Alex Pilkington
@alxpilk.bsky.social
Writer // Blogger | Historian Highwaymen TNT |📍Arlington/DC | Socials at GayPHX | | I touch grass. | 999
Threads - trashy, tasteful, and timely below. The good stuff is posted to Substack (@alxpilk), the rest ends up at alxpilk.me.
Be Kind. Be Human.
Threads - trashy, tasteful, and timely below. The good stuff is posted to Substack (@alxpilk), the rest ends up at alxpilk.me.
Be Kind. Be Human.
Pinned
The Architecture of Obsession. 🧵
There is a ghost in the machine of modern romance. It looks like love, burns like obsession, but is actually a "glitch" in our attachment software.
Psychologist Dorothy Tennov called it Limerence.
Let’s dismantle the mechanism. 👇
There is a ghost in the machine of modern romance. It looks like love, burns like obsession, but is actually a "glitch" in our attachment software.
Psychologist Dorothy Tennov called it Limerence.
Let’s dismantle the mechanism. 👇
Reposted by Alex Pilkington
Highwaymen TNT in 2001, from the Vern Stewart collection at the LA&M. Highwaymen TNT is a leather club that was founded in 1978 in Washington DC. #LeatherCommunity
November 29, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Highwaymen TNT in 2001, from the Vern Stewart collection at the LA&M. Highwaymen TNT is a leather club that was founded in 1978 in Washington DC. #LeatherCommunity
The Architecture of Obsession. 🧵
There is a ghost in the machine of modern romance. It looks like love, burns like obsession, but is actually a "glitch" in our attachment software.
Psychologist Dorothy Tennov called it Limerence.
Let’s dismantle the mechanism. 👇
There is a ghost in the machine of modern romance. It looks like love, burns like obsession, but is actually a "glitch" in our attachment software.
Psychologist Dorothy Tennov called it Limerence.
Let’s dismantle the mechanism. 👇
November 29, 2025 at 2:53 PM
The Architecture of Obsession. 🧵
There is a ghost in the machine of modern romance. It looks like love, burns like obsession, but is actually a "glitch" in our attachment software.
Psychologist Dorothy Tennov called it Limerence.
Let’s dismantle the mechanism. 👇
There is a ghost in the machine of modern romance. It looks like love, burns like obsession, but is actually a "glitch" in our attachment software.
Psychologist Dorothy Tennov called it Limerence.
Let’s dismantle the mechanism. 👇
Reposted by Alex Pilkington
Ho-ho-ho's!🎅🪵Our bar night on Dec 6th will bring rugged cheer.
👢 Bootblack: Zeus, fresh off a silver medal at The Bootblack Olympics, will be polishing gear. Are you MAL ready?
🍻 Bottomless: $20 wristbands for bottomless rail & draft beer. (Please tip your bartenders!)
See you at Uproar!
👢 Bootblack: Zeus, fresh off a silver medal at The Bootblack Olympics, will be polishing gear. Are you MAL ready?
🍻 Bottomless: $20 wristbands for bottomless rail & draft beer. (Please tip your bartenders!)
See you at Uproar!
November 27, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Ho-ho-ho's!🎅🪵Our bar night on Dec 6th will bring rugged cheer.
👢 Bootblack: Zeus, fresh off a silver medal at The Bootblack Olympics, will be polishing gear. Are you MAL ready?
🍻 Bottomless: $20 wristbands for bottomless rail & draft beer. (Please tip your bartenders!)
See you at Uproar!
👢 Bootblack: Zeus, fresh off a silver medal at The Bootblack Olympics, will be polishing gear. Are you MAL ready?
🍻 Bottomless: $20 wristbands for bottomless rail & draft beer. (Please tip your bartenders!)
See you at Uproar!
Should be quite the conversation!
Does big tech do more good than harm?
@robbysoave.bsky.social and I will argue yes, it does, in the next Reason Versus debate series...
reason.org/event/reason...
@robbysoave.bsky.social and I will argue yes, it does, in the next Reason Versus debate series...
reason.org/event/reason...
November 21, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Should be quite the conversation!
