Resources that TDI thinks might be useful to our community
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a declassified World War II-era CIA guide to sabotaging fascism in the workplace has become one of the most popular free ebooks on the internet: https://www.404media.co/declassified-cia-guide-to-sabotaging-fascism-is-suddenly-viral/
Trust me when I say this book will come in handy. Chapter 1 is titled "Resist." - How To Be A Digital Revolutionary
We Will Not Cancel Us: And Other Dreams of Transformative Justice by adrienne maree brown frames a discussion on holding peers accountable from an abolitionist perspective with a focus on activist/organizing collectives. Her interrogation of how to move towards non-punitive systems of community growth while protecting those harmed by transgressions provides valuable insight for other groups and communities as well.
Lawyer. Passport. Locksmith. Gun. (A Talk About Risk & Preparedness) by DeviantOllam on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ihrGNGesfI
When entering the industry (and especially if you participate in CTF puzzles) in the United States, a handful of films constitute the vast majority of cultural references. You'll be able to follow just about everything if you've seen:
Hackers (1995)
The Matrix (1999)
Wargames (1983)
Sneakers (1992)
Max Headroom: 20 Minutes into the Future (1985)
and are familiar with the general concepts of either the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K Dick or the 1982 movie Blade Runner (which is VERY loosely based on it)
Smart Girl's Guide to Privacy: Practical Tips for Staying Safe Online by Violet Blue https://nostarch.com/smartgirlsguide
Surveillance Self-Defense (SSD) is a guide to protecting yourself from electronic surveillance for people all over the world. Please use SSD as a starting point for your own research, and check for more recent facts, cases and authorities. https://ssd.eff.org/module/attending-protest
This is a part of the above SSD specifically focused on using the Signal application. Signal is a free and open-source application for Android, iOS, and desktop that employs end-to-end encryption to keep communications safe. https://ssd.eff.org/module/how-to-use-signal
This introductory playlist will help you discover how to assess your personal risk , protect your most cherished communications and information, and start thinking about incorporating privacy-enhancing tools into your daily routine. https://ssd.eff.org/playlist/want-security-starter-pack
This page from "Lock Down Your Life" contains a number of resources for privacy, anti-harassment, anti-stalking, and related information. This page is https://www.lockdownyourlife.com/resources/
Trans Rescue https://transrescue.org/
Feeling like you want to dive in and help reproductive justice at this time? join the volunteer group Techies 4 RJ and they can pair you with a project already in the field that needs some hands! techies4rj.org
Elevated Access are a non-profit organization that enables people to access healthcare by providing flights on private planes at no cost. Our volunteer pilot network transports clients seeking abortion or gender-affirming care across the United States. https://www.elevatedaccess.org/about
National Council of Jewish Women is committed to creating a world where all people, regardless of race, class, gender, sexuality, ability, or immigration status, have the right to build their families and live their lives with dignity. https://www.ncjw.org/work/reproductive-healthcare-access-equity/
Mountain Access Brigade (abortion fund) https://mountainaccessbrigade.org/
New York Abortion Access Fund: https://www.nyaaf.org/
Frontera Fund https://fronterafundrgv.org/
Nicole - moving USA to Canada https://amazonv.dreamwidth.org/tag/permanent+residency
Trans World Express - https://transworldexpress.org/wiki/Main_Page?fbclid=IwY2xjawIjQ_VleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHejdqWa0uJD6NOmrWkyxDUJWLXENhrryDZFPYqL9IAWx5D63U24Q9azl8Q_aem_AV29qQnpJ12zU0BfQBXIOg
Reddit AmerExit https://www.reddit.com/r/AmerExit/
How to Help Protect Undocumented People You Care About from ICE https://vistacriminallaw.com/helping-with-ice/
The Immigrants Rights Project: https://www.nwirp.org
Educators: Get your free Know Your Power poster for your classroom! https://unitedwedream.org/actions/educators-get-your-free-know-your-power-poster-for-your-classroom/
Know your rights with ICE https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/know-your-rights-with-ice/
All people in the United States, regardless of immigration status, have certain rights and protections under the U.S. Constitution. The ILRC’s Red Cards help people assert their rights and defend themselves in many situations, such as when ICE agents go to a home. https://www.ilrc.org/red-cards-tarjetas-rojas
The Financial Diet's video "we need to have a serious conversation" https://youtu.be/bzWd8h1eoCM
Bitches Get Riches is a feminist finance blog started in 2016 with US-centric budgeting and tax tips specifically intended to be accessible to and useful for class-changers of marginalized genders. https://www.bitchesgetriches.com/
The Women's Personal Finance blog (historically; note that this seems to have gone dormant recently) does a weekly roundup of finance news likely to affect women, and often includes tips or perspectives specifically useful to queer women. They're US-based, but a lot of the information they provide is generally-useful mindset-level of detail, rather than US-specific financial advice. https://womenspersonalfinance.org/
US-focused book: The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Mel Lindauer, Taylor Larimore, and Michael LaBeouf includes a roundup of most core personal finance concepts you need to understand for usual adulting.
