Tech Learning Collective

Technology education for radical organizers and revolutionary communities.

  • October 16, 2021 1:30 PM (-0400) October 16, 2021 3:00 PM
  • Remote
  • Status: CONFIRMED

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Event description

Most individuals with access to a computer system have more power today than ever before, but rarely do they make use of it or even know how much power they truly have. In this beginner’s workshop, you’ll begin learning how to “speak with the machines.” By learning to communicate more expressively with the digital devices that are increasingly responsible for mediating contemporary society, you’ll gain the power to effectively and materially change your relationship not only with your laptop, but with global systems of law, finance, and even art, literature, and philosophy governing today’s world.

Workshop Description

How much good does a powerful tool do for you if you don’t know how to use it well? How much more capable would you be if you mastered all the tools available to you? It might sound ridiculous, but failing to learn the practicalities of computer system operation basics is arguably the most common mistake people in the fast-paced tech scene make.

Modern computers are power tools, and behind each one of them is a human operator, or “system administrator,” responsible for configuring and maintaining that computer. If you have a personal computer such as a laptop or smartphone, then you are already a system administrator whether you realize it or not! Making sure the apps you want to use are installed and up to date, managing the amount of free space you have for your photos, and connecting or disconnecting from the Internet are all examples of simple system administration tasks that you probably already take on a daily basis.

In this beginner’s workshop, we’ll start by exploring what happens inside your computer when you take every-day tasks like open a Web browser or save files, and then dive down the rabbit hole to meet the special class of programs that make it possible for all your other programs to work. Called daemons, short for Disk Access and Execution Monitors, they make up the world of Operating System services, signals, sockets, and more under the hood of your desktop environment. By the end of this workshop, you’ll have a far deeper understanding of how to care for your computer, as well as the ability to understand any new tools or services you encounter a whole lot faster than ever before.

As this is a remote/online-only event, there is no physical class space, but attendance is still limited to 15 students, so purchase your ticket now to reserve your spot.

To participate in our webinars, you will need access to a modern Web browser such as an up-to-date copy of Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome. You will also need a reliable Internet connection. We recommend disabling Wi-Fi and plugging your computer in to a hard-wired Ethernet network cable for the duration of the webinar, if possible.

If you would like to share your video screen or appear on camera, you will need to have and activate your own camera, such as the one built-in to many modern laptops. Similarly, to speak with the rest of the webinar participants, you will need a microphone. If you do choose to activate your microphone, we ask that you please plug in headphones/ear buds or use a headset in order to help reduce audio feedback loops that can degrade the webinar experience for other participants.

Please refer to our workshops and webinars FAQ for additional tips and advice before you join the video conference.

As with all Tech Learning Collective events, racism, queerphobia, transphobia, sexism, “brogrammer,” “manarchist,” or any kind of similarly awful behavior will result in immediate removal from class without a refund. Please refer to our lightweight social rules for details on our strictly enforced no-tolerance policy against bigotry of any kind.

About Tech Learning Collective

Tech Learning Collective is an apprenticeship-based technology school that trains politically self-motivated individuals in the arts of hypermedia, Information Technology, and radical political practice. We offer unparalleled free, by-donation, and low-cost computer classes on topics ranging from fundamental computer literacy to the same offensive computer hacking techniques used by national intelligence agencies and military powers (cyber armies). For more information and to enroll, visit TechLearningCollective.com.

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