributor, please feel free to fill out this form:

➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 186 - Hey Phileas, I have a problem with France

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, I went to the Mediterranean

16 mai 2025· 38:24

Hey everyone! For this episode you get Patrick and, back from the olden days of Phileas Club, Bart! Yay!

I talk about our trip to Nice and the despair of realizing nobody listens to anybody anymore, and Bart covers immigration policy in the US and real estate in Ireland.

Hope you enjoy and talk to you next time!

If you're interested in becoming a contributor, please feel free to fill out this form:

➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 185 - Hey Phileas, I went to the Mediterranean

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.

Bruce is a wonderful man from Scotland who helps out with production.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hey Phileas, here's the new format

2 mai 2025· 43:21

Here we are! This is the first evolution of the new format: we're going from "Patrick talks" to "Patrick talks, but also you sometimes get 'letters' from different people around the world telling you what's happening in their corner of the planet".

There won't necessarily be contributor segments for every episode, but I do hope it will be a very regular occurrence. I think it's a really good way to get a bit more of the spirit that makes this show special, and I hope you enjoy it too. :)

And this week I'm incredibly thankful to welcome John from Australia and Paul from Canada (short bios just below). Many many many thanks to both. Many thanks also to Bruce, who's being kind enough to help me out with production.

And if you're interested in becoming a contributor like John and Paul, please feel free to fill out this form:

➡️➡️ https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7 ⬅️⬅️

Oh and we are going with a generic / symbolic greeting with "Hey Phileas" as an opener. I explain why I think it works in my segment. I also talk about how Thunderbolts and super heroes and not so super heroes relate to our current... situation. No spoilers, I promise.

Have a lovely week end, and talk to you soon.

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

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.

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 am 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The shift on our side of the Atlantic

18 avril 2025· 32:56

Hey all, the sun is out, it's a good day! (right?)

Today I focus on how the EU is reacting to .... *waves hands around*, and how we could actually be heading towards the least bad outcome.

Also, if you'd like to become a contributor to the show, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/KJdRRqh4ngERAu7G7

Much love,

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What I think about when it's too much

4 avril 2025· 31:58

Hey y'all, here's what's on the menu today:

The leader of the far right in France being sentenced to "ineligibility".
The Trump tariffs... but only tangentially. I actually talk about being "measured".

Have a lovely weekend, and talk to you next time.

--

Patrick

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're not completely insane

21 mars 2025· 28:37

Hey all, three topics today!

The show format (and the "weekly letter from a friend in France" option).
Local News: what LFI did now (and why I seem to fixate on them).
Int'l News: the US department of education and whether he's a Russian plant.

Hope you enjoy it! (can we even say that about this show??? :D )

Much love, talk soon.

--

Patrick

Support the show on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ThePhileasClub

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 181 - We're not *completely* insane

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

America World Police Forever

7 mars 2025· 34:17

Hey all, so this is the show after the Zelensky debacle in the oval office.

... ... ...

Guess what we're talking about!!

Also I discuss a couple of minor other things, like the way the show could evolve going forwards question mark question mark question mark.

--

Patrick

Support the show on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ThePhileasClub

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 180 - America World Police Forever

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The House is Burning and I'm Rearranging Plates

21 février 2025· 41:59

Hey all. I'm pretty defeated... I guess you can hear that in my voice. But I try not to let that affect me too much, there's podcasts to record.

Today I discuss the feedback from last episode, AI initiatives and Nutriscore in France, and our concerns about the Trump / Russia deal in progress.

I hope (against hope) that you get something out of this!

--

Patrick

Support the show on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ThePhileasClub

I'm on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/notpatrick.com

Come chat on Discord: https://notpatrick.com/discord/

The Phileas Club 179 - The House is Burning and I'm Rearranging Plates

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Phileas Club 178 - I'd Rather Have That Than Nothing

5 février 2025· 58:46

Hey I'm back! And swearing! Maybe a bit too much. But it is an hour long show, so maybe the rate of expletives is acceptable.

So what's on the menu today? Well, after a 10 minutes introduction I go on to talk about the situation in the US (mostly in incomprehensible rantings), and the I explain why all of this is your fault. Mostly it has to do with wokes being obnoxious and trust in government being eroded by populists and media (and everyone in America if we're being honest). Is it ok if I put a smiley here?

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, but most of all I hope it makes some sense.

Let me know what you think.

--

Patrick