📡 Meshtastic 101
2025-03-17 12:00 - 13:30, 2025-03-28 15:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Join us for an introduction to Meshtastic, an application that lets you send private text messages over the air using pocket-sized LoRa radio transceivers. We’ll show you how to flash the latest Meshtastic firmware to the device, customize the settings, and start chatting with your friends.
Here’s a link to our zine on LoRa + Meshtastic.
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

🪡 Beginner Darning Workshop
2025-03-18 15:00 - 16:30 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Join us for a class on how to darn your clothes! Bring a garment with a small hole (dime-sized is ideal) or we’ll provide a scrap you can use. We’re recommending a $10–$20 donation for this workshop, notaflof.
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

✏️ The Writing Room
2025-03-18 17:00 - 19:30, 2025-03-25 17:00 - 19:30, 2025-04-01 17:00 - 19:30 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Come co-work with other writers in three 40-minute units of silent writing. Writers and projects of any type welcome. 10-minute breaks and accountability check-ins between units. BYO coffee, water, computer chargers, notepads, etc.

⚡ Beginner Soldering: Make a DIY Guitar Cable
2025-03-19 12:00 - 13:30, 2025-04-02 12:00 - 13:30 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Join us for a relatively quick and easy soldering workshop, suitable for total beginners! You’ll strip some wires and solder 1/4-inch plugs to the ends, creating your own guitar cable.
You can get a kit with 6 inches of cable for $4.25, or 4 feet for $13.50. We’re suggesting a $10–$20 donation for the class, notaflof.
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💾☀️ Permacomputing + Solarpunk Meetup
2025-03-19 18:30 - 20:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
The Permacomputing + Solarpunk meetup is every other third Wednesday at Iffy Books! You can join us in person (404 S. 20th St., PHL) or remotely via Jitsi Meet.
➡️ Virtual meetup link
From Permacomputing.net: Permacomputing is a more sustainable approach to computer and network technology inspired by permaculture. Permacomputing is both a concept and a community of practice oriented around issues of resilience and regenerativity in digital technology. In a time where computing epitomizes industrial waste, permacomputing encourages a more sustainable approach, maximizing hardware lifespans, minimizing energy use and focussing on the use of already available computational resources. We do this because humans are part of nature and technology is an extension of humans, and we acknowledge that technology has been used to harm nature. We want to find out how we can practice good relations with the Earth by learning from ecological systems to leverage and re-center existing technologies and practices. We are also interested in investigating what a permacomputing way of life could be, and what sort of transformative computational culture and aesthetics it could bring forward. If you want to know more, please start reading about what is permacomputing in essence, and then dive into its principles.
Permacomputing Aesthetics: Potential and Limits of Design Constraints in Computational Culture by Mansoux, Howell, Barok, and Heikkilä (2023)

📺 Solder & Code: Li'l Info Box
2025-03-20 12:00 - 14:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Build a minimal e-reader with a 0.96″ OLED screen, two buttons, and a knob to turn pages. Runs for several days on 3 AA batteries!
This is an intermediate-level soldering project. If you’re a complete beginner, you may want to take one of our other soldering classes first.
Instructions & example code at iffybooks.net/lil-info-box
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

📚 ̶C̶a̶p̶i̶t̶a̶l̶ ̶R̶e̶a̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶G̶r̶o̶u̶p̶ (canceled this week. sorry!)
2025-03-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
We’re canceling this week’s meeting due to an unforeseen issue. Very sorry for the delay! We hope you can make it on April 3rd.
̶J̶o̶i̶n̶ ̶u̶s̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶f̶i̶r̶s̶t̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶i̶r̶d̶ ̶T̶h̶u̶r̶s̶d̶a̶y̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶ ̶m̶o̶n̶t̶h̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶7̶ ̶p̶.̶m̶.̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶a̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶g̶r̶o̶u̶p̶ ̶o̶n̶ ̶C̶a̶p̶i̶t̶a̶l̶ ̶b̶y̶ ̶K̶a̶r̶l̶ ̶M̶a̶r̶x̶.̶
Reading for March 20th:
• The Buying and Selling of Labour-Power
• The Labour-Process and the Process of Producing Surplus-Value

We’re reading Paul Reitter’s recent translation (Princeton University Press, 2024).

