What's in your heart?
Jan. 8th, 2026 03:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
goodbyebirdAny website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!
Our lovely
renay has been doing Intergalactic Mixtape, and there's so much goodness linked, and so many great books talked about. Big Recommend. The 2025 Reading Recap is also up at ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
ladybusiness.+ Once again, it's not Friday, but it is More Joy Day, so fanart recs it is! This time, for K-Pop demon Hunters. ( Read more... )
+ And another thing for More Joy Day:
fandomtrees reveals is in two days, on the + Haute & Freddy released a new music video. First song of the year for me :D We've been getting so many joyful queer multi-fandom vids to Pink Pony Club, and deservedly so; I really feel this tune's more than capable of being a stand in.
+ Mwhaha this totally qualifies as a Community Thursday, that's one down for 2026 *fistpump*
Stand Up, Fight Back
Jan. 8th, 2026 01:55 pmlydamorehouseI was at the vigil for Renee Good, the legal observer who was murderer by ICE yesterday. The speakers were all very good and there was a lot of calls to "get organized." I agree? But, saying that sort of misses the point. Renee was only at the scene because Minneapolis/St. Paul *is* incredibly organized. ICE is afraid of us because we're actually very good at this.
On the flipside, one of the other speakers last night suggested that tragedy happens for a reason and only to people who can handle it. He was, I think, trying to encourage the crowd to keep fighting and that we should continue despite this tragedy, but there is a six year old child who can not handle their parent's death. Nobody in that family is okay today. They might never be okay again.
But here's something hopeful.
naomikritzer and I went out when another call came out and drove over to Minneapolis from Saint Paul. On our way, I saw a random guy, by himself, marching with a sign that said "Fuck ICE" on it. (On our way back, I noticed that he'd picked up another random protester.) When people in other parts of the world wonder, "When things like this happen, why don't Americans just flood the streets?" From what I could tell? Those of us who could, did. Spontaneously, all around the city, I saw signs taped to lamp posts with the same message to ICE. And, while Naomi and I never spotted any "federal activity" we did see a whole stream of human beings just marching and blowing whistles, headed into downtown MInneaoplis. We stopped and got out of the car and marched with them for a while. Every car that passed us shouted in solidarity. When we were parking, even, the person who parked across the street from us was also joining the spontaneous march (having also been out on patrol for ICE) and I gave them a whistle. Then the vigil. Like, I say above, there were, for me, some low spots, but that was nothing compared to the feeling of solidarity. Of being shoulder to shoulder with people who were as angry and heartbroken and motivated as me.
Rest in power, Renee Good. We'll keep up your work until the last of those gestapo thugs are gone.
Battery-Powered Prayers
Jan. 8th, 2026 07:56 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
languagelog_feed[This is a guest post by Alexander Bazes]
I was delighted to discover this well-researched (and very entertaining) YouTube video about the Baghdad Battery by Penn Museum archaeologist Dr. Brad Hafford (I have reached out to him with my recent article on Sino-Platonic Papers and welcome his criticism).
"The Baghdad Battery? Archaeologist Reacts!" (33:02)
Towards the end of his lecture (~25:00), Dr. Hafford discusses a likely ritualistic role played by the Baghdad Battery and similar objects that have been found at the archaeological sites of Tel Umar and Csestiphon. I find his explanation quite plausible given that the devices from Tel Umar were found in close association with other ritual objects, including three incantation bowls (Waterman, Leroy. "Preliminary report upon the excavations at Tel Umar, Iraq." 1931, 61-62). I find Dr. Hafford’s discussion of Sasanian-period incantations written on papyrus and lead sheets particularly interesting, as I believe it was probably the corrosive capabilities of the Baghdad Battery and similar artifacts that were employed by its users for ritual purposes. For example, I speculate that the artifact discovered at Csestiphon, which contained ten bronze tubes, each filled with rolls of papyrus and sealed, was intended to produce a corrosive effect on the outside of the tubes, thereby releasing the prayers inside.
