Submission
from Abolition Media
Heavy Machinery Sabotaged at Hadddington Golf Course â Philadelphia, PA
August 19, 2024
The perennial struggle against development in Haddington and throughout Philadelphia continues. Weeks ago we sabotaged heavy machinery used for construction at the Haddington golf course construction site by introducing bleach into the filtration and fuel systems. We send solidarity to the saboteurs carrying out attacks at Kingsessing, Bartrams, FDR, and other sites of development and gentrification.
Free the land!
Free the city!
From: Unravel.noblogs.org
A Response to âHeavy Machinery Sabotaged at Haddington Golf Courseâ
A note on sabotage of heavy machinery: please donât waste your time messing with fuel or filtration systems. The idea of adding something to a fuel tank is (unfortunately) a widely known sabotage technique that the average person might think of, but it is most likely ineffective on modern vehicles or heavy equipment. Filtration systems are designed to filter out contaminants.
Bleach is typically added to engine oil. The rule of thumb is to add 10 fluid ounces of bleach per gallon of engine oil. This equals one gallon of bleach per 12.8 gallons of engine oil, which should be enough for an average-sized piece of heavy machinery. Larger machines will need more, smaller machines will need less. You may want to look up the specifications of the particular models of equipment on site to be sure of their fluid capacities.
The fuel is probably the least sensitive fluid in the machine; in addition to engine oil, try messing with the transmission fluid, hydraulic fluid, or exhaust fluid. For starter ideas on what to add to these fluids, check out this old Dear Ned Ludd column. [https://efmechanicsguild.wordpress.com/2016/09/06/a-nice-dear-ned-ludd-from-an-ef-journal-last-year/]
Have fun out there!
From:Â Phlanticap.noblogs.org
Excerpt from the mentioned column:
etâs talk about the engines of tractor trailers used for hauling innocents to slaughter and the lab, pulling the wild from the wilderness, and delivering the ingredients of every destructive endeavor sick, corporate, profit-driven minds can concoct. These trailers move the dozers that level the land and the ships that strip life from the ocean. If anything keeps me awake it is the incessant drone from giant poison-containing, toxin-spewing engines; the heart of the machine.
Engine oil can be contaminated by many things, and the other fluids they contain or run on do not mix well with others⌠kind of like old-guard EF!ers at a dub step show. Hell, I donât even need to haul around bleach most nights. (Bleach destroys the viscosity of oil and does some fun, expensive shit, too).
Engine Oil:
Engine oil hates water, especially when mixed with antifreeze. Water, because it will not compress, breaks gears. Antifreeze may taste like candy, but it does horrible shit to your bodyâ do not ingest! Engine oil also hates fuel, which thins it out and makes the engine wear out and break. If either water or fuel are found in oil then there must be a problem with the engine and it needs to be opened to check.
Cost to repair: Up to $15,000 for a semi; MUCH more for heavy equipment.
Transmission Fluid:
Hates antifreeze; it destroys the main components in the transmission and the glue that holds connections together.
Cost to repair: $5,000+ for trucks; HOLY SHIT for heavy equipment.
Hydraulic Fluid:
HATES water, antifreeze, and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF; more on that stuff later). Adding water will break shit internally; DEF clogs small control passages over time.
Cost to repair: $3,000 and up.
Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF):
Made of pig urine from the slaughterhouse, this stuff is supposed to help clean the exhaust on trucks. Itâs on the tank near the fuel cap, and has a blue lid. It is nasty, and antifreeze thinks so too. This stuff will kill a radiator and clog up the tiny spaces inside an engine fast. Looks like water, and gallon jugs of the stuff can be found in open trucks on construction sites so use your imagination. Causes a lot more damage than rice or dry flake mashed potatoes in the radiator. Do not ingest or get DEF on youâŚ. beyond the fact that it is very refined pig urine, it is poisonous.
Cost to repair: $2,000 to $6,000 for trucks; heavy equipment easily $5,000 to $?!!!!
Diesel:
As above, bad for oil, but also BAD in the diesel exhaust fluid tank. Modern exhaust systems are delicate, so contaminating the DEF tank with fuel will cause extensive damage to the system. Because of this, the newest exhaust sensors are designed to shut down the truck when diesel is found. To extract diesel from a machine, all one would need is a small suction hose, a siphon, and maybe a bottle to catch the fuel in.
SAFETY NOTE!!!! Donât use your mouth for this!!! Besides leaving evidence, a lot of the chemicals and fluids in an engine will kill your ass.
Cost to repair: $1,000â$10,000 if internal component are damaged.