📺 Solder & Code: Li'l Info Box
2025-03-21 14:00 - 16:00, 2025-03-24 12:00 - 14:00, 2025-03-27 17:30 - 19:30, 2025-03-29 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-03-30 10:00 - 12:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Build a minimal e-reader with a 0.96″ OLED screen, two buttons, and a knob to turn pages. Runs for several days on 3 AA batteries!
This is an intermediate-level soldering project. If you’re a complete beginner, you may want to take one of our other soldering classes first.
You can bring a laptop or use one of our lab computers. Instructions & example code at iffybooks.net/lil-info-box
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

🔓 TOOOL Lock Picking Meetup
2025-03-21 18:00 - 20:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
The third Friday of every month from 6–8 p.m. we host a meetup run by the Philadelphia Chapter of the Open Organization of Lockpickers.
> Come join us for our monthly open pick night at Iffy Books! Whether you’re a novice who just stumbled upon LockpickingLawyer, a seasoned safecracker, or somewhere in between, come join us for a evening of fun as we pop some locks.

🪐 Speculative Futures Reading Group: 'Orbital' by Samantha Harvey
2025-03-26 19:00 - 20:30
Join us Wednesday, March 26th at 7 p.m. to discuss the novel Orbital by Samantha Harvey (2023).
> Six astronauts rotate in their spacecraft above the earth. They are there to collect meteorological data, conduct scientific experiments and test the limits of the human body. But mostly they observe. Together they watch their silent blue planet, circling it sixteen times, spinning past continents and cycling through seasons, taking in glaciers and deserts, the peaks of mountains and the swells of oceans. Endless shows of spectacular beauty witnessed in a single day.
> Yet although separated from the world they cannot escape its constant pull. News reaches them of the death of a mother, and with it comes thoughts of returning home. They look on as a typhoon gathers over an island and people they love, in awe of its magnificence and fearful of its destruction. The fragility of human life fills their conversations, their fears, their dreams. So far from earth, they have never felt more part – or protective – of it. They begin to ask, what is life without earth? What is earth without humanity?
🎧 Get the audiobook on Libro.fm

❤️ Soldering Practice: LED Heart Board
2025-03-27 12:00 - 14:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Come out and get some soldering practice! This time we’re making a heart-shaped board with 22 LEDs, using an oscillator circuit to dim and brighten them at the speed you choose.
This project is ideal for folks who have soldered at least once before. Beginners are welcome to join us, but it may take you more than one session to finish. Working with a friend is encouraged!
The kit you’ll need to complete this project costs $5.50. We’re suggesting a $10–$30 donation for the class, no one turned away for lack of funds.
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

🎵 Cassette Mixtape Session
2025-03-28 11:00 - 12:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Bring a playlist on your phone/computer and we’ll help you record it to an audio cassette tape. We have plenty of tapes to share!
Register:
coming soon!

🪡 Beginner Darning Workshop
2025-03-30 14:00 - 16:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Join us for a class on how to darn your clothes! Bring a garment with a small hole (dime-sized is ideal) or we’ll provide a scrap you can use. We’re recommending a $5–$25 donation for this workshop, notaflof.
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

💻 DC215 Meetup
2025-04-02 18:00 - 20:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Welcome to the DC215 Meetup at Iffy Books! This month, we’re having a redo of our Meshtastic talk! Join us while we dive into Meshtastic and LoRa nodes, a powerful off-grid communication system that lets you send messages without Wi-Fi or cell service. Whether you’re a seasoned radio geek or just curious about mesh networks, come learn how these devices work, how to set them up, and how they can be used for emergency communication, hiking, and more. We’ll have a limited number of Heltec LoRa nodes for sale so bring your gear if you have it, or just come to listen and connect with the Philly tech community! Don’t miss this chance to explore LoRa networks in action and build real-world resilience through technology! Please bring a laptop if you’re looking to flash your nodes or play around with any Meshtastic web apps.
Meetup link

⏰ Buzz & Beep: Make a Custom Alarm with an ESP32-C3
2025-04-03 12:00 - 13:30, 2025-04-04 14:00 - 15:30, 2025-04-05 10:00 - 11:30 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Build and program an alarm that makes sound and vibrates! No soldering required! We’ll be using Micropython.
To complete this project you’ll need to buy a kit for $12.95. Here’s what it includes:
• ESP32-C3 Super Mini microcontroller
• Mini breadboard (170 tie points)
• Vibration motor (3.4mm)
• Active buzzer module
• Momentary push button switch x2
• Port-to-plug jumper wire x2
• Plug-to-plug jumper wire x5
Requires a USB-C cable with data (sold separately)
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

