This Looks Cool; What The Heck Is It? (Frequently Asked Questions)
What even is this?
Please Try This at Home is an explicitly anarchist convergence that opposes the entanglement of science and technology with state institutions and capitalism. We believe technologies that interface with the body carry enormous liberatory potential within them but also gruesome possibilities for misuse or abuse, especially against vulnerable people and marginalized populations. The bodies of disabled people, people of color, transgender and non-binary people, fat people, queers, and others are constantly under attack by white supremacist capitalist heteropatriarchy --and we use many different tools to survive and thrive. This co-created event is an opportunity for radical people who care about the ethics and politics of those technologies to come together, learn, share, and connect.
What is a "co-created" event?
Think of Please Try This at Home like a potluck. The organizers host the event by providing the space and some "main dishes" and by inviting a bunch of people who we think will get along or at least have interesting conversations. YOU make the event complete by not just showing up but also bringing something to share. That could mean giving a talk, facilitating a panel discussion, making a poster about your project or someone else's, exhibiting some art, sharing a skill, sketchnoting a session, helping with setup or cleanup, donating supplies, or even bringing literal food.
Where and when will it be?
September 14th and 15th, 2019 in Pittsburgh, PA
Conference activities will take place at:
* The PERSAD Center (Pittsburgh's LGBTQ counseling center) -- 5301 Butler St #100
* Body Euphoria: Inclusive Massage Therapy -- 5268 Butler St
Is this space accessible?
PERSAD and Body Euphoria are directly across the street from each other. They can be reached by the 91 and 93 buslines.
PERSAD is fully ADA compliant with four wheelchair accessible restrooms.
Body Euphoria's ground floor is wheelchair accessible. It has one small, less-accessible ground floor restroom.
ASL interpretation will be available. We aim to have ASL interpreting for all sessions in the pre-scheduled track and interpreting may be available upon request for other ad hoc sessions.
Childcare is available. RSVP is not required but very helpful!
There will be a dedicated sensory space at the event. (A calm, quiet zone with no talking or phone-calls.)
Food will be provided on both days of the event.
Please check out our comprehensive Venue and Accessibility page for more info.
How much does it cost?
This event is FREE—to attend, participate, table at, build community in. That said, there are various expenses associated with making an event like this happen and we are actively fundraising to ensure the accessibility and success of the event.
Who is this event for?
It's a convergence of cyborgs, solarpunks, afrofuturists, xenofeminists, rabblerousers of various stripes, DIY biologists, anarchotranshumanists, herbalists, bodyworkers, trash magicians, intersectional bioethicists, community wellness organizers, reproductive justice advocates, radical technologists, shy but curious newbies, grinders, public intellectuals, hackers, and more. At least that's our hope for it! Most importantly, you don't need any kind of credential or special expertise to join us. This event is for anybody who uses technology and has a body!
Who is the event not for?
While any individual is welcome to attend, we discourage you from coming on behalf of your business, employer, school, etc. Please don't plan to recruit for your start-up or promote your product here. Beyond that, we only ask that all participants follow our Community Agreements. Please Try This at Home is also a No Cop Zone. Police in uniform or otherwise will be asked to leave. Press are welcome on an invitation-only basis.
What are the values of the event?
We are explicitly and perpetually striving to be anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-ableist, anti-capitalist, queer and trans as fuck, sex-positive, body-positive, anti-corporate, & anarchist. By centering marginalized voices and experiences, Please Try This at Home strives to challenge the image of the cyborg as predominantly white and male, and to highlight the fact that people with 'deviant bodies' have always been biohackers. We emphasize that individuals are the experts of our own experiences; we can and should control the technologies that empower us not only to survive but to thrive.
What should I expect from the schedule and programming?
Last year's event was a one-day "unconference" model—all sessions were participant-generated and scheduled on the day of the event. This year we have expanded to two days and will have a mix of ad-hoc organizing, invited speakers, hands-on workshops, panels, and more. We will have art, food, and music as well because all our senses deserve nourishment! If you'd like to contribute any of these things, get in touch! Stay tuned for a draft schedule. You can also check out our Press & Media page for some of what last year's event looked like and the topics that were addressed.
How is this year's event different from last year's?
The first Please Try This at Home took place March, 2018. It was co-hosted by The Big Idea anarchist bookstore and Prototype feminist hackerspace. We threw it together kind of haphazardly with a lot of good intentions but very little time to organize. Last year's event was fun, super queer and gender diverse, with lots of interesting topics, but we thought we could do even better. We wanted a chance to try it again with a little more advance planning. This year, we've moved to a more accessible venue and we're focused on building event that is more robust, organized, and continues to actively welcome and center marginalized voices -- particularly those with important perspectives that were underrepresented last time, including BIPOC and disabled folks. We're also working to provide more hands-on workshops and exhibits in addition to talks and discussions.
Who is organizing this?