Reposted by Alex Pilkington
They really all are the same song.
November 21, 2025 at 8:00 PM
They really all are the same song.
1/ The Soundcloud Trinity—Juice WRLD, Lil Peep, and XXXTentacion—didn’t just rap about depression; they offered three distinct theologies of pain.
The Fighter, The Observer, and The Vessel.
A thread on the architecture of modern angst. 🧵
The Fighter, The Observer, and The Vessel.
A thread on the architecture of modern angst. 🧵
November 21, 2025 at 2:29 PM
1/ The Soundcloud Trinity—Juice WRLD, Lil Peep, and XXXTentacion—didn’t just rap about depression; they offered three distinct theologies of pain.
The Fighter, The Observer, and The Vessel.
A thread on the architecture of modern angst. 🧵
The Fighter, The Observer, and The Vessel.
A thread on the architecture of modern angst. 🧵
Reposted by Alex Pilkington
Sen. Favola: Redistricting effort holds potential, but also pitfalls, for Democrats
Sen. Favola: Redistricting effort holds potential, but also pitfalls, for Democrats | ARLnow.com
While supportive of redrawing congressional boundaries, one of Arlington's state legislators isn't convinced that it will guarantee her party more seats in the House of Representatives next year. "This...
www.arlnow.com
November 7, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Sen. Favola: Redistricting effort holds potential, but also pitfalls, for Democrats
Reposted by Alex Pilkington
I see some quibbling about if sandwich guy is really "jury nullification" (we know he's factually guilty and acquit anyway) or actually just a normal acquittal because the government didn't prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Fun thing about jury nullification is that's entirely unknowable.
Fun thing about jury nullification is that's entirely unknowable.
November 7, 2025 at 6:18 AM
I see some quibbling about if sandwich guy is really "jury nullification" (we know he's factually guilty and acquit anyway) or actually just a normal acquittal because the government didn't prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Fun thing about jury nullification is that's entirely unknowable.
Fun thing about jury nullification is that's entirely unknowable.
Nearing 7 years in DC - still with an OG ♥️♥️
Powerful documentary screening about the horrors of Civil Asset Forfeiture and the fight to end it.
www.whencopsbecomerobbers.com
Powerful documentary screening about the horrors of Civil Asset Forfeiture and the fight to end it.
www.whencopsbecomerobbers.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:12 AM
Nearing 7 years in DC - still with an OG ♥️♥️
Powerful documentary screening about the horrors of Civil Asset Forfeiture and the fight to end it.
www.whencopsbecomerobbers.com
Powerful documentary screening about the horrors of Civil Asset Forfeiture and the fight to end it.
www.whencopsbecomerobbers.com
Reposted by Alex Pilkington
New York voters were right to decide that they don't want a disgraced politician with a bad record, a worse attitude, and no vision running their city government.
Good riddance, Andrew Cuomo
New York voters were right to decide that they don't want a disgraced politician with a bad record, a worse attitude, and no vision.
reason.com
November 5, 2025 at 7:01 PM
New York voters were right to decide that they don't want a disgraced politician with a bad record, a worse attitude, and no vision running their city government.
Expected, but shameful nonetheless, result from the Sacramento power grabbers with Prop 50.
November 5, 2025 at 9:41 AM
Expected, but shameful nonetheless, result from the Sacramento power grabbers with Prop 50.
300 characters, perfect and bite-sized posts where people can feel comfortable trying to speak on topics woefully outside their range of expertise and background.... Social media is a blight.
The value is not in analysis and deep dives, but in digestible posts that can spark emotional reposts.
The value is not in analysis and deep dives, but in digestible posts that can spark emotional reposts.
November 5, 2025 at 2:53 AM
300 characters, perfect and bite-sized posts where people can feel comfortable trying to speak on topics woefully outside their range of expertise and background.... Social media is a blight.
The value is not in analysis and deep dives, but in digestible posts that can spark emotional reposts.
The value is not in analysis and deep dives, but in digestible posts that can spark emotional reposts.
1/12
Is voting a "moral duty" or totally pointless? We've been stuck in this academic debate for years. It's a luxury. It misses the real crisis.