📚 Capital Reading Group
2025-04-03 19:00 - 21:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Join us on the first and third Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. for a reading group on Capital by Karl Marx.
Reading for April 3rd:
• The Buying and Selling of Labour-Power
• The Labour-Process and the Process of Producing Surplus-Value
We’re reading Paul Reitter’s recent translation (Princeton University Press, 2024).

💻 Philly 2600 Meetup
2025-04-04 18:00 - 20:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
> The Philly 2600 meeting is a monthly gathering of local hackers, phreaks, nerds, geeks, activists, tinkerers, developers, infosec professionals, and other interesting people.

⚙️ Book Launch for 'Why we fear AI' by Hagen Blix & Ingeborg Glimmer
2025-04-05 17:00 - 19:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
On Saturday, April 5th at 5:00 p.m. we’ll host a book launch event for ‘Why we fear AI’ by Hagen Blix & Ingeborg Glimmer, published by Common Notions Press. Victor Gomes will lead a discussion and Q&A, which will be live streamed at the following link:
➡️ Live stream link
“Blix and Glimmer take the reader on a deeply engaging, funny, and provocative tour through our deepest anxieties and darkest fantasies of an AI-dominated future. Why We Fear AI offers profound insight into how AI and capitalism today work in mutually reinforcing lockstep to deskill and devalue humans, and what it will take to wake up from our worst AI nightmares and build a better world.”
—Shannon Vallor, author of The AI Mirror: How to Reclaim Our Humanity in an Age of Machine Thinking
Fears about AI tell us more about capitalism today than the technology of the future.
Will AI come and take all our jobs? Will it dominate humanity, hack the foundations of our civilization, or even wipe humans off the face of the planet? All kinds of people seem to think so. From professors to billionaires, from artists to fraudsters, from journalists to the pope, AI nightmares have gripped the popular imagination.
Why We Fear AI boldly asserts these fears are actually about capitalism, reimagined as a kind of autonomous intelligent agent.
Industry insiders Hagen Blix and Ingeborg Glimmer dive into the dark, twisted world of AI to demystify the many nightmares we have about it. They combine expertise in cognitive science and machine learning with political and economic analyses to cut through the hype and technobabble to show how fears about AI reflect different economic realities—from venture capitalists, to engineers, to artists, to warehouse workers. Truly understanding the potential impacts of AI means confronting capitalism and class, power and exploitation, in concrete terms. Only then can we fight the real threats to our lives, livelihoods, and the planet, instead of tilting at nightmare windmills.
Blix and Glimmer argue that AI nightmares reveal the terrifying underbelly of our current society, of capitalism and its violent ways of organizing our world in its image. If we simply let capitalism and tech billionaires run wild, we can expect the worst: automated bureaucracies that protect the powerful and punish the poor; an ever-expanding surveillance apparatus; the cheapening of skills, downward pressures on wages, the expansion of insecure gig-work, and crushing inequality. But that outcome is not inevitable, however much capitalists may dream of it. Why We Fear AI points the way to a different and brighter future, one in which our labor, knowledge, and technologies serve the people rather than capital.
About THE AUTHORS
Hagen Blix is a New York City-based cognitive scientist whose research spans language, artificial intelligence, and political economy.
Ingeborg Glimmer is a tech worker and industry researcher in Germany working on machine learning.

🐧 Linux Lab: Search your system with find & grep
2025-04-06 10:30 - 12:30 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
The first Sunday of every month we’ll host an event for Linux beginners. Stay tuned for more details!
Photo CC-BY-SA Mark Dickson

⚡️ Beginner Soldering: USB Data Blocker
2025-04-07 12:00 - 13:00 | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
Charging your phone in a public place can be stressful. What if someone is collecting your metadata for marketing purposes? What if they’re copying your files or installing malware? A USB data blocker can help! It’s a little adapter with the data terminals left disconnected, so you can charge your phone anywhere without fear.
This is a relatively quick soldering project, perfect for total beginners. We’ll have soldering irons and supplies to share.
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!
