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

🖼 Steganography for Everyone
2023-09-23 16:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
On Saturday, September 23rd at 4 p.m. we’re running a beginner-friendly workshop on steganography. You’ll use the command-line program steghide to hide encrypted messages in JPEG files in a way that’s theoretically undetectable.
We’ll have computers to share, but bring a laptop if you have one! If you’re using macOS or Windows, we recommend installing Docker before the event. This workshop is presented in collaboration with Practice Gallery.
Steganography is the practice of representing information within another message or physical object, in such a manner that the presence of the information is not evident to human inspection. In computing/electronic contexts, a computer file, message, image, or video is concealed within another file, message, image, or video. The word steganography comes from Greek steganographia, which combines the words steganós (στεγανός), meaning “covered or concealed”, and -graphia (γραφή) meaning “writing”. (Wikipedia)
Flyer art by Pixel
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Echo Broadcast is an exhibition at Practice Gallery that explores fear and reverence to our complex relationship to ubiquitous technologies. The show highlights artists whose works are grounded in material reality, debunking the effortlessness of the cloud, examining techno-spiritualism, tech-capitalism, and the idea of the techno-utopian future.
Artists and organizations involved in the exhibition include: Suzanne Kite, Jenny Vogel, Meredith Haines, Joshua Marquez, Charlotte Greene, Quarantine Public Library, Iffy Books, Sound Museum Collective, and Lino Kino. The exhibition is curated by Quinton Maldonado and Jazmyn Crosby.

📊 Python Data Visualization for Beginners
2023-09-24 13:00 - 15:00 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
On Sunday, September 24th at 1:00 p.m. we’re hosting a workshop on creating charts and graphs with the Python programming language. We’ll use the modules matplotlib to create a range of common plots: histogram, pie chart, bar graph, line graph, and scatter plot. We’ll use Jupyter Notebook to keep our code organized.
This workshop is designed with beginners in mind, including people who don’t have programming experience. More experienced programmers are welcome too!
We’ll have a computer available for everyone who signs up.
Registration:

This is a free event, but donations are appreciated.

Narcan Training with Unity Recovery
2023-09-24 18:00 - 20:00 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
On Sunday, September 24th at 6 p.m. we’re hosting a free training session from Unity Recovery on when and how to administer naloxone (a.k.a. Narcan) to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. They’ll also demonstrate how to use Fentanyl test strips.
Unity Recovery is a recovery community organization (RCO) serving the Philadelphia (PA), Pittsburgh (PA), and Weatherford (TX) communities. We believe recovery is an individualized and dynamic process, and support those with mental health or substance use disorders, no matter the pathway you use.
In each of our communities, we offer non-clinical peer-based recovery support services at our community centers, via telerecovery (video, phone, and chat), and in person out in the community.
Register (optional):

✏️ The Writing Room
2023-09-27 17:00 - 19:00, 2023-10-04 17:00 - 20:00, 2023-10-11 17:00 - 20:00, 2023-10-25 17:00 - 19:00 | 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.

🪐 Speculative Futures Reading Group: 'A Half-Built Garden' by Ruthanna Emrys
2023-09-27 19:00 - 20:30 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
On September 27th at 7:00 p.m. we’ll meet to discuss the novel A Half-Built Garden by Ruthanna Emrys. Hope to see you there!
Get the audiobook on Libro.fm.

⚡️ Intermediate Soldering Session
2023-09-28 18:00 - 20:00 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
On Thursday, September 28th from 6–8 p.m. we’re hosting an intermediate soldering session. We’ll have soldering irons and solder to share for free, as well as DIY electronics kits for sale. Or bring your own project!
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👾 Hackers' Assembly Meetup
2023-09-29 18:00 - 21:00 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
Join us Friday, September 29th for an event hosted by Hackers’ Assembly. Stay tuned for details!

