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NAME:DC Public Library
X-WR-CALNAME:DC Public Library
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:c5e8508b-254f-45de-94b6-10f42c52aee2
SEQUENCE:0
DTSTAMP:20260905T060423Z
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261005T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261005T190000
SUMMARY:Breaking up with Big Tech
LOCATION:Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library - Central Library\nMartin
  Luther King Jr. Memorial Library - Central Library
X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=Martin Luther King Jr. Mem
 orial Library - Central Library;X-APPLE-RADIUS=10;X-TITLE=Martin Luther Ki
 ng Jr. Memorial Library - Central Library:geo:38.8986823,-77.024871
GEO:38.8986823;-77.024871
DESCRIPTION:Concerned about how much of your life runs through a handful o
 f tech companies\, but not sure what to actually *do* about it? Let's figu
 re it out together!.\nhttps://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/17350179
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:<p>A weekly club for people ready to make sma
 ll\, values-aligned changes to the tech they use.</p>\n<p>In this club\, w
 e're not going completely off-grid. It's about getting more intentional wi
 th the technology tools we're using on a daily basis- figuring out which t
 ools actually fit your values\, and what's realistic for you to change\, w
 ith support and a little accountability from the group.</p>\n<p><strong>Mo
 stly virtual\, with two in-person bookends.</strong> Meet over lunch from 
 your desk or couch\, plus two in-person sessions at MLK Library to kick of
 f and close out the series together. Expect the virtual sessions themselve
 s to use some of the alternative tools we're exploring- it will be a great
  opportunity to assess and test them.</p>\n<h3>Schedule</h3>\n<table borde
 r="1" style="border-collapse: collapse\; width: 100%\; height: 162px\;">\n
 <tbody>\n<tr style="height: 18px\;">\n<td style="width: 33.3333%\; height:
  18px\;"><strong>Date</strong></td>\n<td style="width: 26.2301%\; height: 
 18px\;"><strong>Format</strong></td>\n<td style="width: 40.4365%\; height:
  18px\;"><strong>Topic</strong></td>\n</tr>\n<tr style="height: 36px\;">\n
 <td style="width: 33.3333%\; height: 36px\;">Monday\, October 5</td>\n<td 
 style="width: 26.2301%\; height: 36px\;">In-person kick off</td>\n<td styl
 e="width: 40.4365%\; height: 36px\;">Values benchmarking\, threat modeling
 \, and setting up a password manager</td>\n</tr>\n<tr style="height: 18px\
 ;">\n<td style="width: 33.3333%\; height: 18px\;">Monday\, October 12</td>
 \n<td style="width: 26.2301%\; height: 18px\;">Virtual lunchtime session</
 td>\n<td style="width: 40.4365%\; height: 18px\;">Browsing + search altern
 atives</td>\n</tr>\n<tr style="height: 18px\;">\n<td style="width: 33.3333
 %\; height: 18px\;">Monday\, October 19</td>\n<td style="width: 26.2301%\;
  height: 18px\;">Virtual lunchtime session</td>\n<td style="width: 40.4365
 %\; height: 18px\;">Email + messaging alternatives</td>\n</tr>\n<tr style=
 "height: 18px\;">\n<td style="width: 33.3333%\; height: 18px\;">Monday\, O
 ctober 26</td>\n<td style="width: 26.2301%\; height: 18px\;">Virtual lunch
 time session</td>\n<td style="width: 40.4365%\; height: 18px\;">Social med
 ia: guest speaker on "pro-social" media</td>\n</tr>\n<tr style="height: 18
 px\;">\n<td style="width: 33.3333%\; height: 18px\;">Monday\, November 2</
 td>\n<td style="width: 26.2301%\; height: 18px\;">Virtual lunchtime sessio
 n</td>\n<td style="width: 40.4365%\; height: 18px\;">Cleanup + data minimi
 zation</td>\n</tr>\n<tr style="height: 18px\;">\n<td style="width: 33.3333
 %\; height: 18px\;">Monday\, November 9</td>\n<td style="width: 26.2301%\;
  height: 18px\;">Virtual lunchtime session</td>\n<td style="width: 40.4365
 %\; height: 18px\;">File sharing + cloud storage alternatives</td>\n</tr>\
 n<tr style="height: 18px\;">\n<td style="width: 33.3333%\; height: 18px\;"
 >Monday\, November 16</td>\n<td style="width: 26.2301%\; height: 18px\;">I
 n-person closing</td>\n<td style="width: 40.4365%\; height: 18px\;">Debrie
 f + celebration</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n<p><strong></strong></p>\
 n<p><strong>Why now?<br /></strong>October 4-10 is <a href="https://www.di
 gitalinclusion.org/diw26/" title="Digital Inclusion week landing page">Nat
 ional Digital Inclusion Week</a>- a perfect time to think about the techno
 logy embedded in our lives and how to make it better serve us all. Privacy
 \, misinformation\, sustainability\, and opaque algorithms have been conce
 rning consumers for years. AI's rapid rise is amplifying those concerns an
 d making these questions harder to ignore\, so this is a good moment to pa
 use and reassess the tools we rely on every day.</p>\n<hr />\n<h3><strong>
 FAQ</strong></h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Is this a course?</strong>\n<ul>\n<li
 >No formal instruction- it's a club. We'll have guided discussion and cont
 ent\, not step-by-step tutorials\, because there's no single right alterna
 tive tech tool or system for everyone\; it depends on your goals. Looking 
 for a formal technology class? See our <a href="https://dclibrary.libnet.i
 nfo/events?d=2026-08-31&amp\;t=%255B%2522Computer%2520Class%2522%255D&amp\
 ;r=nextmonth" title="all computer classes at DCPL locations next month">we
 b calendar.</a></li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><strong>What are the days and time
 s?</strong>\n<ul>\n<li>First and last sessions: Monday evenings\, in perso
 n at MLK Library.</li>\n<li>Everything else: virtual\, over lunch. Registe
 r to get the join links.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><strong>What if I miss a 
 session?</strong>\n<ul>\n<li>This club builds on itself and on the group y
 ou meet. Please plan to attend as many sessions as you can.</li>\n</ul>\n<
 /li>\n<li><strong>Do I need my own device?</strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Yes\, bring
  whatever you use most (phone\, computer\, or tablet). DCPL will not provi
 de devices.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><strong>What do I need to install?</st
 rong>\n<ul>\n<li>Nothing required. You're welcome to create accounts or tr
 y apps/extensions at your own discretion.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><strong>
 What skills do I need?</strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Basic comfort with email\, text
 ing\, social media\, video calls\, file sharing\, and creating accounts. Y
 ou won't have to try everything but come willing to experiment. We will no
 t be instructing on basic computer skills\, but you can find other opportu
 nities for that at DCPL on our full listing of <a href="https://dclibrary.