Please Try This at Home has been organized by a loose collective of folks with a shared interest in the politics of biotechnology. Some people have contributed a lot, and many people have contributed a little. Among us are grinders, pharmahackers, anarchotranshumanists, holistic healthcare practitioners, cyborgs, insect farmers, solarpunk daydreamers, and more. The group of people who have influenced the event is comprised mostly, but not entirely, of white, queer, trans and non-binary, variously neurodiverse anarchists and anti-authoritarians based in the Pittsburgh area. In the case of intersections where our organizing team lacks personal perspective, we have reached out to more knowledgeable advisors for guidance and paid them for their time. Our organizing aims to be as decentralized, participatory, and collaborative as possible given the constraints we're working under and the knowledge that we all have things to contribute! We always welcome new people and new ideas, so if you're interested in co-organizing, please let us know!
How is the event funded?
Please Try This at Home is 100% community funded. We've tried to keep our expenses low and DIY as much as possible. In situations where money is required, it has so far come as donations from the organizers or other community members. We've avoided pursuing any kind of sponsorship or grant funding in order to limit potential conflicts of interest with our anti-institutional stance. In short: Any organization that could afford to fund us probably isn't the kind we want to be accepting money from. We will be launching a crowdfunding campaign in the near future, though, and hope that people who care about seeing the event happen will throw down. We are committed to spending the majority of any money we raise on removing barriers to access.
How can I support you?
The best way you can support Please Try This at Home is by spreading the word! You can find promo materials on our website if you'd like to print fliers. We will also have a GoFundMe where people can donate to help make the event increasingly accessible.
Is there a policy on photography and other documentation?
We request that you not photograph, video, or audio record any participants without their prior consent. Please also ask before posting or tagging images of anyone on social media. Participants who give a presentation and would like it recorded are welcome to do so. Please plan to bring your own recording equipment. For those who would like to have their presentation documented but would prefer not to be recorded, we highly recommend sketchnoting!
Is there a press policy?
Press are welcome on an invitation-only basis, and are expected to adhere to the same guidelines as our general recording policy.
Sounds neat. How do I register?
Because we highly value our participants' privacy, there's no requirement to register in advance or provide any personal information about yourself to attend. However, there is an optional registration form on the website, and we definitely appreciate you giving us a heads up if you can! That way, we can appropriately plan for food, accommodations, access needs, and that sort of thing. Either way, we are more excited than anything to have you join us and we know sometimes planning ahead isn't possible. So! If on the day of the event you want to join us, come on down and we'll be glad to see you.
Please Try This at Home is an explicitly anarchist convergence that opposes the entanglement of science and technology with state institutions and capitalism. We believe technologies that interface with the body carry enormous liberatory potential within them but also gruesome possibilities for misuse or abuse, especially against vulnerable people and marginalized populations. The bodies of disabled people, people of color, transgender and non-binary people, fat people, queers, and others are constantly under attack by white supremacist capitalist heteropatriarchy --and we use many different tools to survive and thrive. This co-created event is an opportunity for radical people who care about the ethics and politics of those technologies to come together, learn, share, and connect.
What is a "co-created" event?
Think of Please Try This at Home like a potluck. The organizers host the event by providing the space and some "main dishes" and by inviting a bunch of people who we think will get along or at least have interesting conversations. YOU make the event complete by not just showing up but also bringing something to share. That could mean giving a talk, facilitating a panel discussion, making a poster about your project or someone else's, exhibiting some art, sharing a skill, sketchnoting a session, helping with setup or cleanup, donating supplies, or even bringing literal food.
Where and when will it be?
September 14th and 15th, 2019 in Pittsburgh, PA
Conference activities will take place at:
* The PERSAD Center (Pittsburgh's LGBTQ counseling center) -- 5301 Butler St #100
* Body Euphoria: Inclusive Massage Therapy -- 5268 Butler St
Is this space accessible?
PERSAD and Body Euphoria are directly across the street from each other. They can be reached by the 91 and 93 buslines.
PERSAD is fully ADA compliant with four wheelchair accessible restrooms.
Body Euphoria's ground floor is wheelchair accessible. It has one small, less-accessible ground floor restroom.
ASL interpretation will be available. We aim to have ASL interpreting for all sessions in the pre-scheduled track and interpreting may be available upon request for other ad hoc sessions.
Childcare is available. RSVP is not required but very helpful!
There will be a dedicated sensory space at the event. (A calm, quiet zone with no talking or phone-calls.)
Food will be provided on both days of the event.
Please check out our comprehensive Venue and Accessibility page for more info.
How much does it cost?
This event is FREE—to attend, participate, table at, build community in. That said, there are various expenses associated with making an event like this happen and we are actively fundraising to ensure the accessibility and success of the event.
Who is this event for?
