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

✏️ The Writing Room at Iffy Books
2023-03-22 17:00 - 20:00, 2023-03-08 17:00 - 20:00, 2023-03-01 17:00 - 20:00, 2023-02-22 17:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
Wednesdays 5–8 p.m.
(5–7 p.m. the last Wednesday of the month)
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.

Bleeding Control Basics
2023-03-21 18:00 - 20:00, 2023-02-21 18:00 - 20:00
Presented by Untitled Medical Collective in association with Philly SRA, Bleeding Control Basics will go over first aid as it applies to severe bleeding. We will cover scene safety, injury assessment, basic bleeding control, and tourniquet application. This class doesn’t provide any kind of certification, and is just meant to provide essential information to as many people as possible.
If you have any questions about class content, reach out to untitledmedical@proton.me.
Register:

💾🌾 Permacomputing Meetup
2023-03-19 13:00 - 15:00
Our March permacomputing meetup is on Sunday, 3/19 at 1:00 PM EST. You can join us in person at Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St. #2I, PHL) or via Jitsi audio stream.
➡️ Jitsi Stream 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.

🐧 Linux Fest at Iffy Books
2023-03-18 12:00 - 20:00
Stop by on Saturday, March 18th (12–8 p.m.) for Linux Fest at Iffy Books! We’ll have 10+ Linux distributions running that anyone can try, and we’ll have talks and discussions throughout the day. See you there!
History of GNU/Linux with r0guer4t

What should Linux newbies know?

Intro to ed, an old-school text editor with Mattie

Running Windows applications on Linux with TonyTwoStep

Linux Distro List
Alpine
antiX
BlackArch
Devuan
elementary OS
Fedora
Guix
Kali Linux
Kodachi
Linux Mint
LibreELEC
Manjaro
OpenSUSE
pop!_OS
Raspberry Pi OS
Solus
Tails
Ubuntu
Props to Dave for installing Fuzix on a Raspberry Pi Pico during the event, with help from Jonathan, r0guer4t, and others.
Schedule
• 12:00 p.m. How to verify a Linux disk image with its checksum (Steve)
• 1:30 p.m. History of GNU/Linux (r0guer4t)
• 2:00 p.m. What should Linux newbies know? (open discussion)
• 2:30 p.m. Running Windows Applications on Linux (TonyTwoStep)
• 3:00 p.m. Intro to ed, an old-school text editor (Mattie)
• 4:00 p.m. Send files securely with Magic Wormhole (Steve)
This event was free. Donations accepted.
Photo CC-BY Brian Gratwicke

💭 'Fuzzy Logic Inferencing in Security Applications' with Raymond Garcia
2023-03-16 18:00 - 20:00
The next Trashpanda Village meetup is Thursday, March 16th at 6:00 p.m. See you there!
Fuzzy Logic Inferencing in Security Applications
Fuzzy Logic has been around since the 1960’s. There is an open standard for a fuzzy control language, several libraries exist that ease the implementation of applications, and its use is (sometimes unwittingly) necessary in situations where human expertise does not have closed-form expressions for metrics that have “degrees of membership” (think secure vs “very” secure, small vs “really” small, etc.). Since the 1960’s, the uses of fuzzy logic include areas of automatic control, quality control, industrial processes, investment strategies, component testing, pattern recognition, and classification. Applications of information assurance soon followed in multi-level secure database access, network security assessments, threat detection, and risk analysis to name a few.
What this presentation aims to achieve via illustrative examples and demonstrations is to inform the audience on fuzzy logic & inferencing in its application to security.
About the Presenter: Raymond Garcia, Ph.D.
Ray is experienced as both an applied researcher and a practitioner in the public sector and across several areas in the private sector that include the telecommunications, pharmaceutical, and banking industries. Within these industries, Ray has used a variety of technologies in applying natural language processing, numerical techniques, and machine learning to subject matters that include insider threat, information assurance, and situational awareness.
Ray has a BS (Temple U.), ME (Penn State), and Ph.D. (Georgia Tech) in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Applied Mathematics.
➡️ Register on Meetup