 libnet.info/events?d=2026-08-31&amp\;t=%255B%2522Computer%2520Class%2522%2
 55D&amp\;nextmonth=&amp\;r=thismonth" title="Upcoming computer classes on 
 DCPL's site">upcoming classes</a>. Beyond that\, all experience levels wel
 come\, including longtime alternative tech users who'd like to share about
  their experiences and build community.<br />&nbsp\;</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<
 /ul>\n<p>To get a better idea of what this club will cover\, here are some
  of the resources that will inform our sessions:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href="h
 ttps://www.privacyguides.org/" title="Privacy guides homepage">Privacy Gui
 des</a>:"Privacy Guides is an impartial\, non-profit organization that is 
 focused on building a strong privacy advocacy community and delivering the
  best digital privacy and consumer technology rights advice on the interne
 t."</li>\n<li><a href="https://www.techreclaimers.club/" title="Tech Recla
 imers home page">Tech Reclaimers</a> &amp\; <a href="https://www.optoutpro
 ject.net/" title="The Opt Out Project homepage">The Opt Out Project</a>: "
 RECLAIM CONTROL over your digital life\, devices\, services and data."(the
  author of&nbsp\;<em>The Opt Out Project</em> went on to form&nbsp\;<em>Te
 ch Reclaimers</em> with collaborators)- practical resources for building d
 igital autonomy.</li>\n<li><a href="https://ssd.eff.org/" title="SSD home 
 page">Surveillance Self Defense</a> from the Electronic Frontier Foundatio
 n: "Tips\, tools\, and how-tos for safer online communications."</li>\n<li
 ><a href="https://newpublic.org/" title="New Public Home page">New Public<
 /a>: "Reimagine social media. We are researchers\, engineers\, designers\,
  and community leaders working together to explore creating digital public
  spaces where people can thrive and connect."</li>\n<li>What would you add
  to this list? Let us know when you register!</li>\n</ul>\n<hr />\n<p><str
 ong>Image credit:</strong> Marcin Wilkowski / https://betterimagesofai.org
  / <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">https://creative
 commons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a></p>\n<p><strong>Image description:</stron
 g> A large man smoking a cigar (as depicted in the 1925 cartoon 'The Subsi
 dised Mine Owner - Poor Beggar!')\, is partially obscured by a pixelated w
 hite-and-grey cloud. In the background\, part of the Wheel of Fortune can 
 also be seen. The goddess who usually turns the wheel is hidden by the man
  in the foreground. Four characters (perhaps depicting the same person at 
 different points in time) sit on the wheel. The character with a crown on 
 top is holding two globes/trophy and has treasure on his lap. To his right
 \, one character extends his hand towards him\, while another looks on fro
 m the left. The fourth character is already falling. Two black\, dotted\, 
 squares outline the large man and the wheel. To the left of the wheel\, in
  the background\, there is a pixelated yellow-orange sun. To the right\, a
 re some sparkling\, pixelated yellow stars.</p>\n<p><strong>Artist's state
 ment:</strong> In order to consolidate their power and funding\, elites\, 
 tech companies and organisations promote technological hype and the discou
 rse of inevitability. Although this process is often presented as a natura
 l phase of innovation\, it is actually an intentional instrument of techno
 -authoritarianism which exaggerates the positive effects of technology whi
 le downplaying the negative ones. Through socio-financial speculation\, ac
 celerationism\, and socio-technical fictions such as AGI\, they evade demo
 cratic oversight and social regulations\, transposing the socio-Darwinian 
 mechanism of economic survival into the social\, political\, and cultural 
 spheres.</p>\nhttps://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/17350179
URL;VALUE=URI:https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/17350179
ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/dclibrary/00_MarcinWilkows
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