Democracy isn't just in decline; it's being actively attacked from two sides at once, and the assault is accelerating.
Is voting a "moral duty" or totally pointless? We've been stuck in this academic debate for years. It's a luxury. It misses the real crisis.
Democracy isn't just in decline; it's being actively attacked from two sides at once, and the assault is accelerating.
November 4, 2025 at 5:55 PM
1/12
Is voting a "moral duty" or totally pointless? We've been stuck in this academic debate for years. It's a luxury. It misses the real crisis.
Democracy isn't just in decline; it's being actively attacked from two sides at once, and the assault is accelerating.
Is voting a "moral duty" or totally pointless? We've been stuck in this academic debate for years. It's a luxury. It misses the real crisis.
Democracy isn't just in decline; it's being actively attacked from two sides at once, and the assault is accelerating.
If you’re in California, vote NO on Prop 50 today - do not allow Newsome to ignore the will of the people that voted on independent redistricting commission. Power grabs are never temporary.
November 4, 2025 at 4:33 PM
If you’re in California, vote NO on Prop 50 today - do not allow Newsome to ignore the will of the people that voted on independent redistricting commission. Power grabs are never temporary.
I’m working on a blog post about voting today. Will be available before polls close this afternoon. 😊😁
November 4, 2025 at 2:45 PM
I’m working on a blog post about voting today. Will be available before polls close this afternoon. 😊😁
Reposted by Alex Pilkington
1/11
Americans spend billions annually to "end homelessness." And yet, the problem is visibly worse.
This isn't just a policy failure; it's a bureaucratic success. The crisis sustains the very machine that claims to be fighting it.
Americans spend billions annually to "end homelessness." And yet, the problem is visibly worse.
This isn't just a policy failure; it's a bureaucratic success. The crisis sustains the very machine that claims to be fighting it.
November 3, 2025 at 7:32 PM
1/11
Americans spend billions annually to "end homelessness." And yet, the problem is visibly worse.
This isn't just a policy failure; it's a bureaucratic success. The crisis sustains the very machine that claims to be fighting it.
Americans spend billions annually to "end homelessness." And yet, the problem is visibly worse.
This isn't just a policy failure; it's a bureaucratic success. The crisis sustains the very machine that claims to be fighting it.
1/6 🧵
We're suffocating under the therapeutic culture of total, revolutionary transformation. This constant, exhausting demand to "burn it all down" and be "reborn"—as if your life is a political regime to be overthrown.
It’s a fantasy. And it’s paralyzing.
We're suffocating under the therapeutic culture of total, revolutionary transformation. This constant, exhausting demand to "burn it all down" and be "reborn"—as if your life is a political regime to be overthrown.
It’s a fantasy. And it’s paralyzing.
November 3, 2025 at 6:24 PM
1/6 🧵
We're suffocating under the therapeutic culture of total, revolutionary transformation. This constant, exhausting demand to "burn it all down" and be "reborn"—as if your life is a political regime to be overthrown.
It’s a fantasy. And it’s paralyzing.
We're suffocating under the therapeutic culture of total, revolutionary transformation. This constant, exhausting demand to "burn it all down" and be "reborn"—as if your life is a political regime to be overthrown.
It’s a fantasy. And it’s paralyzing.
🧵 1/11
NYC Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has proposed a massive new spending agenda: $10B for housing, $1B for community safety, billions for childcare, and more.
How does he plan to pay for it? He claims $9 billion in new annual revenue from two tax hikes. Let's look at the math.
NYC Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has proposed a massive new spending agenda: $10B for housing, $1B for community safety, billions for childcare, and more.
How does he plan to pay for it? He claims $9 billion in new annual revenue from two tax hikes. Let's look at the math.
November 3, 2025 at 1:28 PM
🧵 1/11
NYC Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has proposed a massive new spending agenda: $10B for housing, $1B for community safety, billions for childcare, and more.
How does he plan to pay for it? He claims $9 billion in new annual revenue from two tax hikes. Let's look at the math.
NYC Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has proposed a massive new spending agenda: $10B for housing, $1B for community safety, billions for childcare, and more.