🌳 Stop Cop City: An Autonomously Planned Event
2023-09-30 12:00 - 19:00 | Grays Ferry Crescent Skatepark, 3600 Grays Ferry Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19146, United States
September 30th, 2023 | 12 p.m.–dark
Gray’s Ferry Crescent Skatepark
Learn about the movement and how to help.
Connect through skillshares, music, and people.
Celebrate the joy of living strong together.

🎤 The Future is Ahead: Five Poets & Open Mic
2023-09-30 18:00 - 20:00 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
~ // THE FUTURE IS AHEAD // ~ will feature 5 poets, then an open mic (in which perhaps YOU may close us out?). Doors at 6:00, first reader at 6:15, open mic from 7:25 until 8:00.

Readings by:
Roach
Lydia Host
Evangeline Brooks
Rishi Devi
Dillon Thomas Jones
The Future IS in fact ahead. For this reading’s themes, consider:
Grocery shopping with a full stomach, eraser tops, looking for an omen, a billboard painted like the sky, believing you’ll get what you need, dance class, your favorite trinket, pennies.
We’ll also have time to browse and purchase the incredible books, zines & more here at Iffy Books.
If you’d like to read at the open mic, we ask that you fill out this form first, so we know to expect you!

☀️🌱 Anthotypes Workshop
2023-10-01 13:00 - 15:00 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
Anthotypes Workshop
Sunday, October 1, 2023, 1–3pm
with Jazmyn Crosby, Kelsey Skaroff, and Elizabeth Shores
In this hands-on workshop, participants create photographs with plants using a non-toxic technique called anthotyping. Participants will first walk outside together to learn how to identify local plants and infrastructural elements as symptoms of politico-economic processes while responsibly foraging for anthotype materials. Next, participants will return to Iffy Books to create anthotypes together using materials gathered during the walk. This public workshop is free for all ages. No prior experience is necessary.
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🪡 Hands-On Darning Workshop
2023-10-01 15:30 - 17:30 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
On Sunday, October 1st at 3:30 p.m. we’re hosting a darning workshop and mending session. Total beginners welcome!
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⚙️ Neo-Luddite Reading Group: 'The Human Use of Human Beings' by Norbert Wiener
2023-10-03 18:30 - 20:30 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
Our next book for the Neo-Luddite Reading Group will be The Human Use of Human Beings by Norbert Wiener (1950, revised 1954). Let’s split this one in three, since mostly everyone seemed to like the idea of splitting the book into parts. That means for our meeting on October 3rd, we’ll discuss up to Chapter 3 (until p 48). We’ll finish it at the start of December.
Meetup link
After that we’ll read Race After Technology by Ruha Benjamin (could maybe pair it with chapters from Artificial Whiteness, unless we just feel like reading it in its entirety in the future.

🔐 Philly 2600 Meetup + TOOOL Meetup
2023-10-06 18:00 - 21:00 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
The Philly 2600 meetup will be at Iffy Books on Friday, October 6th, starting at 6:00 p.m. See you there!
> The Philly 2600 meeting is a monthly gathering of local hackers, phreaks, nerds, geeks, activists, tinkerers, developers, infosec professionals, and other interesting people.
We’re also hosting a meetup for 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.

🚂 Model Internet Club
2023-10-07 13:00 - 17:00 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
The Model Internet Club meets again on Saturday, October 7th, 1–5 p.m. Newcomers are welcome.
The network is up and running! We now have a DHCP server, a DNS server with custom domain names, and handful of websites running as virtual hosts in Apache. There’s a local bulletin board in the works, and we’re considering our options for connecting wi-fi access points.
We’re looking for websites to run on our local network! If you have an idea, email iffybooks@iffybooks.net or join us on October 7th.
Here’s a photo of the model internet in action:

And here’s a diagram of our plans for the network (so far):

⚡️ Beginner Soldering Workshop
2023-10-12 18:00 - 20:00 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
On Thursday, October 12th at 6:00 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

