SO WHAT IS L.A. OFFLINE, EXACTLY?

For now, just the newsletter. In time, maybe some other things too. You might see some explicitly L.A. Offline-presented events in the future. The goal of this project is to build a sustainable, tech-critical community infrastructure for Los Angeles — connecting people IRL, reclaiming our public spaces, and rejecting the notion that Big Tech platforms are a social necessity. Not all events will be explicitly “tech-critical”, but if included here they will likely be of interest to the tech-critical/luddite/luddite-curious community. L.A. Offline owes a huge debt of inspiration to NYC Off Tech, Nick Plante, and all the lovely people of the NYC Luddite scene. The event is the medium!

WHY AN EMAIL LIST? ISN’T IT HYPOCRITICAL TO DISTRIBUTE L.A. OFFLINE USING AN ONLINE SERVICE?

Maybe. In an ideal world, this would be a physical publication. I’d love to make that happen eventually, but it’s not something I have the money or time for right now. Still — email has plenty of advantages over social media. You aren’t restricted to one app, or one company. There is no algorithm. The newsletter sends, and you receive it.

WHERE ARE YOU FINDING THE EVENTS YOU LIST HERE?

Wherever I can. That includes the internet, but also venues I’m familiar with, direct submissions (seriously, send events to laoffline@pm.me — there will never be such a thing as too many submissions), word of mouth, flyers on telephone poles, you name it. Two disclaimers, though:

1. Because I’m only one person, it’s not physically possible for me to personally vet or attend every event listed here. If you have a negative experience at an event you found on this newsletter, *please* reach out (also at laoffline@pm.me) so I can inform the rest of the community (while maintaining your anonymity) and/or remove the organizers from future listings.
2. For the most part, I am completely unaffiliated with the organizations and venues listed here. The main exception to this is TAPE, where I may organize or assist with select workshops and screenings. For the sake of transparency, any listed event that I am involved with on a major, organizational level will include a note saying so.

HOW CAN I HELP?

Community infrastructure — especially that which attempts to operate outside extractive Big Tech platforms — can’t be built without… community. That might be obvious, but I think it’s worth saying out loud (or writing down). I can’t do this without you.

So, to harp on it one more time: send me events! Send me things you’re excited and/or worried about! Organize your own events so I can promote them here! Let’s build this together.

A few other things I could use some help with: as mentioned, my dream is for L.A. Offline to have a physical presence, not just an email one. If you have any experience in zine-making or DIY publishing, I’d love to chat. I’d also love to hear from anyone interested in putting up L.A. Offline flyers in their neighborhood — IRL promotion can be exhausting, but is so much more rewarding than social media.

WHAT’S UP WITH THE GOAT?

Short answer: animal mascots are fun and I wanted one. His name is Ned.

Longer answer: my childhood home is near a hilly area that, like many parts of Los Angeles, has to carefully manage brush overgrowth to prevent fires. For a long time, this was done using standard gardening tools. Then, some years ago, they started using goats. The goats were better for the environment, and actually ended up being more effective than their previous methods (goats are extremely thorough)! When putting this project together, I often thought about those goats, and how the best solution to a problem isn’t always the most high-tech one.