Phillip T. Alden
philalden.bsky.social
Phillip T. Alden
@philalden.bsky.social
SF Peninsula native & resident, former stage tech, activist, volunteer. AA member. Fortunate partner. Dog & cat lover. Music lover. Horrid drummer. Allergic to bullshit. Kind with a spine. History buff.
A portion of the title of this week’s “Econoclast” podcast episode is: “..is a crypto crisis looming?”

No crypto assets no crisis. I’ve had people tell me how great crypto is if I just read this or that biased article. Our investments are fine Because we have no crypto. Never have, never will.
overcast.fm
October 31, 2025 at 11:26 AM
We flew to Sayulita today for Dios de Muertos, our annual trip to the casita we rent from a friend. We also come down here for the Christmas holidays.

We flew Alaska Airlines and they’re great. These handsome gentleman were our pilots. We fly here often and we love Alaska. They treat us very well.
October 31, 2025 at 5:28 AM
The view from our balcony. It’s going to be a beautiful day on the San Francisco Peninsula. I hope your day will be as beautiful.
October 28, 2025 at 3:33 PM
So-called “smart” glasses. First you’re anti-social & emotionally damaged & I’m going to tell you to fuck off. Then I’m going to rat you out to everyone in the vicinity. Second you’re a data whore for big tech. Third you’re contributing to the surveillance state. So how cool do you think you are?
October 17, 2025 at 6:56 AM
A friend shared this:

“Imagine you’re bit by a snake. Instead of healing yourself from the poison you look for the snake to ask it why it bit you and then explain why you didn’t deserve to get bit.”

Now why do I identify? Why do I want to go looking for the snake?
October 16, 2025 at 6:57 PM
@chrisgillard.bsky.social I really enjoyed your interview with Paris on TWSU.
October 16, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Reposted by Phillip T. Alden
10 families bask in a staggering combined wealth of £24.7bn, eclipsing the £24.5bn owned by #Scotland’s poorest 28 per cent — more than 1.5m people

While £7.7bn, along with 220,000 acres of land is owned by one man

Best #VoteGreen

morningstaronline.co.uk/article/tax-...
Tax on richest 10 families could lift 30,000 kids out of poverty
A WEALTH tax on Scotland’s 10 richest families could raise 30,000 children out of poverty at a stroke, according to a new report.In analysis for Tax Justice Scotland, an alliance of trade unions, comm...
morningstaronline.co.uk
October 8, 2025 at 8:24 AM
There’s an amusement park in Hershey, PA called Hershey Park. It’s dedicated to the famous chocolate company. (I know this because my husband is from PA.)

So my question is this:

Is the main thoroughfare through the park called “The Hershey Highway?”
October 9, 2025 at 9:06 AM
Gilmour has a new album out & it’s excellent. Listening to it I hear elements of post-Waters Pink Floyd, classic PF, and early Gilmour solo work. The music sounds intimate like you’re in the same room and he’s playing it for your benefit. I like the title track but it’s truly great start to finish.
October 7, 2025 at 1:15 AM
I didn’t know that Chile has the largest Lithium deposits in the world. This is an interesting conversation about renewables vs. fossil fuels. TMK is one of my favorite podcasts.
425. The Oxymorons of Green Capitalism (ft. Thea Riofrancos) — This Machine Kills
We are joined by Thea Riofrancos — author of Extraction: The Frontiers of Green Capitalism — to chat about the many frontiers, tensions, and futures of green capitalism. How do we understand a system ...
overcast.fm
September 30, 2025 at 5:53 AM
I’m an AA member. I was also an ACT-UP member and a medical marijuana activist. Cannabis is the ONLY medication for nerve pain. My AA sponsor knows I use it for Peripheral Neuropathy, (PN.) My doctor knows my AA status and my cannabis treatment. My recovery is not from pot. Alcohol is my problem.
September 25, 2025 at 2:22 AM
Batteries are toxic waste, not trash. You need to dispose of them properly. Pass it on.
September 25, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Think a Burmese Python in Florida can’t eat a deer?
September 24, 2025 at 2:15 AM
I don’t think, unless you have something like an Apple Watch, you realize how much walking you do in a day. Yesterday I did my normal routine then went to The Who concert. At the end of the night I’d walked over 12 miles. My average is 7-8 miles a day. I’m an active person so maybe I’m not the mean.
September 23, 2025 at 2:25 AM
My throat hurts and my legs and feet are aching from singing, dancing and cheering at The Who concert last night at Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View. Roger sounded great at 80 and Pete.. well Pete is a god. They didn’t have to do this tour. It was a gift to their fans.
September 22, 2025 at 10:57 PM
1/2

I’m seeing The Who tonight for the third & final time. Roger is 80 & Pete is 81, and the name of the tour is, “This Song Is Over,” after a famous Pete song. Townsend is one of my rock demigods. This is concert #4 this year and the one I’m most excited about. (Don’t tell Steven Wilson.) (Cont!)
September 21, 2025 at 9:02 PM
The Ankh is the Egyptian symbol for Life. The ancient Egyptians would say; “I hope you’re healthy and alive.” That’s an affirmative expression, I guess.
September 21, 2025 at 8:53 PM
My husband did something I didn’t expect. He asked me if I was watching anything on Disney+. I said no. We’re canceling our subscription because of their blatant censorship and capitulation to a wannabe autocrat. I’m usually the political one.

(He’s the cute one on the right.)
September 21, 2025 at 7:50 PM
This is deeply troubling. And as David Serota says it’s about more than the firing of a late-night comedian. It’s an assault on our first amendment rights.
The Real Reason Jimmy Kimmel Was Pulled From Late-Night — Lever Time
First, they cancelled Stephen Colbert; now they’ve pulled Jimmy Kimmel off the air. The common denominator? Corporate power. On today’s episode of Lever Time, David Sirota talks with media-consolidati...
overcast.fm
September 18, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Reposted by Phillip T. Alden
September 17, 2025 at 5:15 PM
You might ask what keeps me healthy. Believe me I see a lot of 60 year old guys who are in shit shape. I don’t drink (any more) but that’s not it.

I walk at least five miles a day.

(FYI - This photo was taken on the island of Mykonos in April 2025.)
September 18, 2025 at 5:17 AM
I heard someone ask another person who’s the best team in baseball. I now have an answer. The Mariners. I don’t want to see Raleigh break Willy’s record but records are made of be broken.
September 18, 2025 at 12:57 AM
I heard this song watching “The Blacklist” and it has to be the 7th or 8th musician that show has introduced me to. Radical Face’s “Family Tree” folk rock opera, and Keane. I love Keane.
Frankie Miler is well respected in the music world and this song I want played at my funeral. Far from now.
After All (I Live My Life) (2011 Remaster)
YouTube video by Frankie Miller - Topic
youtu.be
September 17, 2025 at 6:05 PM
This arrived in the mail today, my 6th or 7th Keane album. These guys could do no wrong. I’ve collected everything they released. I just got a 7-CD compilation of Frankie Miller and he was incredible. “Storm Corrosion” arrives later today. So much music, so little time.
September 16, 2025 at 11:23 PM
I was potentially exposed to COVID. I can’t test until Sunday morning. I’m isolating to keep my partner and others safe. It was a brief encounter and I’m probably clear. Fortunately we own the 1-bedroom unit next to our condo so it’s almost like being at home. A hotel would have sucked.
September 12, 2025 at 7:52 PM