It's a convergence of cyborgs, solarpunks, afrofuturists, xenofeminists, rabblerousers of various stripes, DIY biologists, anarchotranshumanists, herbalists, bodyworkers, trash magicians, intersectional bioethicists, community wellness organizers, reproductive justice advocates, radical technologists, shy but curious newbies, grinders, public intellectuals, hackers, and more. At least that's our hope for it! Most importantly, you don't need any kind of credential or special expertise to join us. This event is for anybody who uses technology and has a body!
Who is the event not for?
While any individual is welcome to attend, we discourage you from coming on behalf of your business, employer, school, etc. Please don't plan to recruit for your start-up or promote your product here. Beyond that, we only ask that all participants follow our Community Agreements. Please Try This at Home is also a No Cop Zone. Police in uniform or otherwise will be asked to leave. Press are welcome on an invitation-only basis.
What are the values of the event?
We are explicitly and perpetually striving to be anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-ableist, anti-capitalist, queer and trans as fuck, sex-positive, body-positive, anti-corporate, & anarchist. By centering marginalized voices and experiences, Please Try This at Home strives to challenge the image of the cyborg as predominantly white and male, and to highlight the fact that people with 'deviant bodies' have always been biohackers. We emphasize that individuals are the experts of our own experiences; we can and should control the technologies that empower us not only to survive but to thrive.
What should I expect from the schedule and programming?
Last year's event was a one-day "unconference" model—all sessions were participant-generated and scheduled on the day of the event. This year we have expanded to two days and will have a mix of ad-hoc organizing, invited speakers, hands-on workshops, panels, and more. We will have art, food, and music as well because all our senses deserve nourishment! If you'd like to contribute any of these things, get in touch! Stay tuned for a draft schedule. You can also check out our Press & Media page for some of what last year's event looked like and the topics that were addressed.
How is this year's event different from last year's?
The first Please Try This at Home took place March, 2018. It was co-hosted by The Big Idea anarchist bookstore and Prototype feminist hackerspace. We threw it together kind of haphazardly with a lot of good intentions but very little time to organize. Last year's event was fun, super queer and gender diverse, with lots of interesting topics, but we thought we could do even better. We wanted a chance to try it again with a little more advance planning. This year, we've moved to a more accessible venue and we're focused on building event that is more robust, organized, and continues to actively welcome and center marginalized voices -- particularly those with important perspectives that were underrepresented last time, including BIPOC and disabled folks. We're also working to provide more hands-on workshops and exhibits in addition to talks and discussions.
Who is organizing this?
Please Try This at Home has been organized by a loose collective of folks with a shared interest in the politics of biotechnology. Some people have contributed a lot, and many people have contributed a little. Among us are grinders, pharmahackers, anarchotranshumanists, holistic healthcare practitioners, cyborgs, insect farmers, solarpunk daydreamers, and more. The group of people who have influenced the event is comprised mostly, but not entirely, of white, queer, trans and non-binary, variously neurodiverse anarchists and anti-authoritarians based in the Pittsburgh area. In the case of intersections where our organizing team lacks personal perspective, we have reached out to more knowledgeable advisors for guidance and paid them for their time. Our organizing aims to be as decentralized, participatory, and collaborative as possible given the constraints we're working under and the knowledge that we all have things to contribute! We always welcome new people and new ideas, so if you're interested in co-organizing, please let us know!
How is the event funded?
Please Try This at Home is 100% community funded. We've tried to keep our expenses low and DIY as much as possible. In situations where money is required, it has so far come as donations from the organizers or other community members. We've avoided pursuing any kind of sponsorship or grant funding in order to limit potential conflicts of interest with our anti-institutional stance. In short: Any organization that could afford to fund us probably isn't the kind we want to be accepting money from. We will be launching a crowdfunding campaign in the near future, though, and hope that people who care about seeing the event happen will throw down. We are committed to spending the majority of any money we raise on removing barriers to access.
How can I support you?
The best way you can support Please Try This at Home is by spreading the word! You can find promo materials on our website if you'd like to print fliers. We will also have a GoFundMe where people can donate to help make the event increasingly accessible.
Is there a policy on photography and other documentation?
We request that you not photograph, video, or audio record any participants without their prior consent. Please also ask before posting or tagging images of anyone on social media. Participants who give a presentation and would like it recorded are welcome to do so. Please plan to bring your own recording equipment. For those who would like to have their presentation documented but would prefer not to be recorded, we highly recommend sketchnoting!
Is there a press policy?
Press are welcome on an invitation-only basis, and are expected to adhere to the same guidelines as our general recording policy.
Sounds neat. How do I register?
Because we highly value our participants' privacy, there's no requirement to register in advance or provide any personal information about yourself to attend. However, there is an optional registration form on the website, and we definitely appreciate you giving us a heads up if you can! That way, we can appropriately plan for food, accommodations, access needs, and that sort of thing. Either way, we are more excited than anything to have you join us and we know sometimes planning ahead isn't possible. So! If on the day of the event you want to join us, come on down and we'll be glad to see you.