Submission
A note on sabotage of heavy machinery: please don’t waste your time messing with fuel or filtration systems. The idea of adding something to a fuel tank is (unfortunately) a widely known sabotage technique that the average person might think of, but it is most likely ineffective on modern vehicles or heavy equipment. Filtration systems are designed to filter out contaminants.
Bleach is typically added to engine oil. The rule of thumb is to add 10 fluid ounces of bleach per gallon of engine oil. This equals one gallon of bleach per 12.8 gallons of engine oil, which should be enough for an average-sized piece of heavy machinery. Larger machines will need more, smaller machines will need less. You may want to look up the specifications of the particular models of equipment on site to be sure of their fluid capacities.
The fuel is probably the least sensitive fluid in the machine; in addition to engine oil, try messing with the transmission fluid, hydraulic fluid, or exhaust fluid. For starter ideas on what to add to these fluids, check out this old Dear Ned Ludd column. [https://efmechanicsguild.wordpress.com/2016/09/06/a-nice-dear-ned-ludd-from-an-ef-journal-last-year/]
Have fun out there!
Submission
On June 20th, the Human Rights Council and the UN issued a statement identifying the major weapons manufacturers and investors in the US who are complicit in sustaining Israelâs genocide against the Palestinian people. âThese companies, by sending weapons, parts, components, and ammunitions to Israeli forces, risk being complicit in serious violations of international human rights and international humanitarian laws.â [Full article on ohchr.org âStates and companies must end arms transfers to Israel immediately or risk responsibility for human rights violations: UN expertsâ]
Here is their list
Weapons manufacturers : BAE Systems, Boeing, Caterpillar, Gen Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Oshkosh, Rheinmetall AG, Rolls-Royce Power Systems, RTX, ThyssenKrupp
Investors supporting the weapons manufacturers: Alfred Krupp von Bohlen & Halbach Stiftung, INVESCO Ltd, JP Morgan Chase, Amundi Asset Management, Bank of America, Citigroup, Fidelity Mgmt and Research, Black Rock, Capital Group, Causeway Capital Management, Harris Associates, Morgan Stanley, Norges Bank Investment Mgmt, Newport Group, Ravenâswing Asset Mgmt, State Farm Mutual Auto Insurance, State Street Corporation, Union Investment Privatfonds, The Vanguard Group, Wellington & Wells Fargo
These megalithic corporations have tendrils reaching across the globe, the country, the cities, our neighborhoods, right into our backyards. Time to take ânot my backyardâ to the next level. Itâs worth doing your own research if you have the time, but we thought weâd lighten the load and roll out interesting details as we find them.
This weekâs spotlight : JLG Equipment Services Inc. – a tendril of the massive weapons manufacturer Oshkosh Corporation (no seeming relation to the childrenâs clothing brand, confusingly).
JLG has their headquarters in McConnellsburg, PA and manufacturers some heavy machinery â one of their staples being the big lifts that are used at airports, but you can find their equipment and lifts making guest appearances at construction sites all over the city. Recently, at least 2 of these massive lifts were spotted in the Penn Campus zone of Spruce street between 38th and 34th streets. Youâll know them by their particularly fluorescent vomitous orange color and the JLG initials printed on the side.
Weâve also heard there are a few equipment rental / retail spots that stock them in Philadelphia —
Herc Rentals Inc
6951 Norwitch Drive
Philadelphia, PA 19153
Sunbelt Rentals
7700 Holstein Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19153
United Rentals Inc
3880 E Thompson St
Philadelphia, PA 19137
~ yours in love & rage ~
Submission
In the early morning hours of July 9th, while Ghost Robotics CEO Gavin Kenneally was out of town at the Military Robotics and Autonomous Systems USA conference, several of his neighbors paid his Fairmount townhome a visit.
We threw paint and tagged the messages Ghost Robotics Kills and Murderer on the garage door and front entrance. We refuse to live in a world where Palestinians and migrants crossing the border must fear for their lives at the hands of killer robots, while the makers and war profiteers sleep peacefully in our city. We know where they live.
Submission
In the early hours of July 9th we smashed every window of the entrance to the Pennovation center, a ritzy research compound in Philadelphia. The lone security guard must have been so surprised when we appeared out of nowhere and started smashing, because he didn’t even try to stop us! And we couldn’t believe how long it took for the police to show up…
The Pennovation center is home to Ghost Robotics, a company that manufactures so-called “robot dogs.” Israel has been buying these robot dogs for $150,000 apiece and using them in their ongoing extermination of Palestinians. While the University of Pennsylvania continues to enable the research and manufacture of these weapons, Israel has destroyed every university in the Gaza strip, and continues to bomb schools where Palestinian refugees are taking shelter. Breaking windows is a small retaliation, but every time we act emboldens us.
