Iffy Books | 404 S. 20th St., PHL

⚙️ Neo-Luddite Reading Group: 'Life After Cars' by Sarah Goodyear, Doug Gordon, and Aaron Naparstek
2026-03-12 18:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Iffy Books, 404 S. 20th St., Philadelphia, 19146, United States
➡️ Virtual Meetup Link
Discord: Email neoluddite@victorgom.es for an invite!
Full schedule: victorgom.es/neoluddite
If you’re joining for the first time, I’d suggest you read this before anything else for brief context: What the Luddites Really Fought Against by Richard Conniff.The only expectation is that you read the chapter(s) of the book that’s listed for that meeting. You’re still welcome to participate if you haven’t done the readings as long as you are mindful. For each chapter, I’ve also noted some optional readings for context, so I’d suggest checking those out rather than reading ahead in the book. And remember, if you ever find yourself struggling with any of the readings or concepts, reach out! Either directly to me over email or to the entire group over discord.

✏️ The Writing Room
2026-03-10 17:00 - 19:30, 2026-03-03 17:00 - 19:30, 2026-02-24 17:00 - 19:30, 2026-02-17 17:00 - 19:30, 2026-02-10 17:00 - 19:30
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.

🚧 Make Your First Website
2026-03-09 18:00 - 20:00
Make a home page like it’s 1999! Join us at Iffy Books for a new workshop called Make Your First Website, led by Ragman a.k.a. Richard Green. You’ll learn the basics of HTML and create a static site on the free hosting service Neocities. No experience necessary!
Please bring a laptop if you have one. We’re suggesting a $10–$25 donation for this workshop, no one turned away for lack of funds.
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!

🧵 Anarchist Sewing Club: Clone Your Clothes
2026-03-08 15:00 - 17:00
For March we’re teaching folks to copy their existing clothes. So bring a garment that fits well! We’ll provide paper for creating a pattern.
Interested in learning to sew, mend or make clothes? Already know how and wanna hang out with people while sewing? Come and join us! Sewing supplies and a sewing machine will be available for anyone needing them.

📡 Meshtastic 101
2026-03-07 10:30 - 12:00
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!
This workshop is now full. We'll offer it again soon!

💻 Philly 2600 Meetup
2026-03-06 18:00 - 20:00
> The Philly 2600 meeting is a monthly gathering of local hackers, phreaks, nerds, geeks, activists, tinkerers, developers, infosec professionals, and other interesting people.

👾 Pixel Buddy Video Art Workshop
2026-03-06 14:00 - 16:00
In this workshop you’ll use a Pi Pico microcontroller to send low-res (320×240) digital video to an HDMI display. Despite its limitations, the cool thing about this device is that it’s inexpensive enough that you can plug it in somewhere (perhaps a wall of TVs at an electronics store) and leave it behind for prank/art/propaganda purposes.
Your Pi Pico will generate video in the DVI-D format rather than the newer HDMI standard. But because HDMI is backwards compatible with DVI-D, your device should work with any HDMI monitor or TV.
Here’s what’s in the kit:

Pi Pico board w/ microUSB port
Pico DVI video sock
insulated wire (4″)
heat shrink tubing (3″)

Here’s what else you’ll need:

HDMI cable
microUSB cable with data connection
computer (macOS/Linux/Windows)
soldering iron
lead-free solder
flux paste
header pins (optional)
wire stripping tool (optional)

➡️ Instructions
Register
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!
This workshop is now full. We'll offer it again soon!

💾☀️ Permacomputing + Solarpunk Meetup
2026-03-04 18:30 - 20:00
The Permacomputing + Solarpunk meetup is the first Wednesday every other month 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)

🏠 IndieWeb Homebrew Website Club
2026-03-01 18:00 - 20:00
Homebrew Website Club is a growing world-wide network of meetups for everyone who wants to take back their web experience from social media silos, and own their online identities & content, or just want support with blogging!