How does he plan to pay for it? He claims $9 billion in new annual revenue from two tax hikes. Let's look at the math.
Reposted by Alex Pilkington
If there is a word that describes the second Trump administration, it’s brazen. While I certainly hold open the possibility that dark deeds are being done in secret, one thing that is remarkable is how open and obvious he is with his self-dealing. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/02/o...
Opinion | Why Trump Can Do No Wrong
www.nytimes.com
November 2, 2025 at 4:13 PM
If there is a word that describes the second Trump administration, it’s brazen. While I certainly hold open the possibility that dark deeds are being done in secret, one thing that is remarkable is how open and obvious he is with his self-dealing. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/02/o...
Reposted by Alex Pilkington
⛓️ Arizona just got its own official State Leather Pride Flag - only the second one in the entire country.
It was designed by the one and only Mr. Anvil Phoenix 2025, Ben Calderon.
#PHXLeather #ArizonaLeather #LeatherPride #GayPHX
It was designed by the one and only Mr. Anvil Phoenix 2025, Ben Calderon.
#PHXLeather #ArizonaLeather #LeatherPride #GayPHX
October 29, 2025 at 5:42 PM
⛓️ Arizona just got its own official State Leather Pride Flag - only the second one in the entire country.
It was designed by the one and only Mr. Anvil Phoenix 2025, Ben Calderon.
#PHXLeather #ArizonaLeather #LeatherPride #GayPHX
It was designed by the one and only Mr. Anvil Phoenix 2025, Ben Calderon.
#PHXLeather #ArizonaLeather #LeatherPride #GayPHX
Reposted by Alex Pilkington
What does "queer and unapologetic" actually mean in PHX right now? We're getting into it on the livestream. Talking community safety, Pride vibes, and the power of just showing up. Tune in & spill the ☕ with us.
Listen live: https://GayPHX.com/radio
Listen live: https://GayPHX.com/radio
October 29, 2025 at 9:51 PM
What does "queer and unapologetic" actually mean in PHX right now? We're getting into it on the livestream. Talking community safety, Pride vibes, and the power of just showing up. Tune in & spill the ☕ with us.
Listen live: https://GayPHX.com/radio
Listen live: https://GayPHX.com/radio
A new NYT article by Finn Brunton titled "Crypto is the most successful libertarian project in American history" argues it's a tool for autocracy.
It's a powerful narrative, but it's based on a fundamental category error.
It fatally confuses the protocol with the persona. 🧵[1/11]
It's a powerful narrative, but it's based on a fundamental category error.
It fatally confuses the protocol with the persona. 🧵[1/11]
October 31, 2025 at 12:12 PM
A new NYT article by Finn Brunton titled "Crypto is the most successful libertarian project in American history" argues it's a tool for autocracy.
It's a powerful narrative, but it's based on a fundamental category error.
It fatally confuses the protocol with the persona. 🧵[1/11]
It's a powerful narrative, but it's based on a fundamental category error.
It fatally confuses the protocol with the persona. 🧵[1/11]
🧵1/6
Claim: “Porn didn’t worsen AIDS” and “social media isn’t fueling non-dysphoric trans/NB identities.”
Both are empirically false. Thread.
Claim: “Porn didn’t worsen AIDS” and “social media isn’t fueling non-dysphoric trans/NB identities.”
Both are empirically false. Thread.
In a shocking reality check, @wired.com is not, in fact, bankrolled by “donations from far left organizations.”
We actually rely on an amazing and growing audience of subscribers to support our journalism, so please subscribe to WIRED if you don’t already.
We actually rely on an amazing and growing audience of subscribers to support our journalism, so please subscribe to WIRED if you don’t already.
October 29, 2025 at 4:45 AM
🧵1/6
Claim: “Porn didn’t worsen AIDS” and “social media isn’t fueling non-dysphoric trans/NB identities.”
Both are empirically false. Thread.
Claim: “Porn didn’t worsen AIDS” and “social media isn’t fueling non-dysphoric trans/NB identities.”
Both are empirically false. Thread.