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🎥 Forest Defense Screening
2023-10-13 18:30 - 20:30 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
We’re having a film screening y’all!!!
Description: Forest Defense Screening!
Friday the 13th double feature!
At Iffy Books! 319 N.11th street
Free Drinks! Free Snacks!
October 13 Doors at 18:30
First Film Starts at 19:00

🪡 Spook & Sew Workshop
2023-10-14 18:00 - 21:00, 2023-10-21 18:00 - 21:00 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
➡️ Register on Eventbrite
Join us for an evening of crafts and creativity at the Spook & Sew: Pillows & Purses for Beginners! In this 3-hour workshop, you will learn the basics of using a sewing machine, simple pattern making and construction techniques. Attendees will select a pattern from our variety of Halloween-Pumpkin Patch themed styles and learn how to create a handmade pillow, purse or both.
This workshop is perfect for anyone that has never used a sewing machine or who wants to refresh their skills and challenge themselves. We’ll provide all the materials you’ll need, so just bring your yourself and your enthusiasm for learning!
Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to learn new skills and meet other sewing enthusiasts. Register now to secure your spot!
This in-person workshop will take place at 319 N 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107.
IMPORTANT: Classes are held on the 3rd floor. You will receive and email from the instructor on how to enter the building prior to your session (there is a code).
Presented by Dark Spaces Studio.

🔊Turn data into sound & back with Minimodem
2023-10-15 13:00 - 15:00 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
In this workshop you’ll convert text data into audio using the program minimodem, then record the audio to a cassette tape. Then you’ll use minimodem to play back your text onscreen in real time. We’ll provide computers and tape decks, and everyone who signs up will get a few free cassette tapes.
We’ve been using Bell 202-style ASCII encoding at 100 baud (bits per second) because it works reliably and plays back at a comfortable reading speed. Using these encoding settings, a 60-minute cassette tape can store ~34 KB of data. If you want to record a specific text file to a cassette tape, we recommend bringing it on a USB drive.
We’ll have computers to share, but you’re welcome to bring a laptop too. Here’s a link to the zine we’ll use for the workshop (a work in progress).
Register:

﻿Download the
MP4
video.
This workshop is free, but donations are welcome.

💾🌾 Iffy Books Permacomputing Meetup
2023-10-15 15:30 - 17:30 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
Our next permacomputing meetup is on Sunday, October 15th at 3:30 PM EDT. You can join us in person at Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St. #2I, PHL) or via Jitsi Meet.
➡️ 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)

✏️ The Writing Room
2023-10-18 17:00 - 19:00 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
This week The Writing Room ends at 7 p.m. because we’re hosting an author event. Sorry for the inconvenience!
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.

👨‍🦲 Reading and Q&A with Kashmir Hill, author of 'Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup's Quest to End Privacy as We Know It'
2023-10-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
On Wednesday, October 18th we’re hosting a reading and Q&A with Kashmir Hill, author of Your Face Belongs to Us: A Secretive Startup’s Quest to End Privacy as We Know It. Doors at 7 p.m., reading starts at 7:30. Hope to see you there!
The story of a small AI company that gave facial recognition to law enforcement, billionaires, and businesses, threatening to end privacy as we know it
New York Times tech reporter Kashmir Hill was skeptical when she got a tip about a mysterious app called Clearview AI that claimed it could, with 99 percent accuracy, identify anyone based on just one snapshot of their face. The app could supposedly scan a face and, in just seconds, surface every detail of a person’s online their name, social media profiles, friends and family members, home address, and photos that they might not have even known existed. If it was everything it claimed to be, it would be the ultimate surveillance tool, and it would open the door to everything from stalking to totalitarian state control. Could it be true?
In this riveting account, Hill tracks the improbable rise of Clearview AI, helmed by Hoan Ton-That, an Australian computer engineer, and Richard Schwartz, a former Rudy Giuliani advisor, and its astounding collection of billions of faces from the internet. The company was boosted by a cast of controversial characters, including conservative provocateur Charles C. Johnson and billionaire Donald Trump backer Peter Thiel—who all seemed eager to release this society-altering technology on the public. Google and Facebook decided that a tool to identify strangers was too radical to release, but Clearview forged ahead, sharing the app with private investors, pitching it to businesses, and offering it to thousands of law enforcement agencies around the world.
➡️ Get the audiobook on Libro.fm

