BEGIN:VCALENDAR
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PRODID:-//sebbo.net//ical-generator//EN
NAME:DC Public Library
X-WR-CALNAME:DC Public Library
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:2fc47e3a-8d49-4596-a485-644dfcc1d055
SEQUENCE:0
DTSTAMP:20261022T220804Z
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20261012T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20261012T130000
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/17350180
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\, 5:30-7pm</td
 >\n<td style="width: 40.4365%\; height: 36px\;">Values benchmarking\, thre
 at modeling\, and setting up a password manager</td>\n</tr>\n<tr style="he
 ight: 18px\;">\n<td style="width: 33.3333%\; height: 18px\;">Monday\, Octo
 ber 12</td>\n<td style="width: 26.2301%\; height: 18px\;">Virtual lunchtim
 e session\, 12pm-1pm</td>\n<td style="width: 40.4365%\; height: 18px\;">Br
 owsing + search alternatives</td>\n</tr>\n<tr style="height: 18px\;">\n<td
  style="width: 33.3333%\; height: 18px\;">Monday\, October 19</td>\n<td st
 yle="width: 26.2301%\; height: 18px\;">Virtual lunchtime session\, 12pm-1p
 m</td>\n<td style="width: 40.4365%\; height: 18px\;">Email + messaging alt
 ernatives</td>\n</tr>\n<tr style="height: 18px\;">\n<td style="width: 33.3
 333%\; height: 18px\;">Monday\, October 26</td>\n<td style="width: 26.2301
 %\; height: 18px\;">Virtual lunchtime session\, 12pm-1pm</td>\n<td style="
 width: 40.4365%\; height: 18px\;">Social media: guest speaker on "pro-soci
 al" media</td>\n</tr>\n<tr style="height: 18px\;">\n<td style="width: 33.3
 333%\; height: 18px\;">Monday\, November 2</td>\n<td style="width: 26.2301
 %\; height: 18px\;">Virtual lunchtime session\, 12pm-1pm</td>\n<td style="
 width: 40.4365%\; height: 18px\;">Cleanup + data minimization</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\;">Vi
 rtual lunchtime session\, 12pm-1pm</td>\n<td style="width: 40.4365%\; heig
 ht: 18px\;">File sharing + cloud storage alternatives</td>\n</tr>\n<tr sty
 le="height: 18px\;">\n<td style="width: 33.3333%\; height: 18px\;">Monday\
 , November 16</td>\n<td style="width: 26.2301%\; height: 18px\;">In-person
  closing\, 5:30-7pm</td>\n<td style="width: 40.4365%\; height: 18px\;">Deb
 rief + 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
 .digitalinclusion.org/diw26/" title="Digital Inclusion week landing page">
 National Digital Inclusion Week</a>- a perfect time to think about the tec
 hnology embedded in our lives and how to make it better serve us all. Priv
 acy\, misinformation\, sustainability\, and opaque algorithms have been co
 ncerning consumers for years. AI's rapid rise is amplifying those concerns
  and making these questions harder to ignore\, so this is a good moment to
  pause and reassess the tools we rely on every day.</p>\n<hr />\n<h3><stro
 ng>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 c
 ontent\, not step-by-step tutorials\, because there's no single right alte
 rnative tech tool or system for everyone\; it depends on your goals. Looki
 ng for a formal technology class? See our <a href="https://dclibrary.libne
 t.info/events?d=2026-08-31&amp\;t=%255B%2522Computer%2520Class%2522%255D&a
 mp\;r=nextmonth" title="all computer classes at DCPL locations next month"
 >web calendar.</a></li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><strong>What are the days and t
 imes?</strong>\n<ul>\n<li>First and last sessions: Monday evenings\, in pe
 rson at MLK Library.</li>\n<li>Everything else: virtual\, over lunch. Regi
 ster 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 grou
 p you 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\, br
 ing whatever you use most (phone\, computer\, or tablet). DCPL will not pr
 ovide devices.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><strong>What do I need to install?<
 /strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Nothing required. You're welcome to create accounts or
  try apps/extensions at your own discretion.</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n<li><stro
 ng>What skills do I need?</strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Basic comfort with email\, t
 exting\, social media\, video calls\, file sharing\, and creating accounts
 . You won't have to try everything but come willing to experiment. We will
  not be instructing on basic computer skills\, but you can find other oppo
 rtunities for that at DCPL on our full listing of <a href="https://dclibra
 ry.libnet.info/events?d=2026-08-31&amp\;t=%255B%2522Computer%2520Class%252
 2%255D&amp\;nextmonth=&amp\;r=thismonth" title="Upcoming computer classes 
 on DCPL's site">upcoming classes</a>. Beyond that\, all experience levels 
 welcome\, including longtime alternative tech users who'd like to share ab
 out 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 s
 ome of the resources that will inform our sessions:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href
 ="https://www.privacyguides.org/" title="Privacy guides homepage">Privacy 
 Guides</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 inte
 rnet."</li>\n<li><a href="https://www.techreclaimers.club/" title="Tech Re
 claimers home page">Tech Reclaimers</a> &amp\; <a href="https://www.optout
 project.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
 >Tech Reclaimers</em> with collaborators)- practical resources for buildin
 g digital autonomy.</li>\n<li><a href="https://ssd.eff.org/" title="SSD ho
 me page">Surveillance Self Defense</a> from the Electronic Frontier Founda
 tion: "Tips\, tools\, and how-tos for safer online communications."</li>\n
 <li><a href="https://newpublic.org/" title="New Public Home page">New Publ
 ic</a>: "Reimagine social media. We are researchers\, engineers\, designer
 s\, and community leaders working together to explore creating digital pub
 lic 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><
 strong>Image credit:</strong> Marcin Wilkowski / https://betterimagesofai.
 org / <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">https://creat
 ivecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/</a></p>\n<p><strong>Image description:</st
 rong> A large man smoking a cigar (as depicted in the 1925 cartoon 'The Su
 bsidised Mine Owner - Poor Beggar!')\, is partially obscured by a pixelate
 d white-and-grey cloud. In the background\, part of the Wheel of Fortune c
 an 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 ri
 ght\, one character extends his hand towards him\, while another looks on 
 from 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\
 , are some sparkling\, pixelated yellow stars.</p>\n<p><strong>Artist's st
 atement:</strong> In order to consolidate their power and funding\, elites
 \, tech companies and organisations promote technological hype and the dis
 course of inevitability. Although this process is often presented as a nat
 ural phase of innovation\, it is actually an intentional instrument of tec
 hno-authoritarianism which exaggerates the positive effects of technology 
 while downplaying the negative ones. Through socio-financial speculation\,
  accelerationism\, and socio-technical fictions such as AGI\, they evade d
 emocratic oversight and social regulations\, transposing the socio-Darwini
 an mechanism of economic survival into the social\, political\, and cultur
 al spheres.</p>\nhttps://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/17350180
URL;VALUE=URI:https://dclibrary.libnet.info/event/17350180
ATTACH:https://static.libnet.info/images/events/dclibrary/00_MarcinWilkows
 ki-Fakeit_till_you_make_it-1280x720.png
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