Good news again—

Luddite activities continue in Tompkins Square Park—including some reprisals of hit SoL Events like New Rat City & natural sequels like the Theory of the Earth Teach-in & a Ludd Dating Experiment. Read on for details about the Luddite Club meetings every Sunday at 2 p.m., plus collaborative art sessions & performances on days like July 15 & 16.

At the Closing Ceremony for the Summer of Ludd, we opened a massive paper scroll across the base of the Hare Krishna Tree, & people shared more Events with each other through the rest of the year. I’ve included as many July Events as I can here.

A number of participants from the week—both old friends & literal passersby—are making their Event Runner debuts—check out the New Moon Ritual, Poetry Circle, & BrooklynHike among them. Others are inviting us to join ongoing community practices like Contact Improv, Contra Dancing, Action Theater, & Sewing.

What else? Maybe you will catch a DJ from the LET’S GET OFF parties doing a set at Newtown Radio, or maybe you will write for one of the zines you found at the party. I’ll leave it at that for now—there are so many more threads for us all to discover & weave.

See you out there, & see your friends whom you forward this bulletin to because they will like it, & see the strangers we all befriend together in the Public Sphere—

—Nick

Oh—I'm hearing that Google hides these emails sometimes. (What a surprise!) Make sure you & your friends move these from Promotions into your regular Inbox, if need be—& add "nycofftech@buttondown.email" to your address book. Better yet, switch to Proton Mail—free to start, or get discounted extra storage here.

★ ★ ★

Resources and calls

★ The School of Radical Attention (SoRA) has a few spots left in its CULTURE JAMMING seminar, which is a great fit for this Off Tech community. The instructor is a key member of the Yes Men, who have done a lot of adjacent Trickster-y things to the Summer of Ludd.

★ SoRA is also building a NATIONAL network of physical spaces that serve as "Sanctuaries," or places for our "attention activism" to occur. This could be a library, a garden, a museum, a classroom, or a venue hosting Events like those in this newsletter (even a venue that wants to START hosting such events). If you run this kind of space or know someone who does, AND you're interested in hearing more about this project, please REPLY to this newsletter.

★ Phone Freedom is offering summer and fall support groups for parents and creatives who want to create specialized plans to get off smartphones and big tech. This is a sliding-scale offer and intended, in part, for busy caretakers who need some extra tools to breaking free from extractive media environments.

★ Much of the literature on hand during the Summer of Ludd is publicly available here.

★ ★ ★

Rest of July & the August horizon

Sat., July 11 | RAD Collective Soft Launch Picnic @ 4–8 p.m., Tompkins Sq. Park

Join the Resisting Automated Disempowerment (RAD) Collective for our very first event! The RAD Collective is an AI Safety group dedicated to building community and pushing back against corporate control of AI, big AI money in politics, and AI taking our jobs.

Feel free to bring snacks/drinks/anything else you'd like to share! Come meet our community and hang with us :) No AI background required!

Sun., July 12 | Luddite Club Tompkins OPENING CELEBRATION @ 2 p.m., Tompkins Sq. Park

Luddism lives on in Tompkins Sq. Park ALL SUMMER!

Community Lighter Ceremony, & write tweets to yell to the void ("treeting"). The Ludds will be in Tompkins every Sunday for the rest of the summer. BRING YOUR OWN EVENTS always!

Sun., July 12 | boshi's spontaneous orchestra @ 2–5 p.m., boshi's place

If you always wanted to play music but was scared of people being too good and precious about things, this is a jam for you, we are mostly not good and definitely not precious. And you don't need to know how to play anything, we have instruments, and instructions and mostly come up with improvisation game ideas that give some structure.

Sun., July 12 | Public Service @ 2–7 p.m., Classon Playground

Free dancing for all. Vital part of Brooklyn summers.

Sun., July 12 | Unplatform Office Hours @ 2 p.m., Online

Most people agree that letting Silicon Valley control our whole society was a bad idea. Fewer people know what to do about it. That is where the Unplatform project comes in: an interactive guide and recommendations database made to help people and communities find alternatives to Big Tech's monopolistic tools.

We'll talk about how to find news, events, and culture outside the shadow of Silicon Valley, and we might even catch a glimpse of an internet beyond the "five giant websites, each filled with screenshots of the other four."

RSVP here.

Mon., July 13 | Ghost in the Machine Screening @ 7 p.m., BAM Rose Cinema

Screening followed by a panel discussion with Angela Saini, Jessie Daniels and Mutale Nkonde, moderated by Annie Dorsen. A visceral investigative essay documentary from director Valerie Veatch (The Zoo, Love Child), Ghost in the Machine explores how emerging technologies reshape identity, culture, and global power.

