Random Positivity Threads

Our kid got their legal gender change approved!

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.

Apparently I'm retroactively Canadian, if I can find the paperwork. eh !?

...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.

Emailed two professionals I don't know with questions about a special interest. 💪

I got white ink in my memorial tattoo and I think it actually looks great?

Just heard that Alecto the Ninth is likely happening next year! eeeeeeeeeeee

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.

For a few glorious hours there were 69 replies to the Stubsack for 17 May. Nice!

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).

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.

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.

For something more low-key, I bought a controller and got into Dr. Robotnik's Ring Racers a couple weeks ago. Pretty damn tough kart racer, but oh so much fun.

I don't have much to share (various positive stuff is a bit too personal to share, or just too banal (like how I got a new fan cheap while it was still freezing a few weeks before the heat wave)) but I do enjoy the thread. Thanks for making it.

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.

Last day of work was yesterday and apparently I did so well that the manager told me to come back if I ever wanted to switch careers. I don’t get it either?

My god guys that software was JANK.

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.

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.

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.

Snagged a used thinkpad with an rtx 3080 for $700. Needed a bit of TLC but feeling like we got away with something!

I actually sat down and finished a book for the first time in awhile (Resurrection Man).

I've started going to the movies with the kid - they like psychological horror, video game or internet style, and their mum hates that shit. But I'm a fan of it. So we saw Backrooms on Monday. https://rocknerd.co.uk/2026/06/03/backrooms-2026/

I drove up into the boreal forest as far as the paved road goes! My brother got sent to Uranium City for work, and I'm really jealous (airfare is like 2000 dollar one way range yeeesh).

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).

Some things that I consumed recently:

• I watched Kiki's delivery service for the first time. Very good, 10/10
• I read/listened to "London Falling" by Patrick Radden Keefe, which I also enjoyed. I'd say an 8/10
• I watched Project Hail Mary which was nice, like a 7/10.

Call up an elderly person, child, or person who doesn't get out much and sing them a song, daily, even twice a day! It makes any kind of day better, for all involved parties. I've been doing it twice a day and it feels fantastic!

July 31st is Sysadmin Appreciation Day.

Awful admins, I appreciate you and this. ( self | dgerard | blakestacey - I don't know how to do usertags on lemmy!) Thank you.

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

probably time for a new thread!