Until Palestine is free, and even then, we will never stop!
from Iffy Books
4th and 2nd Wednesday each month 6:30-8:30 @ Iffy Books
Discord: Email neoluddite@victorgom.es for an invite!
The issues and harms surrounding emerging technologies are especially concerning given the lack of regulation in the tech industry generally, and the tendency of productivity-increasing technology to further concentrate power in the hands of the few. This reading group will explore these risks and engage with how they work in the hopes of better organizing to protect the rights of workers and individuals. The goal is to have a better understanding of the costs (data, carbon, human labor) and risks (misinformation, unpredictability, bias) of making these machines, as well as limitations in what they can learn about the world primarily through text.
Weâre currently reading Blood in the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Tech by Brian Merchant.Archived pages of our previous books include: Resisting AI, The Human Use of Human Beings, Race After Technology.
If youâd like to learn more about me, you can visit victorgom.es for a bio.
If youâre joining for the first time, Iâd suggest you read this before anything else for brief context: What the Luddites Really Fought Against by Richard Conniff.
The only expectation is that you read the chapter(s) of the book thatâs listed for that meeting. Youâre still welcome to participate if you havenât done the readings as long as you are mindful. For each chapter, Iâve also noted some optional readings for context, so Iâd suggest checking those out rather than reading ahead in the book. And remember, if you ever find yourself struggling with any of the readings or concepts, reach out! Either directly to me over email or to the entire group over discord.
Meeting 1 (7/10): đ Blood in the Machine
Meeting 2 (7/24): đ Blood in the Machine
Meeting 3 (8/14): đ Blood in the Machine
Meeting 4 (8/28): đ Blood in the Machine
Author event with Brian Merchant: Wednesday, September 11th (doors at 6 p.m., virtual discussion at 6:30)
Full schedule at victorgom.es/neoluddite
Submission
Submission
# Delta Chat for Anarchists
I’m really happy about the enormous success of Signal and how it’s the unquestionable default when it comes to securely connecting and scheming with each other online. Signal really shines at what it does, and I don’t see a reason for us to stop using it. But I’ve noticed that the centralized nature of Signal can be a bit limiting for us at times, so I think we should all take a closer look at Delta Chat [1] and experiment with it.
Delta Chat is similar to Signal in a lot of ways. It’s an open source chat app where messages are securely encrypted, but I think it has two features that makes it an excellent alternative for us anarchists:
## Creating multiple anonymous accounts is easy
Signal is so ubiquitous that it’s often used in a lot of contexts these days. It can range from catching up with friends to actions that can get you arrested. Some people even use it for work! And for most of us the only thing we have control over is our display names because creating a secondary account on Signal isn’t obvious or straightforward to begin with.
You would need another phone number (through Google Voice, jmp.chat, etc.) and you would also need a separate instance of Signal running as well (either on burner phone or through Android’s work profile feature).
Delta Chat on the other hand lets you create as many accounts as you need [2] without providing any other details like a working phone number or an email address. If you wanted to create separate accounts for all your affinity groups, you can definitely do that right in the app. People are also able to create these accounts while using a VPN or the Tor network for added privacy.
## The community has ownership of the servers
Delta Chat doesn’t own and control the servers like Signal doesâthey’re all independently run by volunteers. Basically people offering mutual aid in the form of bits and bytes! And if you don’t trust these people, you can easily set up a server for you and your pals if you have some Linux experience.
I think the biggest benefit of community-owned servers is it’s harder for states to snoop and control and block our communications. Recently, Roskomnadzor requested Delta Chat for user data, metadata, and decryption keys [3], but they can’t do that even if they wanted to because they don’t have that information in the first place.
Of course, no app can be a substitute for meeting in person. But I think we should keep a close eye on technology that gives us more control and autonomy vs letting large centralized organizations make the decisions for us.
Have fun out there!
[1]: https://delta.chat/en/
[2]: https://delta.chat/en/chatmail
[3]: https://chaos.social/@delta/112608426988613191%
from Bash Back News
Dear philly faggots,
Thxx so much for the great time this weekend! While we were visiting we saw those cameras on the power lines by Bartram North and decided to take a few down with some girth tails and a 4lb hammer. A big ladder would also have worked. Sorry we didnât get them all, but weâll get the rest next time!
Until then,
shapeshifters
from Unicorn Riot
Philadelphia, PA â On Saturday, April 13, local groups protested Israelâs war on Gaza, which has killed 33,000 Palestinians according to the latest figures. The march gathered in Clark Park.
Organizers say that workers and unions are sending the message today. The Philly Palestine Coalition says groups involved include the Labor for Black Lives Coalition, Healthcare Workers for Palestine, Philly IWW, TNG Local 10/CWA Local 38010, SEIU Healthcare PA, Unity Caucus, Philly Tenants Union, & Workers World Party. According to the post, âOur goal is clear: to stand in unwavering solidarity with Palestinian workers and communities. Together, letâs demand more than just a âceasefire nowâ â letâs demand justice and equality for all.â
One key focus of Saturdayâs march is the company Ghost Robotics which makes what organizers call âkiller robotsâ for Israelâs military; the companyâs Vision 60 âdog robotâ was reportedly used for IDF experiments in the Gaza Strip.
On April 4 a rally at the University of Pennsylvania kicked off the âShut Down Ghost Roboticsâ campaign. Pics below from the April 4 event:
Since the April 4 event we have been checking more into Ghost Robotics and have some additional information to release later. We also have a report from a March 28 protest at Day & Zimmermann, a munitions manufacturer for the IDF headquartered in Philadelphia.
Submission
Ghost Robotics Corporation is a Philadelphia-based robotics company. They are located in the Pennovation Works compound in the Grays Ferry neighborhood in South Philly. They specifically cater to the military and “defense” markets. This article will go over some basic information about the company that readers opposed to colonialism, militarism, technological advancement, or gentrification may find interesting. Others are encouraged to verify this research and supplement it with their own.
Ghost Robotics is best known for their robot dogs. The robot dog, officially known as the VISION 60 Q-UGV, is billed as a “mid-sized high-endurance, agile and durable all-weather ground drone.” It is being used by US and foreign militaries, border security, and commercial companies. The robot is able to operate autonomously to some degree or accept real time instruction from a human operator via remote control. The dog has the capability of accepting add-ons, the most controversial of which have been weapons such as SWORD’s SPUR (basically an unmanned sniper rifle). Researchers have also put together a “guide to combat robot war dogs” that addresses dealing with Spot, a very similar robot dog developed by Boston Dynamics, which is linked below.
Those opposed to the war on Gaza, and Israeli colonization generally, may be interested to know that Ghost Robotics Corporation partners with Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. Rafael is Israel’s national R&D defense laboratory, developing and producing weapons for the Israeli Occupation Forces. The Ghost Robotics website touts its “cutting edge solutions addressing defense, homeland, and enterprise customer needs.” In an article on The National Interest a journalist covers a demonstration of Rafael using a robot dog from Ghost Robotics alongside a Raven drone to “clear nine rooms and identify the threats there.” An archived version of the article is linked at the end.
In addition to the roboticization of war and policing, and assistance in the genocide of Palestinians, Ghost Robotics Corporation is also part of the Lower Schuylkill Master Plan. The master plan is a scheme concocted by University of Pennsylvania, the City of Philadelphia, and corporate interests to develop the lower Schuylkill River into an “Innovation District,” a “Logistics Hub,” and an “Energy Corridor.” The Pennovation Works compound that Ghost Robotics is located in is an early step in creation of the “Innovation District” along the Schuylkill in South and South West Philly. This same district threatens the Bartram’s Garden area with a bio-technology campus. Also of note is that the master plan’s “Logistics Hub” is responsible in part for the destruction of South Philly’s FDR meadows, building an artificial wetland in FDR Park to offset having destroyed wetlands by the Philadelphia Airport. The Lower Schuylkill Master Plan and the zine Fuck A “Cellicon Valley” are linked below.
Links and Information
Ghost Robotics Corporation
Address
Ghost Robotics Corporation
3401 Grays Ferry Ave, Bldg 200, 2nd Fl
Philadelphia, PA 1914
Website
ghostrobotics.io
Contact
sales@ghostrobotics.io
vendors@ghostrobotics.io
careers@ghostrobotics.io
press@ghostrobotics.io
Social Media
instagram.com/ghostrobotics
linkedin.com/company/ghostrobotics
twitter.com/ghost_robotics
Staff
CEO and co-founder Gavin Kenneally
CTO and co-founder Avik De
President and chief executive Jiren Parikh (died March 2022)
Guide to combat against robot war dogs
https://www.jwz.org/blog/2021/02/guide-to-combat-against-robot-war-dogs/
Archived News Article Regarding Relation With Israeli defense company Rafael
https://web.archive.org/web/20230206160050/https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/how-israel-brings-together-robots-and-ai-lethal-combo-175518
More Information About Rafael
https://web.archive.org/web/20130514133537/http://duns100.dundb.co.il/ts.cgi?tsscript=comp_eng&duns=600024863
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Advanced_Defense_Systems
http://www.rafael.co.il/
Pennovation Works
https://pennovation.upenn.edu
Lower Schuylkill River Master Plan
https://www.design.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/LSMP_Exec.pdf
Fuck A “Cellicon Valley” zine
from Making Worlds Books
Join us as we dive into the profound insights of “When the Hood Comes Off” by Rob Eschmann, in conversation with Desmond Patton. “When the Hood Comes Off” examines the alarming manifestations of online racism and the innovative antiracist tactics rising to combat it. Through rigorous research and captivating personal narratives, Eschmann explores the impact of online racism on communities of color and society at large. Don’t miss this timely opportunity to explore the unexpected power of digital technologies, engage in thought-provoking discussions, and discover how we can respond to the wake-up call of online racism.
About the Speakers:
Rob Eschmann is a writer, scholar, filmmaker, and educator from Chicago. He is Associate Professor of Social Work and a member of the Data Science Institute at Columbia University, as well as Faculty Associate at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society.
Desmond Upton Patton, a pioneer in the interdisciplinary fusion of social work, communications, and data science, is the Brian and Randi Schwartz University Professor, with joint appointments in the School of Social Policy & Practice and the Annenberg School for Communication along with a secondary appointment in the department of psychiatry in the Perelman School of Medicine.
About the Book:
From cell phone footage of police killing unarmed Black people to leaked racist messages and even comments from friends and family on social media, online communication exposes how racism operates in a world that pretends to be colorblind. In When the Hood Comes Off, Rob Eschmann blends rigorous research and engaging personal narrative to examine the effects of online racism on communities of color and society, and the unexpected ways that digital technologies enable innovative everyday tools of antiracist resistance.
Drawing on a wealth of data, including interviews with students of Color around the country and analyses of millions of social media posts over the past decade, Eschmann investigates the influence of online communication on face-to-face interactions. When the Hood Comes Off highlights the power of the internet as an organizing tool, and shows that online racism can be a profound wake-up call. How will we respond?
from Victor Gomes
Contact:
neoluddite@victorgom.es
@notnaughtknot
Discord: Email neoluddite@victorgom.es for an invite!
Beggining Tuesday, June 27th
You may have played around with chatGPT, or perhaps even used DALL-e to generate images from text. Though Large Language Models have been around since 2018, they’re currently dominanting the news thanks to the public release of these newer, even larger models. While impressive, like many technologies, they come at a cost and introduce new risks. However, there are specific issues related to the sheer scale of these models and they highlight the dangers of machines which allow for the consolidation of labor.
These issues are especially concerning given the lack of regulation in the tech industry generally, and the tendency of productivity-increasing technology to further concentrate power in the hands of the few. This reading group will explore these risks and engage with how they work in the hopes of better organizing to protect the rights of workers and individuals. The goal is to have a better understanding of the costs (data, carbon, human labor) and risks (misinformation, unpredictability, bias) of making these machines, as well as limitations in what they can learn about the world primarily through text. We will begin with “Resisting AI: An Anti-fascist Approach to Artificial Intelligence” by Dan McQuillan, with additional optional readings. If you’d like to learn more about me, you can visit victorgom.es for a bio.
The only expectation is that you read the chapter(s) of the book that’s listed for that meeting. I tried keeping it around 30 pages on average. Even if you don’t read the assigned chapters, you’re still welcome to participate as long as you are mindful.
For each chapter, I’ve also noted some optional readings for context, so I’d suggest checking those out rather than reading ahead in the book! Optional readings are by no means required, but they may add to and deepen our conversation. They’re a mix of news articles, essays, and journal articles, so you can pick from type of text is most engaging to you. They pull from a range of disciplines and schools of thought, which I hope serves to highlight and survey how many different people conceptualize issues with AI, though it is by no means exhaustive. If you ever find yourself struggling, reach out! Either directly or over discord to the group.
I’d suggest you read this before anything else for some historical context: What the Luddites Really Fought Against by Richard Conniff. The Luddites will also comes up in Chapter 6.
from Viscera
Join us on Sunday, June 25th from 1-3 for our next anarchist reading discussion! In light of Ted Kâs passing, weâll be reading âIndustrial society and its future.â
Never forget that the human race with technology is just like an alcoholic with a barrel of wine.
The entire piece can be found here.
As usual, weâll be meeting in Clark Park near the chess tables. This piece is a bit long, so you might want to get started early!