In recreating the Khujut Rabu artifact, my starting assumption was that if this object had once functioned as a battery, then it almost certainly would not have been the first device of its kind to have been made. The language of the artifact’s design, therefore, ought to portray a history of trial and error whereby its makers found the best way––for them––to get the results they wanted. Nothing about it should be superfluous. In connection to this, I further assumed that this battery necessarily would have had enough power to provide some kind of visual feedback––otherwise, makers would never have discovered the device’s electrochemical effects nor how to improve upon them.
I designed my experiment therefore to ask the doubly biased question, “How can I read the Khujut Rabu artifact as having been a good battery for c.100-300 CE?” and focused on those design elements that seemed most counterintuitive. In doing so, I found that those oddities (namely solder on the copper vessel and the unglazed ceramic jar it sits in) are the very things that would have enabled the Baghdad Battery to work so well, comprising an entire second source of voltage for the device. Biases? Confirmed!
But what if we assume that the Khujut Rabu artifact absolutely was not a battery? What might a craftsperson read from its design, even though its function remained obscure to them?
Well, the first thing any metalworker would notice is that either the maker of this artifact was deliberately trying to corrode their handiwork or they had very little experience with metals. Not being a chemist, I suspect the actual mechanism of how the Baghdad Battery’s “outer cell” (solder + caustic potash + ceramic) functions may be more complicated than I have described. Whether or not oxygen from the air forms part of the equation (my theory), the fact remains that this specific arrangement of materials, filled even with water, will lead to extreme corrosion of both the solder and the iron rod.
And so herein lies the reason most crafted items are not easily mistaken for fully-functional batteries: people don’t like their stuff to corrode, and a battery is designed to do just that. Because corrosion provides visual feedback, makers can easily adjust how they do things to prevent it, thereby leading to an extreme dearth of maybe-batteries in the world.
If the Khujut Rabu artifact is indeed an ancient battery, it might be assumed there was once necessarily some other apparatus it was plugged into (e.g. an electroplating setup). While I believe this is quite plausible, I also think it equally likely that the device was merely plugged into itself. In other words, the battery’s purpose may have been solely to corrode the iron rod inside the copper vessel and the solder seams on its outside. Were a written prayer wrapped around the iron rod, then the author would soon receive visual evidence of an energetic influence having passed through their prayer, ultimately busting through the solder seams of the vessel and releasing the “genie” from the bottle.
Given that Mesopotamia already had its own ancient alchemical systems and that the Khujut Rabu artifact is contemporary with the development of the Greek Corpus Hermetica in Egypt, I find little reason for surprise that ritualists from this period would have been incorporating alchemical practices into their work.
Selected readings
- "Volts before Volta" (1/3/26)
- Alexander Bazes, “The Baghdad Battery: Experimental Verification of a 2,000-Year-Old Device Capable of Driving Visible and Useful Electrochemical Reactions at over 1.4 Volts", Sino-Platonic Papers, 377 (January, 2026), 1-20.
Photo
Jan. 8th, 2026 02:52 pmstonepicnicking_okapi
Signup Post: Reading Challenges in 2026
Jan. 8th, 2026 01:44 pmysabetwordsmith posting in 50books_pocgoals_on_dwThis post lists a bunch of reading challenges for 2026, from one-month to full-year options. It includes a listing for
50books_poc along with several other Dreamwidth communities. bookclub_dw is fairly new; it works based on host suggestions and member votes, so that's another good way to promote POC books.
Snowflake Challeng #4: YT channels
Jan. 8th, 2026 02:21 pmstonepicnicking_okapi
Challenge #4: Rec The Contents Of Your Last Page
Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!