A Reading by Dylan Angell, Mark He & Christy Davids
2023-03-15 19:00 - 21:00
On Wednesday, March 15th at 7 p.m. we’ll host a poetry reading by Dylan Angell (Durham), Mark He (Brooklyn), and Christy Davids (Philly). See you there!
We’ll be welcoming Dylan Angell from Durham, NC, where he runs a reading series, co-edits a press, plays trumpet in several musical groups, and is an all-around mensch of the community. His most recent book, Demanding the Room, is out now in a beautiful edition from Bored Wolves.
Joining Dylan will be Mark He, a poet, painter, and cancer research scientist. His gorgeous paintings grace many pages of Dylan’s book, and he’s also had some neat comics published!
We’ll also be welcoming our very own Christy Davids, who has been an integral part of the poetry community in Philadelphia for many years, and whose work remains some of the most urgent regarding place, memory, and the crisis of climate destabilization. Her most recent work is wanton, available on Doublecross Press.

✏️ The Writing Room at Iffy Books
2023-03-15 17:00 - 19:00
This week’s writing group will end at 7 p.m. because we’re hosting a poetry reading.
Wednesdays 5–8 p.m.
(5–7 p.m. the last Wednesday of the month)
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.

🚂 Model Internet Club
2023-03-10 18:00 - 21:00
Friday, March 10th is the first meeting of the Model Internet Club at Iffy Books. Our goal is to build an offline network for fun and learning. We’ll have routers, switches, servers, and plenty of Ethernet on hand.
See you there!
Photo CC-BY Andrew Russell

⚡️ Chip Set: A DIY Electronics Meetup
2023-03-09 18:00 - 20:00
Chip Set is a DIY electronics meetup at Iffy Books on the second and fourth Thursday of every month. If you’re interested in circuits, microcontrollers, and/or single-board computers, stop by and make some friends! All ages and skill levels are welcome, including total newbies.
This is an informal meetup, without a set topic or agenda. Feel free to bring a project to show the group!
Photo by Raimond Spekking (CC BY-SA 4.0)

🔐 Send files securely with Magic Wormhole [Postponed]
2023-03-05 13:00 - 15:00
[This workshop is postponed. Sorry for the inconvenience.]
We’re hosting a workshop on Magic Wormhole, an easy-to-use tool for transferring files between computers securely.
We’ll have a computer available for everyone who registers. Feel free to bring a laptop as well!

⚡️ Get to Know Your Multimeter
2023-03-04 15:30 - 17:30
On Saturday, March 4th at 3:30 p.m. we’re hosting a workshop on how to use a multimeter, an essential tool for tinkering with electronics. You’ll learn to measure voltage, resistance, and current, as well as how to test batteries and transistors.
We’ll have analog and digital multimeters for sale. Bring your own if you have one!
Register:

🔒 First Friday Philly TOOOL Meetup
2023-03-03 18:00 - 21:00
Join us Friday, March 3rd at 6 p.m. for a meetup run by the Philadelphia Chapter of the Open Organization of Lockpickers!
> Come join us for our monthly First Friday 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.

💻 Command Line Beginners Meetup
2023-03-02 18:00 - 20:00
On Thursday, March 2nd from 6–8 p.m. we’ll host a meetup for folks who want to learn more about the command line. Bring a laptop if you have one! Any OS is fine: macOS, Windows, or Linux.
This will be an informal meetup, without a set program or start time. We’ll have a few command-line experts on hand to answer questions and demonstrate whatever tools people are interested in.
Register (optional but helpful):

⚡️ Beginner Soldering Workshop
2023-02-26 15:30 - 17:30
On Sunday, February 26th at 3:30 p.m. we’re running a soldering workshop for beginners! Anyone can attend for free, but you’ll need to buy a circuit board with components for $6 to complete the project. Here’s what’s included in the kit:

1 x Weevil-shaped PCB
2 x LEDs
1 x 47k Ohm resistor
1 x miniature photocell
1 x 2N3904 transistor
2 x 220 Ohm resistors
1 x CR2032 coin cell battery
1 x 20mm coin cell battery holder

Register:

🍅 Grow Something! with Goda Trakumaite
2023-02-26 13:00 - 15:00
Want to grow something this spring but not sure where to start? Have a community garden plot? A pot on your fire escape? A vacant lot on your block? In this very beginner garden planning workshop/group consultation, we’ll assess factors like space, time, basic plant needs and our desires to come up with a basic growing plan. We’ll be covering outdoor growing situations — talking about food, medicine and pollinator plants, not houseplant stuff! Bring your hopes and dreams.
It’s free! Led by Goda Trakumaite, a farmer and gardener with years of experience working with plants. Goda is the co-author and illustrator of Adventures in Seed Saving #1: Squash and Adventures in Seed Saving #2: Tomato.
Register:

🪡 Hands-On Darning Workshop
2023-02-25 15:30 - 17:30
On Sunday, February 25th at 3:30 p.m. we’re hosting a darning workshop and mending session. Total beginners welcome!
Register:

Behind the Scenes with PCW
2023-02-25 13:00 - 15:00
Join us on Saturday, February 25th at 1:00 p.m. for a presentation by the folks at Philly Community Wireless. They’ll tell us about the network they’ve built so far, where they’re planning to expand, and what they’ve learned along they way. They’ll also give advice on setting up your own neighborhood wi-fi network.
🎥 Video Stream Link
> Philly Community Wireless is a volunteer-led coalition of technologists and organizers working to build community controlled wireless internet networks in Philadelphia. We are committed to growing tech literacy, expanding internet access, and building community autonomy with our neighbors. We believe that internet access is a human right. Questions? Check out our FAQ.
Register (optional):

Book Launch Party for 'Space Rogue: How the Hackers Known as L0pht Changed the World'
2023-02-24 18:00 - 21:00
On Friday, February 24th at 6 p.m. we’re hosting a book launch party for Space Rogue: How the Hackers Known as L0pht Changed the World by Cris Thomas. Join us at 6:30 for a reading and Q&A with the author, followed by a book signing. We’ll have drinks and snacks.
You can buy the book here!
About the book:
In May 1998, the US Congress invited the seven members of the L0pht to testify on the state of government computer security. Two years later, that same group rode the Dot-com bubble to create the preeminent security consultancy the industry has ever known, @stake. Along the way, they stood up against tech giants like Microsoft, Oracle, Novell and others to expose weaknesses in those companies’ premiere products. Despite the L0pht’s technical prowess, the group could not keep what they had built together as money and internal politics turned friend against friend. Look inside L0pht Heavy Industries, or simply The L0pht, one of the most influential hacker groups in history. From formation, to congressional testimony, to going legit and the aftermath that followed. Follow the hacker ‘Space Rogue’ as he takes you on a journey through the magical hacker scene of the 1990s.The L0pht hacker collective no longer exists, but its legacy lives on. L0pht set the standard for how the cyber security industry now releases vulnerability information. Famous hackers that were once L0pht members, Mudge, Weld Pond, Kingpin, Dildog, Space Rogue, and others have done even more impressive things in the following years. The hackers and consultants hired by @stake and indoctrinated into the L0pht way of thinking have now become giants in the industry. All the hackers who read security information off the L0pht’s website, downloaded software from the Whacked Mac Archives, or watched the Hacker News Network and became inspired have changed the world more than the L0pht could have ever done alone. The L0pht’s message of bringing security issues to light and getting them fixed still echoes throughout the industry and is more important today than ever. The L0pht’s dire warning of an increasingly dependent culture on a fragile Internet made during their testimony twenty-five years ago still holds true. In fact, the Internet may be in even worse shape today. Is it too late to listen?
About Space Rogue:
With over two decades of experience, Space Rogue (Cris Thomas) has testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and has been interviewed by Wired, CNBC and even MTV. He created the wildly popular websites the Whacked Mac Archives and Cyber Squirrel 1. He produced the weekly podcast SpiderLabs Radio, and the critically acclaimed weekly news video program the Hacker News Network. His writing has appeared in Network Computing, New Statesman, The Hill, and the Christian Science Monitor. He has spoken at security conferences such as Def Con, Blackhat, and Shmoocon. Space Rogue currently works as the Global Lead of Policy and Special Initiatives for the legendary IBM X-Force.

⚡️ Chip Set: A DIY Electronics Meetup
2023-02-23 18:00 - 20:00
Chip Set is a DIY electronics meetup at Iffy Books on the second and fourth Thursday of each month (starting February 2023). If you’re interested in circuits, microcontrollers, and/or single-board computers, stop by and make some friends! All ages and skill levels are welcome, including total newbies.
This is an informal meetup, without a set topic or agenda. Feel free to bring a project to show the group!
Photo by Raimond Spekking (CC BY-SA 4.0)

📚 Reading Group: 'Eleutheria' by Allegra Hyde
2023-02-22 19:00 - 21:00
For our February reading group, we’ll discuss Allegra Hyde’s cli-fi novel Eleutheria. See you Wednesday, February 22nd at 7 p.m.!
This event is free. Donations accepted.

