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.

  • BlueMonday1984@awful.systems
    4·
    4 days ago

    Forgot to mention this for a bit, but I watched the Backrooms movie in the cinema 4 days ago.

    It is an incredible film and I never want to see it again, Jesus it got under my skin

  • saucerwizard@awful.systems
    2·
    5 days ago

    They’ve actually kept me on another month. I don’t get it either. They’re generally unhappy I’m leaving. And the software is so fucking jank you wouldn’t believe.

  • diz@awful.systemsEnglish
    15·
    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
    9·
    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.

  • 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.

  • CinnasVerses@awful.systems
    7·
    2 months ago

    Nagoski’s Come as You Are is quite good! She put in just enough “men are from Mars, women are from Venus” to keep her trade publisher happy, but broadly it is a model of human sexuality which is more complete than any of the pop and folk theories I have seen and more relevant to people I know. Pop psychology may be mostly bullshit and fraud but this specific book is useful.

  • 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
    6·
    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.

  • Soyweiser@awful.systems
    5·
    9 days ago

    So, perhaps not the right place here (this is more a I make others happy sort of thing), but for any of the regulars here (I do need to recognize your name, as I know there are bots online looking for offers just like this), if you, or one of your kids or friends perhaps want a copy of the AI war or AI war 2 base game. I have a spare key for each on the hot water storefront.

    I asked around in my social circle and most either do not care for it or already have gotten keys. Thought some people here might enjoy it.

    And if that isn’t your thing I also have a copy of Pillars of Eternity

    I do not want anything for it I just want it to go to people who might enjoy it. Interested, leave a reply, and we will figure something out. (keys gotten via Humble bundle if that is relevant).

    • schnoopy@awful.systems
      2·
      5 days ago

      AI war is a kinds cool game but I always find the reality of playing it drier and slower than I’d like (I’m also bad so I play on lower difficulties, maybe at the top end it’s different)

    • YourNetworkIsHaunted@awful.systems
      3·
      8 days ago

      Honestly I would be really interested in either or both of the AI war games. They’ve been on my list to watch but low enough that I haven’t picked it up yet.

      Beyond that I will absolutely vouch for Pillars or Eternity being a top-tier RPG in that isometric Renaissance we got back in the 2010s. Anyone on the fence should pick it up and then let me jabber about it at them before my poor wife has to tank any more of it.