How about the Youtube channels I like:
Collage & Crafting
Moment D: Inspired my collaging. https://www.youtube.com/@momentD
Treasure Books: Inspired my junk journaling & similar. https://www.youtube.com/@TreasureBooks
Thrifty Day: Junk journaling. https://www.youtube.com/@thriftyday
Becorns: Little people made out of acorns and photographs/films them. https://www.youtube.com/@davidmbird
Nature:
RYUCAMP: A Korean man goes camping with his very cute dog. Elaborate Korean meals. https://www.youtube.com/@RYUCAMP
American Politics
Heather Cox Richardson: Ideology & analysis. https://www.youtube.com/@heathercoxrichardson
Hawk. Sarcasm & swearing. https://www.youtube.com/@hawkpodcasts
Mental Health
Midwest Magic Cleaning. A lot of insight about hoarding and hoarders but with wider application. https://www.youtube.com/@MidwestMagicCleaning
Rebel with a Plan. Planner & planning stuff & some ADHD stuff. https://www.youtube.com/@DakotaRebel/videos
Cuppacat. Cute animated ASMR. https://www.youtube.com/@cuppacatasmr
Spirituality
Eknath Easwaran. My guru. https://www.youtube.com/@EknathEaswaranVideos
Music
Beautiful Japanese Music and Men. Trap & bass music. No lyrics. Background music. https://www.youtube.com/@BeautifulJapaneseMusicandMen
Nine Cats on Life. Background music. Jazz. Other genres. https://www.youtube.com/@ninecatsonelife
Poet's Corner: To the New Year by W. S. Mervin
Jan. 8th, 2026 02:20 pmstonepicnicking_okapiWith what stillness at last
you appear in the valley
your first sunlight reaching down
to touch the tips of a few
high leaves that do not stir
as though they had not noticed
and did not know you at all
then the voice of a dove calls
from far away in itself
to the hush of the morning
so this is the sound of you
here and now whether or not
anyone hears it this is
where we have come with our age
our knowledge such as it is
and our hopes such as they are
invisible before us
untouched and still possible
Snowflake Challenge #4
Jan. 8th, 2026 10:56 amsnickficWe all know about Connections and Wordle, but here are some browser games that last longer and are great for keeping from going insane during Zoom meetings:
2048 Cupcakes. I still play 2048 in times of need, but it's so much more fun with colorful cupcakes.
Squares. If you like word games, here you go. Find all the words in the four by four grid. The dictionary this game uses is highly idiosyncratic, which can be frustrating; how is THIS a word that counts but THAT is only a bonus word?? But it does add to the challenge!
brief note
Jan. 8th, 2026 12:36 pmyhleeI requested this for multiple reasons, of which the recent Nebula-and-AI rules change handling fiasco was only the latest. I'm done.
To sf/f writer-folk, good luck out there.
I'm running an infection and I have work to do; comments disabled.
January Seven Seas Survey
Jan. 8th, 2026 12:53 pmduckprintspress posting in cnovelshttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScp3j1csWSOu0DJuKZ3Kq0vsJaHY4fo70lV1fhvO8TUQEtLRg/viewform
Venezuela
Jan. 8th, 2026 12:16 pmaurumcalendula posting in thisfinecrewH.Con.Res.68 - To direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-concurrent-resolution/68
and
S.3595 - A bill to prohibit the use of funds for the deployment of United States military or intelligence personnel in Venezuela for certain purposes.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3595
(I saw the AP mention that a war powers resolution to limit further attacks on Venezuela advanced in the Senate, but I'm unclear if that referred to either of these)
ETA (1/9/2026): I think this is the resolution mentioned by the AP:
S.J.Res.98 - A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/98/
(no subject)
Jan. 8th, 2026 04:53 pmbeccaelizabethAmbitious project. Lots of different styles. Some of it worked better for me than other parts.
Mister Miracle's story is really wild. Good stuff.
Frankenstein I couldn't click with, the art or the messy violence.
I reread it for Zatanna. Good stuff but it reminded me how comics take months to cover what a single episode of TV would have time for. I feel like I've read the pilot of a spin off show I'd really like to watch. But also that I want to see her age and step outside the past's long shadow.
I do not know if I want that enough to try reading more comics. They're such a grab bag.
I mostly feel like I've been reading the wrong genres offering the wrong solutions. The violence is the problem and the stories keep offering it up as the solution. Magic battles where you realise your own power and interconnectedness and freedom and possibility are a definite improvement, but then what?
I feel like I might be able to actually write a story if I could come up with a decent answer to that.
So I'm glad I reread it but I feel a bunch of stuff, and like the pondering space between issues on a regular publishing schedule could really be filled by thinking on a lot of parts of these comics.
Snowflake Challenge 4: an excuse for a linkpost
Jan. 8th, 2026 04:18 pmdolorosa_12snowflake_challenge prompt 4 asks the following: Rec The Contents Of Your Last Page
Any website that you like, be it fanfiction, art, social media, or something a bit more eccentric!