Based on conversations with 36 leading AI experts (and over 100 hours of conversation), Veatch unearths the buried history of artificial intelligence: one rooted not in neutral algorithms, but in racism, misogyny, eugenics, and entrenched systems of power that shaped the technology long before it entered our daily lives.

Tickets here.

Mon., July 13 | Library Freedom Project Book Club @ 8 p.m., online

We are reading The Age of Magical Overthinking. Email us at info@libraryfreedom.org with "July book club" in the subject line, if you'd like to join us!

Tues., July 14 | Unplug: A New Moon Ritual @ 7 p.m., Fort Greene Park

Join for Unplug: A New Moon Ritual, designed to help us reflect on our relationships with the technologies that feel increasingly everpresent in our lives.

We will begin with a short reading and group discussion, before shifting to setting an intention for the coming lunar cycle. We will be by the monument in Fort Greene Park. Bring a blanket! This is a phone-free event. Phones will be checked in by the host upon arrival.

More info and optional RSVP here.

Tues., July 14 | Sidewalk Study “Ensouled Beauty” @ 7 p.m., Madison Square Park

See the SoRA website for more Sidewalk Studies and Seminars, too.

Wed., July 15 | Attention Lab COALITION @ 6:30 p.m., DUMBO

The School of Radical Attention's flagship "Attention Labs" are experiential, participatory workshops dedicated to the joint exploration of human attention. Through group attention practices and guided discussions, we create and test tools to rebuild the art of sustained attention, which has been under attack by persuasive technologies.

This lab's focus is COALITION: the collective potential for attention activism.

Sign up for any lab here.

POSTPONED — Wed., July 15 | Luddite Dating Ad Creation @ 4–8 p.m., Tompkins Sq. Park

Seeking a Luddite lover?

Awaken from thy hinge message purgatory! Abandon ye reductionist 2D profile! Rid thyself of the binary swipe mindset! Instead, find real world romance with a Ludd Lover personal ad.

We’ll be at Tompkins Wednesday afternoon helping you fill out a short personal ad that captures your essence. Then, in August, all lovers are invited to a Ludd Lover Party—where we’ll revel in each others presence, meet other seekers, and read fellow personal ads gathered in a zine!

Can’t catch us at Tompkins but still seeking? You can email LUDD LOVER to holyidiot@pm.me to receive your personal ad & more info.

★ POSTPONED DUE TO HEAT—REACH OUT IN MEANTIME TO GET STARTED ★

RELOCATED — Wed., July 15 | Theory of the Earth Teach-In @ 7 p.m., CROWN HEIGHTS

Thomas Nail writes that our theories of the Earth treat it as the stable object par excellence, but this is a historically specific perspective rooted in the unusual climate stability of the Holocene era. Anthropocene science has revealed the ways in which Earth processes are profoundly unpredictable and non-linear, requiring us to formulate a new theory of the earth.

We'll gather to discuss excerpts from this book (to be read in advance). Hosted by Henry (who likes thoughts) and Connor (who likes rocks). Reach out to griffin75006@proton.me for the readings, which you should look through in advance!

★ RELOCATED DUE TO HEAT—REACH OUT FOR MORE INFO! ★

POSTPONED — Wed., July 15 | New Rat City @ 9 p.m., Tompkins Sq. Park

In this 1-hour workshop, we will see rats, and we will be rats. We will learn about rats, and we will learn about ourselves. It's New Rat City, baby. Get to know some of our most misunderstood neighbors.

This was a huge hit during Summer of Ludd! Come again, or come for the first time!

Hosted by kyle barnes of Chimeras Collective. No RSVP, just show up!

★ POSTPONED DUE TO HEAT ★

Thurs., July 16 | Landscape Art @ 4 p.m., Tompkins Sq. Park

A chill evening of making art at the park for whoever has the free time. The art can be anything you want it to be, even photography or poetry. People can come at whatever level they’re at. Try to bring your own materials; the host will do my best to supplement those without.

Meet at the Hare Krishna Tree; approach the person wearing a bright yellow shirt with Jake from Adventure Time on it.

Thurs., July 16 | Offline Book Club: More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI @ 6:30 p.m., Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library - Room 405

Stop scrolling and put down your phone… SNFL's Offline Book Club is a space for in-person conversation about the role technology plays in our world. Each month highlights a different book on the topic of technology's impact on our individual lives as well as society as a whole, followed by an open discussion to share recent experiences and observations. sites.google.com/nypl.org/offline

Thurs., July 16 | The Living Room @ 7 p.m., Tompkins Sq. Park

A traveling caravan of performers is coming to Tompkins with stilts, songs and stories. Come one, come all! Experience hospitality, music, theater, conversation and more!