Mutual Aid Hub (national map): https://www.mutualaidhub.org/
Trans-centered mutual aid orgs: https://www.them.us/story/trans-mutual-aid-funds-donate-support
Mask Bloc directory of mutual aid groups providing free access to masks, COVID-19 tests, and other related equipment https://maskbloc.org/
Los Angeles Mutual Aid: https://www.mutualaid.la/groups
A guide to contacting/coordinating with media from on the ground: https://www.congress.gov/116/meeting/house/110281/documents/HHRG-116-JU00-20191204-SD1250.pdf
How To Raise A Citizen (a tool for parents and educators): book
Oath (a platform to stop doomscrolling and start taking action): https://www.instagram.com/oath.vote/?hl=en
The American Library Association advocacy guide: https://www.ala.org/advocacy/show-up-for-our-libraries
The National Coalition Against Censorship: https://ncac.org/
The FOIA Project collects information received responsive to FOIA requests throughout the US: https://foiaproject.org/ You can search all results, or they have special searches for certain subsets of available data, including DHS ICE: https://foiaproject.org/req_search/
Civic Band collects minutes from civic governments, currently in the US and Canada https://civic.band/
Indivisible (progressive coalition building): https://indivisible.org/
5calls: 5calls.org gives a roundup of the current status of assorted political issues and recommends high-impact calls to make related to each issue. You pick an issue you care about, and they tell you who to tell at what phone number!
Run For Something: https://runforsomething.net/
Working Families Party: https://workingfamilies.org/
Black Hills Information Security Infosec Survival Guide – Green Book
Read this LinkedIn Post
Check out this collection of useful links
Solarpunk starter resources https://infosec.exchange/@tinker/113908272119868814
Thanks Tinker
So solarpunk is an artistic aesthetic, literary genre, and social activism.
The artistic aesthetic tends to focus on the elements of solarpunk (discussed later) in an uplifting, colorful, and hopeful presentation. While it has no set limitations, popular aesthetics are art nouveau and studio ghibli styles.
The literary genre is "protopia" in style. It shows a pragmatic utopia while addressing present day social concerns. Some of it shows the ideal within a hopepunk and/or cozycore plot. Others have higher conflict and show the current social concerns being addressed and remediated.
The social activism side seeks to bring about that protopia world in the present day. The focus is to bring about a post-scarcity world where everyone has the basics of life covered while emphasizing increasing time for rest, luxury, the arts, culture, and community.
While these themes are covered in other movements (many of which are not opposed and work well with solarpunk), the solarpunks themselves seek to use modern day (and near future) technology to assist in this post-scarcity world. Technologies such as automation, renewable energies, and economies of scale - currently utilized by various ruling classes - to instead be used by the working class. Further efforts are made within degrowth (removing technology for technologies sake, and consumption for consumption's sake).
While not solely limited to anarchic politics, many of the approaches are non-hierarchical in nature and when they are hierarchical, they often focus on local political structures, decentralized, and distributed, with cooperation between various local groups for a national and inter-national co-op structure.
Long and short, solarpunks were tired of being warned of the present dystopia of cyberpunk without solutions to overcome that dystopia. They yearned for positive stories and art that showed a direction to pursue. And they wanted to act in the now to bring about that change.
Solarpunk is not the only movement towards protopia and progressive social change. And it should not be the only movement. But it adds its take on how to approach remediating current social and environmental and material crises.
The areas of focus are (but not limited to):
Post-scarcity: Food, Water, Shelter, Healthcare, Education, Transportation, and Energy (energy is focused on renewables, efficiencies, and lower energy requirements)
Social and environmental justice, minority and worker rights, equitable distribution of resources
Arts, beauty, aesthetics, culture
Rest, leisure, community bonds, and protection for individual rights
Some good places to start are:
What is Solarpunk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHI61GHNGJM
Mutual Aid by Dean Spade: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/dean-spade-mutual-aid
Solarpunk Manifesto (not the only one and by no means authoritative, but something to muse on): https://iandennismiller.github.io/solarpunk/manifesto/english.html
Solarpunk Notes Toward a Manifesto (more voices are better than one): https://hieroglyph.asu.edu/2014/09/solarpunk-notes-toward-a-manifesto/
Solarpunk: A Reference Guide: https://medium.com/solarpunks/solarpunk-a-reference-guide-8bcf18871965
Solarpunk Lemmy Instance: https://slrpnk.net/
Solarpunk Discord Server: https://discord.gg/C76x3bWXEA
Some sample solarpunk projects:
Seed Libraries, Tool Libraries, Library Economy, Libraries in general
Community Gardens, Community Farms & Ranches, Backyard / Apartment Gardens
Community Free Fridges & Pantries, Peer-to-peer food exchanges, community kitchens and restaurants
Maker Spaces, home fabrication - cnc machines, 3d printers, sewing and textiles, home welding, home carpentry
Repair Cafes, Right-to-Repair, making higher quality items that last a long time and can be maintained
Community and Peer to Peer support and mental healthcare, mutual aid groups, community support and protection groups
Solar and wind and other renewable energy at a small scale, localized decentralized energy grids, community prep and resiliency
Art and literature and music and dance.
Tenant co-ops, removing shelter and homes as an asset class, "non-profit" housing development
Community Health Insurance schemes, "Non-profit" insurance. Direct negotiation with local doctors, specialists, etc.
Public Transit, Trains, Subways, Light Rail, Bicycles, Personal Electric Vehicles (PEVs), pedestrian access, city design and planning
Green Washing - Just cause its pretty doesn't mean its sustainable or solarpunk or non-exploitative.
Beware Capitalist Co-option - They like to sell back everything, including the concept of tearing down Capitalism
Compare this advertisement that looks like solarpunk: Dear Alice by Chiboni: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-Ng5ZvrDm4
-To the "decommodified" version (pay attention to how they changed the name from "Donations" to "Commons" - moving away from capitalist propaganda of "charity" and into an actual mutual aid approach: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqJJktxCY9U
Solarpunk is a vibrant and living philosophy, style, and approach. It's not the end all be all and its not meant to be the end all be all. It has it's issues and legitimate criticism. But its an approach that generates hope and it committed to dealing with actual issues using actual pragmatic solutions within the constraint of actual ethics.
During a time when we're all beat down and exhausted and fearful — solarpunk pushes back and says Fuck That. I'm going to live. I'm going to be happy. And I'm going to work to ensure that everyone else lives and is happy.