Zine Launch and Social for "Fuck a Cellicon Valley: Against the Proposed Development of Bartram's North and South"
2023-02-19 15:30 - 17:30
Join us Sunday, February 19th at 3:30 p.m. to celebrate the launch of “Fuck a Cellicon Valley,” a zine about a development plan that would displace residents and destroy wild space in the area around Bartam’s North and Bartam’s South. We’ll have snacks and free zines!
Read the zine
Print the zine
Here’s an excerpt:
After we heard rumors about UPenn developing the land around Bartram’s North we did some research and discovered an evil plot. In 2013 a group of economists, developers, city planners, and other villians came up with the Lower Schuylkill Master Plan, a 143 page document envisioning a “21st century industrial district” in Southwest Philly along the Schuykill river corridor. The report details massive development projects to be carried out over 20-25 years. Reading the report in 2023 provided us with some answers and many many questions.
The Master Plan is worth looking over carefully if you are someone who cares about environmental destruction and gentrification. You can find it online at https://www.design.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/LSMP_Small.pdf
The plan breaks up the development projects into three sections. The first is a Logistics Hub, connected to the Philadelphia Airport, whose recent expansion destroyed wetlands to build a cargo facility. We’ve already seen how this has gone down for the FDR meadows. The second is the Energy Corridor in South Philly, where they are currently focused on remediating decades of industrial pollution from oil infrastructure. The remediation is predicted to take years, then they’re going build factories.
The third zone, the Innovation District, is the focus of this zine. Because it is closest to us, because it threatens the places we live in and love. In writing this zine, we hope that other people will look into the master plan and oppose gentrification as they see it manifest in their contexts.
The Innovation District consists of the Pennovation Center and the areas near Bartram’s North and Bartram’s South including some wild lands and spaces. We spend a lot of time in those spaces and despite what developers think, there is already vibrant activity, innovation, and life, we don’t want to see the area get paved over and built up.
…
The Lower Schuylkill Biotech Campus is part of what people at the University of Pennsylvania are calling “Cellicon Valley”. It’s an attempt to brand Philly as the next hi-tech hotspot for pharmaceutical companies and research institutions. Like Silicon Valley, Cellicon Valley is a bad and annoying idea that should never come to fruition. It’s literally a scheme to capture, commodify, and sell us ways to live, by destroying and locking us out of the ways we live.

Trashpanda Village Security Meetup
2023-02-16 17:00 - 19:00
This meetup is focused on hands-on learning and networking for those interested in information security. In other words a place for people to learn more about computer security and the tools used by information security professionals. This group is starting out but with some input from all of you I’m sure it will be able to grow into something great.
RSVP on Meetup.com (optional)

✏️ The Writing Room at Iffy Books
2023-02-15 17:00 - 20:00
Wednesdays 5–8PM (except the last week of the month)
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 a DIY Tent-Safe Heater Pt. 2
2023-02-12 15:30 - 17:30
On February 11th and 12th we’re hosting a two-day workshop on how to build a tent-safe heater that burns isopropyl alcohol or ethanol.
Workshop Day 1: Making the burner
Workshop Day 2: Testing, wicking, caging
➡️ Register here
image by heater bloc via twitter

💾🌾 Permacomputing Meetup
2023-02-12 13:00 - 15:00
Our next permacomputing meetup is on Sunday, February 12th at 1:00 PM EST. You can join us in person at Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St. #2I, PHL) or via Jitsi audio stream.

➡️ Jitsi Stream 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.

🔥 Make a DIY Tent-Safe Heater Pt. 1
2023-02-11 15:30 - 17:30
On February 11th and 12th we’re hosting a two-day workshop on how to build a tent-safe heater that can burn isopropyl alcohol or ethanol.
Workshop Day 1: Making the burner
Workshop Day 2: Testing, wicking, caging
Register:
Note: We have limited supplies for this event. Don’t register unless you’re sure you can make it to both days of the workshop (2/11 & 2/12 at 3:30 p.m.)

image by heater bloc via twitter