Thurs., July 16 & Sat., July 18 | The Spectacular Vermin Sisters: Taking Back What's Ratfully Ours @ Under St. Mark's East Village

July 16, 9:30 pm With Johno and Lauren LoGiudice

July 18, 4 pm With Delaney Wellington and Addie Alaimo

Sister showgirls Amelia and Avi have practiced their dance steps, perfected their costumes and downed a celebratory glass of champagne. But two other sisters lurk below the floorboards, and they are ready to take back what is ratfully theirs. Sisters and lifelong collaborators, Amelia and Avi Gorman are thrilled to share their first full-length work with you.

A comedy infused with puppetry, drama, and a little bit of showgirl magic, The Spectacular Vermin Sisters is a celebration of those who crave the limelight.

Tickets here.

Fri., July 17 | Come write a scathing postcard @ 4–8 p.m., Washington Sq. Park

Say hi to your most-hated big tech CEOs. We're mailing every single one to the companies' headquarters. Bring your friends—let's get the whole park in on this!

Follow the chalk. Look for a table with writing supplies.

Fri., July 17 | How to Throw a Party @ 5:30 p.m., Prospect Park

Learn some juicy Party Theory, how parties have shaped history, and how to make your own party a roaring success (whatever that means to you). This is a 2-hour interactive workshop, but pop by anytime if you can't make it right at 5:30.

Hosted by kyle barnes, partygoer and partymaker who recently taught a seminar called The Party at the School of Radical Attention. kyle is also a co-organizer of the LET'S GET OFF TOGETHER parties. RSVP to kyletuhr@proton.me for location & details.

Fri., July 17 | boshi's lecture series: C. Thi Nguyen @ 6:30 p.m., boshi's place

Hear the popular philosopher of games talk about his new book The Score. Talk starts at 7 p.m.

RSVP here.

Sat., July 18 | CyPurr Collective: AI and You @ 3 p.m., Brooklyn Central Library Infocommons

Cut through the hype and doom around AI with the CyPurr cats! This session will go over a beginner-friendly review of how the recent wave of AI tools works before diving into what it means for privacy and mass surveillance. Bring your device for the second half, where we'll opt-out of these settings together and discussing a more private and just future of tech.

Sat., July 18 | Trephelobia Poetry Circle @ 7 p.m., Fallkill Falls in Prospect Park

An informal, come and go as you please poetry circle. Similar vibe to the poetry reading during Summer of Ludd.

Bring your own poetry or poetry you like. Free, but if you can, please bring snacks/drinks, or consider chipping in!

Exact location is 40°39'42.3"N 73°58'17.7"W.

(P.S.—does anyone know what Trephelobia means?!)

Sun., July 19 | BrooklynHike @ 10 a.m., Brooklyn Bridge Park (under bridge, Brooklyn side)

You're telling me you've never walked the majority of Brooklyn's perimeter in one day? Well... Come through! We will be doing exactly that, and it will be legendary.

We will start at Brooklyn Bridge Park and end at Coney Island, hugging the waterfront along the way to the best of our ability, with a likely pausepoint halfway to eat whenever we are forced inland. Don't forget to bring ample sunscreen, water, and snacks, and whatever else you'll need to enjoy 6+ hours of walking, chatting, and looking :)

Email kollmoss57@gmail.com with questions or to try joining in halfway.

Sun., July 19 | contact improv jam & open decks @ 6:30 p.m., Bushwick

All levels! In a cozy DIY loft with plenty of soft seating on the sidelines & food for purchase.

6:30 doors.

6:45-7:30: guided warmup $5+ sliding scale (highly recommended for beginners) with Nina, an opportunity to explore the fundamentals of touch, physics, gravity & get comfortable with folks in the jam.

7:30-9:30: jam $10+ sliding scale.

If you are a DJ interested in open decks, reply to this email or DM the Event Runners on luma.

Mon., July 20 | Paul Chan on "Content" @ 7 p.m., Woodbine (414 Broadway, 3rd Floor, Manhattan)

Creative work online is more likely than not being scraped right now as training material for machine-learning models. Once trained on enough data, models are capable of regenerating that work as "content."

"Content" is a euphemism for a species of expression that doesn't rely on concepts like "quality" or "meaning" to differentiate itself. The way content stands apart aesthetically is simply by its capacity to be created at scale. The fact that the term "content industry" is well on its way to replacing "entertainment industry" as the preferred descriptor for movies and television studios is telling.