🌸 What's the Deal with Native Plants?
2023-10-21 13:00 - 15:00 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
In North America, we call plants that lived here prior to European colonization Native Plants. They evolved over tens of thousands of years to coexist with the soils, animals, insects, and humans of their specific bioregions. Although much of their habitat, and the cultures of stewardship that tended them over this long time period, have either been destroyed or seriously suppressed, a recent uptick in the popularity of gardening with native species is good news for our ability to rebuild meaningful relationships with the ecosystems around us.
In this workshop we’ll talk more about what native plants are; why growing them is fun, easy and important; how to pick the best ones to plant in your particular space; how to care for them; and where to find them.
The class will be most useful for people that have some space for in-ground plantings, but everyone curious is welcome! There is no fee for the class, but we encourage attendees to make a $5 (or more!) donation to the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape tribal nation in southern New Jersey: https://nllhonorarium.carrd.co.
About the presenter:
Goda Trakumaite has been working with native plants in various ways since 2017: she has propagated them, sold them retail, installed and tended native landscapes, and is currently working in native plant seed production.
Register:

🦇 The Spooky Ukie Market
2023-10-21 14:00 - 21:00 | Ukie Club, 847 N. Franklin St., Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
Philly Makers Syndicate Presents:
The Spooky Ukie Market
Sat, October 21st, 2–9 p.m.
at the Ukie Club
847 N. Franklin St., PHL
70+ Vendors
Full bar & food
Nighttime programming by
Lither’s Midfright Snack, Hexx, Boston Head, Zorn, On the Water, Ugli, & Diuretic
$2–8 donation NOTAFLOF
8 steps to inside // service animals only
Wheelchair accessible bathroom available

🚂 Model Internet Club
2023-10-22 13:00 - 17:00 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
The Model Internet Club meets again on Sunday, October 22nd, 1–5 p.m. Newcomers are welcome.
The network is up and running! We now have a DHCP server, a DNS server with custom domain names, and handful of websites running as virtual hosts in Apache. There’s a local bulletin board in the works, and we’re considering our options for connecting wi-fi access points.
We’re looking for websites to run on our local network! If you have an idea, email iffybooks@iffybooks.net or join us on October 22nd.
Here’s a photo of the model internet in action:

And here’s a diagram of our plans for the network (so far):

💊 Speculative Futures Reading Group: 'Oryx and Crake' by Margaret Atwood
2023-10-25 19:00 - 20:30
On Wednesday, October 25th at 7:00 p.m. we’ll meet to discuss the novel Oryx and Crake (2003) by Margaret Atwood. Hope to see you there!
Get the audiobook on Libro.fm.
Snowman, known as Jimmy before mankind was overwhelmed by a plague, is struggling to survive in a world where he may be the last human, and mourning the loss of his best friend, Crake, and the beautiful and elusive Oryx whom they both loved. In search of answers, Snowman embarks on a journey—with the help of the green-eyed Children of Crake—through the lush wilderness that was so recently a great city, until powerful corporations took mankind on an uncontrolled genetic engineering ride. Margaret Atwood projects us into a near future that is both all too familiar and beyond our imagining.

⚡️ Intermediate Soldering Session
2023-10-26 18:00 - 20:00 | Iffy Books (319 N. 11th St.), 319 N. 11th St. #2I, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, United States
On Thursday, October 26th from 6–8 p.m. we’re hosting an intermediate soldering session. We’ll have soldering irons and solder to share for free, as well as DIY electronics kits for sale. Or bring your own project!
Register:
