On occasion, we here do a thread of random positivity, where we start with a thematic prompt and talk about things that are enjoyable just for the fun of it. Past examples:

We have also had a couple threads of educational-resource recommendations. These are marginally more serious, since they’re about gathering actually good explanations of things that sneerable people like to pontificate ignorantly on. But I’ll list them here because learning is fun:

Feel free to comment in the old threads and/or suggest new ones in the comments here.

  • YourNetworkIsHaunted@awful.systems
    8·
    4 days ago

    …almost two years to the day after getting laid off I have received and accepted an offer for a new IT job making more than I ever have and working with a client that I’m actually excited to help support.

    I’m somewhat in shock since the last two years have been so incredibly hard. Like, I might have to indulge in some public therapy and put together a more in-depth reflection on this experience for MoreWrite at some point to give me a chance to organize my thoughts and feelings properly. But for now: holy fucking shit we got there.

  • diz@awful.systemsEnglish
    21·
    2 months ago

    A guy I know because he invented a mechanism and I built an alternative implementation of the same behavior out of Lego and put on youtube, cited my thing in his doctoral thesis and will be defending on Monday, and I can watch that online. Can’t wait.

  • o7___o7@awful.systems
    10·
    2 months ago

    Many thanks for starting the thread!

    My kids discovered Homestar Runner over the weekend and my eldest demanded that we write an email to Strong Bad right now. We asked the most natural question: “What’s your favorite pokemon?”

    The email address is still alive!

    Also finished Robert Brockway’s new novel “I Will Kill Your Imaginary Friend for $200.” 5/5 stars. Hug your kids and brace yourself for some real emotional extremes. Probably should do those things separately, because while the book is about lonely kids coping with the horrors, it’s not really for them. Also, you might cry. Served with good politics and graphic puppet murder.

  • saucerwizard@awful.systems
    9·
    2 months ago

    Tires are actually more interesting than you would expect. I really love hearing customer opinions on how they perform in actual use.

    Also we get a real mix of vehicles at the shop. I’ve seen multiple Mercedes and even a Rivian!

    (I’m also the last seasonal employee left standing/got a month long extension as apparently I’m good at this?!?! I’m going to have like a year of unemployment to draw on for RMT school when this ends so I’m pretty happy. Not going to lie, its kinda stressful but I’m actually enjoying being challenged for once).

  • CinnasVerses@awful.systems
    8·
    2 months ago

    in April I got to visit one group of friends trading thoughts on things we make with our hands, then another group to talk about the profession I trained for but can’t practice. The wannabe Malcolm Gladwells and David Brookses on Twitter and Substack and YouTube will never have either experience, because they don’t have any hard-acquired skill and knowledge that a community with the same hard-won skill and knowledge will respect them for. Communities that do things in the material world which visibly succeed or fail also have less drama than social media and communities where everything is subjective

    Some of my berries and herbs are starting to sprout.

  • nfultz@awful.systems
    7·
    9 days ago

    As of July 1, 2026, the new minimum wage is $18.47 per hour. Take a moment to check your paycheck and make sure you’re being paid the right amount. This increase applies to all workers in unincorporated LA County, regardless of immigration status, the size of the employer, your employment status, or where you live. If you work outside of an unincorporated area of LA County, you must be paid either the California minimum wage or the minimum wage of the city you work in.

    automatically adjusted to inflation every fiscal, like it should be.

  • CinnasVerses@awful.systems
    7·
    2 months ago

    I’m grateful for all the queer people, kinky people, and women who taught me things about intimacy that the tech bro on Twitter never seems to have learned. OJST webcomic is still around too.

  • YourNetworkIsHaunted@awful.systems
    7·
    2 months ago

    There’s a change.org petition that’s getting some decent traction to force the Laurelhurst neighborhood in Seattle to stop blocking the neighboring children’s hospital from making full use of their helipads. You know, the ones that are only used to handle medivacs when a kid is facing a life-and-death emergency and minutes could make the difference.

    I mean, I don’t have high hopes for an online petition but honestly these days I’m just glad to learn about a problem in the context of literally anything being done to solve it.