Are all forms of expression simply "content" today? What distinguishes an expression from not being "content"? Who benefits from transforming intellectual, aesthetic, physical, and emotional labor into scalable, algorithmic means of production? Are there any benefits to expressions that do not scale?

Tues., July 21 | CDNY Dance Lab @ 7 p.m., 520 8th Ave., 3rd Floor, Manhattan

The CDNY Dance Lab, in Contra and English. The goal is not only to have fun dancing, but to improve our dance skills by focusing on various elements such as graceful recovery from mistakes, giving weight, helpful non-verbal communication, being a great partner, and more!

Tickets can be reserved through the recurring Eventbrite link.

Wed., July 22 | Clocked Out Release Party @ 7 p.m., Lovely Day (196 Elizabeth St.)

Celebrating Issue 4 of the political theory magazine, including critical essays on AI and an interview with Gowanus, the Luddite Media Spokespuppet. Doors open at 7 p.m. Readings begin at 8 p.m.

Wed., July 22 | Burner Phone Writing Group @ 7:30 p.m., Lalin's

This group meets every other week, sometimes in workshop style. Come work on a submission for the Burner Phone zine—which is entirely offline—or just hang out and free write.

Email bushwickburnerphone@gmail.com for updates.

Thurs., July 23 & Sun., July 26 | Anna by the Window Special Screenings @ Denizen Theatre, New Paltz

ATTENTION all who missed the premiere of feature film Anna by the Window on July 4th during the Summer of Ludd! Your cries of FOMO have been heard: Two more screenings of this film will be occuring THURSDAY JULY 23RD at 7:30pm and SUNDAY JULY 26th at 5:00pm at the Denizen Theatre in New Paltz, a sub-2 hour bus/train ride north of NYC. These screenings are selling out fast so get your tickets in advance HERE.

Anna By the Window is a youthful elegy mourning humanity's loss of connection in the AI age.The screenings will be followed by a Q&A with BAGGYSUIT, directors James Hyland and Myles Flusser.

If you are unable to make these screenings, we are currently hard at work booking more so sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with future screenings: https://www.baggysuit.com/newsletter. If you are interested in collaborating on an event or would like to put together a screening near you email baggysuit@proton.me. We are committed to proving that hyperlocal film community and urgent microbudget cinema can flourish in the algorithmic age, come join us!

Fri., July 24 | Naming Ceremony @ 6 p.m., Prospect Park

From underneath a data center, a creature crawls and creeps. Greet it, name it, be transformed. This is a participatory performance that commences at 6:30pm. RSVP to kyletuhr@proton.me for location & details.

Fri., July 24 | Action Theater Pop-Up Class @ 6–9 p.m., Lightning Society Lofts

A 3-hour, all-levels-welcome dive into improvisational play. In small groups or solo, we'll play through exercises and games using sound, movement, and/or language to train how to physicalize what is present in our body/mind/imagination.

Silly, serious, pedestrian, mythological, animal, and alien—all parts of us are invited in the play of Action Theater.

Sliding scale. RSVP here.

Sun., July 26 | Guided Nature Walk @11 a.m., Hudson Highlands State Park (3200 Stearn Rd, Cold Spring, NY 10516)

Join New York-New Jersey Trail Conference's Hudson Valley Trail Stewards on a 2-mile hike along the Cornish Trail in Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve. Learn about the history of the Northgate Estate Ruins, how to identify native & invasive species, and Leave No Trace principles.

This moderate hike is perfect for beginner hikers, history enthusiasts, and nature lovers alike! Wear sturdy sneakers or boots, bring plenty of water, snacks and lunch, and dress to be outside. To get here, take the 8:56AM Hudson Line train from Grand Central to Cold Spring. Left on Main St, left on Fair St, and left on Route 9D. Happy Trails!

Questions or curious about future hikes? Email yokelsyd@proton.me.

Sun., July 26 | Life Drawing @ 1 p.m., Tompkins Sq. Park

Someone put this on the calendar at the end of the SoL closing ceremony. Check it out, and stay for Luddite Club at 2 p.m. that day!

Sun., July 26 | Sewing Repair Café @ 3–6 p.m., 178 Bennett Ave., Manhattan

Got an old shirt that is torn but you can't bring yourself to get rid of it? Just want to learn how to sew on a button?

Come by Cornerstone Makerspace for our Sewing Repair Café, and learn how to do some simple hand stitches to get more life out of your wardrobe. Bring something that needs mending if you want, or just come by and learn some sewing techniques (materials provided).

Full info here.

Sun., July 26 | Earth Chrxch @ 7 p.m., 15 Rutherford Pl., Manhattan

1 preacher, 35 singers, & a crowd of Earth-loving humans. Step into the Fabulous Unknown.

Join us at the 15th St. Friends Meeting House in Manhattan. Kids welcome. ADA accesible.

Tues., July 28 | Ludds in D.C., All Day

Big Tech CEOs are testifying about safety practices, AI deployment, and more. They will lie under oath once more.

Be on the lookout for fun Luddite events in the Capitol—and holler if you're in D.C.

Tues., July 28 | Quazar Radio @ 12–2 p.m., Newtown Radio

Tune into an eclectic and worldwide DJ set by Quazar (from the LET'S GET OFF TOGETHER parties!). Quazar weaves the unexpected in their sets and bridges continents without sacrificing the awe they feel for all of this music. Their sets follow an arc of energy and tension, creating a story through their music. Come for a taste, a song that will send you down a rabbit-hole, or a story that will invigorate your day.

This is a biweekly show on an independent radio with no rules, no algorithms, no investments whatsoever (unethical or not), and no ads.

Listen on newtownradio.com, or stop by the studio in Brooklyn.

Wed., July 29 | Buck Moon Ritual @ 7 p.m., Fort Greene Park

The full moon in July is the Buck Moon—so named for the bucks whose antlers grow largest in this time of year. Gather in community under the rising full moon this Wednesday near the monument of Fort Greene Park (look for the antlers) where we'll dance, commune, and share in presence and sustenance.

Bring an offering for our communal altar: an object representing strength and growth, to you. Ritual starts at 7:45!

Sat., Aug. 1 | MASS FOR THE MAGNETIC FIELD @ 2 p.m., Washington Sq. Park

"In the name of the dipole, the bow shock, and the self-exciting geodynamo—"

Invisible, immanent, born of molten iron and rending tide, the Earth's magnetic field guides our way and protects us from harmful solar winds. Its origins are still unknown to science and its role in the possibility of life is unappreciated by many of us.

We'll remix old rituals to celebrate this ancient mystery. Bring your compasses, if you have them. Facilitated by Connor Griffin, an educator, organizer, and rock enthusiast working in this community, most recently the host of Your Phone Is 4.6 Billion Years Old during the Summer of Ludd.

Just show up!

Mon., Aug. 5 | Free Laptop Giveaway @ 10 a.m.–2 p.m., 9 Bond St., 4th Floor, Brooklyn

Hosted by circle keepers at the Alex House Project.

Fri., Aug. 7 | Junk Journal Night @ 5:30–7 p.m., Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library 1st Floor Corner Space

Bring your junk journal with you to the library for an evening of community crafting. Each session will offer an opportunity to meet friends, share ideas, and participate in a guided activity to add a new spread to your journal.

Bring your own notebook; all other materials provided. More here.

Sat., Aug. 8 | Dan's Phone Free Birthday Bash @ 4 p.m., Fort Greene Park

Dan (of Phone Free Adelphi and a run for the Presidency) has a summer birthday. Dan misses throwing phone free events. Dan wants to celebrate his birthday (and maybe yours?) with a big old phone free public park birthday bash!

Mon., Aug. 10 | Month Offline Gallery Exhibition @ 7 p.m., telos.haus

★ ★ ★

Recurring Events

Every Sun. | Luddite Club @ 2 p.m., Tompkins Sq. Park

A new vehicle to bring your own Luddite events—get on the bus.

First and Third Sun. | Date with Détournement @ 9 p.m., Various Locations

Join public art projects that push back against alienating tech.

First and third Sundays.

sighren.ludd@proton.me if you want in.

Every Thurs. | Crown Heights Silent Reading @ 7 p.m.

Celebrate reading in community. We'll read for an hour then chat over tea. Bring any book for yourself! Facilitated by Connor Griffin, an educator and organizer working off big tech. Email griffin75006@proton.me for the location.

Every Fri. | Crafternoon @ 1:30–3:30 p.m., Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library 1st Floor Corner Space

Join us for two hours of freeform crafting and conversation. Bring your own project.

We have tools and materials for sewing, fiber, and paper arts, and are always happy to assist you in finding books related to your creative interests.

More here.

Every Sat. | Internet & Tech Addicts Anonymous @ 2 p.m., 208 W 13th St., Manhattan

Welcome to Internet and Technology Addicts Anonymous! We're glad you've found us, and we hope our community can be as helpful to you as it has been for us. ITAA is a Twelve-Step fellowship of individuals who support each other in recovering from internet and technology addiction. This includes addiction to social media, smartphones, streaming video or audio content, games, news, pornography, dating apps, online research, online shopping, or any other digital activity that becomes compulsive and problematic.