👾 HDMI Video Throwie Workshop
2026-02-28 10:30 - 12:30, 2026-02-20 18:00 - 20:00, 2026-02-19 14:00 - 16:00
In this workshop you’ll use a Pi Pico microcontroller to send low-res (320×240) digital video to an HDMI display. Despite its limitations, the cool thing about this device is that it’s inexpensive enough that you can plug it in somewhere (perhaps a wall of TVs at an electronics store) and leave it behind for prank/art/propaganda purposes. The term “throwie” usually refers to a battery-powered device such as an LED light or radio transmitter with magnets on the back, tossed onto a high metal surface where it can’t easily be reached.
Your Pi Pico will generate video in the DVI-D format rather than the newer HDMI standard. But because HDMI is backwards compatible with DVI-D, your device should work with any HDMI monitor or TV.
Here’s what’s in the kit:

Pi Pico board w/ microUSB port
Pico DVI video sock
insulated wire (4″)
heat shrink tubing (3″)

Here’s what else you’ll need:

HDMI cable
microUSB cable with data connection
computer (macOS/Linux/Windows)
soldering iron
lead-free solder
flux paste
header pins (optional)
wire stripping tool (optional)

➡️ Instructions
Register
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!
This workshop is now full. We'll offer it again soon!

❤️ Soldering Practice: LED Heart Board
2026-02-27 14:00 - 16:00
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–$25 donation for the class, no one turned away for lack of funds.
Register:
Registration is now closed. We’ll offer it again soon!

🎙️ W̶h̶o̶l̶e̶s̶o̶m̶e̶ ̶T̶e̶c̶h̶ ̶P̶o̶d̶c̶a̶s̶t̶ (starts in March!)
2026-02-26 18:30 - 20:00
A new podcast project produced at Iffy Books. Stay tuned for details!

Photo CC-BY Abi Porter

🚧 Make Your First Website (moved to Thursday due to snow!)
2026-02-26 18:00 - 20:00
We’re postponing this class ’til Thursday due to the snow! Hope to see you then!
Make a home page like it’s 1999! Join us at Iffy Books for a new workshop called Make Your First Website, led by Ragman a.k.a. Richard Green. You’ll learn the basics of HTML and create a static site on the free hosting service Neocities. No experience necessary!Please bring a laptop if you have one. We’re suggesting a $10–$25 donation for this workshop, no one turned away for lack of funds.
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. We'll offer it again soon!
This workshop is now full. We'll offer it again soon!

🪐 Speculative Futures Reading Group: 'The Land of Milk and Honey' by C Pam Zhang
2026-02-25 19:00 - 20:30
The Speculative Futures Reading Group meets on the last Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m.!

🪐 Speculative Futures Reading Group
2026-02-25 19:00 - 20:30

🏠 Host a Website at Home
2026-02-22 10:30 - 12:30
Join us for the workshop Host a Website at Home! You’ll learn to run a web server using Apache on a single-board computer, letting you host a website from your home internet connection.
We’ll have home server kits available for $51.99. Here’s what’s included:
• Orange Pi Zero 3 single-board computer
• Micro HDMI adapter cable
• 20W power supply w/ USB-C port
• 60W USB-C to USB-C power cable (6″)
• zip tie & rubber bands
Here’s what you’ll need at home:
• Monitor or TV w/ HDMI input
• micro SD card (16GB or larger)
• Ethernet cable
• HDMI cable
• USB keyboard with USB-A plug
This workshop is on! See you soon!

⊕ Quarterly Bonus Workshop
2026-02-21 10:00 - 12:00
Our quarterly off-site bonus workshop for Patreon supporters. Check out our Patreon page for details!
Questions? Email iffybooks@iffybooks.net
Register
Registration for this event is now closed. Sorry.
Here's a link to future workshops in this series!
This workshop is now full. We'll offer it again soon!

❤️ Soldering Practice: LED Heart Board
2026-02-20 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-02-13 14:00 - 16:00, 2026-02-11 18:00 - 20:00
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–$25 donation for the class, no one turned away for lack of funds.
Register:
Registration for this event is now closed. Sorry.
Here's a link to future workshops in this series!
This workshop is now full. We'll offer it again soon!

🤔 FAFIO Beginner Tech Meetup: Learn BitTorrent!
2026-02-19 18:30 - 20:30
FAFIO is a new meetup for folks who want to learn new tech skills but aren’t sure where to start. Let’s fuck around and figure it out! Feel free to come and work on something else!

🚂 Model Internet Club
2026-02-14 10:30 - 12:30
The Model Internet Club is back! Join us every second Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for an informal meetup focused on building small-scale computer networks.
No registration needed for this event! If we run out of space we can expand into our back yard area.

⚡️ Beginner Soldering: LED Spinning Top
2026-02-13 12:00 - 13:30
For this class we’re building a spinning top toy with LED lights that flash when it spins. No previous soldering experience required!

Registration
Registration for this event is now closed. Sorry.
Here's a link to future workshops in this series!
This workshop is now full. We'll offer it again soon!

⚙️ Neo-Luddite Reading Group: 'Mood Machine' by Liz Pelly
2026-02-12 18:30 - 20:30