Given that the last non-work website that I looked at was a somewhat grim political podcast, I'm going to reinterpret this as an opportunity to link a weird and wonderful piece of longform journalism that I've had bookmarked for a while: The snail farm don: is this the most brazen tax avoidance scheme of all time?
The title doesn't do it justice, and neither does my summary: a septugenarian who made his money in his family's shoe-selling business empire in the north of England, and has decades-long associations with the mafia in Naples (including hiding mafia members on the run in his properties in the UK) has for the past several years invested most of his time and energy in exploiting an elaborate UK tax loophole by which — if you claim to be running a snail farm on your property (including in residential blocks of flats or office buildings) — you pay no tax. In his telling, he's doing this purely to pass the time and keep his mind active in his later years. It's a wild ride.
This kind of written long-form journalism, essay or interview — with left-field subject matter and larger-than-life personalities — is my absolutely favourite type of nonfiction.
katiedid717 posting in agonyauntMy grandchildren are in or nearing their teenage years. Two are from my son and his wife, and two are from my daughter and her husband. Of course, all children love and, to some extent, expect birthday and Christmas gifts. My daughter-in-law and her children continue a tradition of giving me handmade greeting cards every Christmas. They also always send me handwritten thank-you cards for the gifts I send. However, I receive no gifts from my other grandchildren, both boys, and never thank-you cards.
I mentioned this to my daughter, their mother, but there was no response. I suggested that each might give me a card promising 30 minutes of picking up sticks in my yard. I know that gifts should come from the heart with no sense of reciprocity, but the current situation bothers me. There seems to be a lack of moral character being demonstrated, as well as poor ethics and manners.
What do you think?
From the Therapist: You’ve framed your grandsons’ behavior as a case of bad manners or moral failure, but I hear a yearning underneath. No matter how much we tell ourselves that gifts aren’t about reciprocity, the reality is that they often hold emotional significance in which both parties are essentially asking to be recognized. The giver wants acknowledgment of their thoughtfulness and investment, while the receiver wants confirmation that they’ve been truly seen. Both are essentially asking, “Do I matter?”
When we don’t feel seen or appreciated, hurt feelings can disguise themselves as something else, like concern about good character or proper etiquette, because it’s easier to push pain outward than to say, “I feel unimportant to you.” But remember that children take cues from their parents, and I have a feeling that this lack of acknowledgment has more to do with your daughter than with her sons.
For instance, you mentioned that you got no response from her when you brought this up. But instead of telling her what her children should do for you, I’d be curious about why she doesn’t facilitate gift-giving or thank-you-note-writing. I say “she” because most teens don’t do this without some parental prodding, and I imagine that your daughter has her own feelings about your relationship that are being played out in the gifting dynamic.
Maybe gifting between you and her family feels empty or performative, when what she really wants is a different or more meaningful relationship with you. It could be that she perceives you as critical of both her and her sons, demanding of something that she doesn’t feel she or they owe you. She might also find your suggestion that the boys pick up sticks for you as a bit thoughtless: Would it make you happy to ask her children to do something that would feel more like a burdensome chore than something they would actually enjoy giving you?
Meanwhile, you say that your “daughter-in-law and her children” give you cards and write thank-you notes, but I noticed you don’t mention your son. It’s nice that your daughter-in-law has created traditions for her kids around gifting, but this doesn’t mean that her children have stronger characters than your daughter’s children do. It just means that the person your son married facilitates gifting and thanking — and that your son and your daughter don’t.
So what might help? First, separate your hurt feelings from judgments about character. You can feel unappreciated without that meaning that these boys are being raised poorly — or that this is primarily about them. Second, consider what you actually want. Do you want thank-you notes, or do you want to feel more connected to and valued by this branch of the family? If it’s the former, you could issue an ultimatum (no thank-you notes equals no gifts), but I don’t think forced statements of gratitude are what you really want. If you want genuine connection and appreciation, you can start by approaching your daughter with curiosity instead of complaints.
haka
Jan. 8th, 2026 07:22 amprettygoodwordTraditionally a war dance, now performed as to show respect during ceremonial greetings and funerals, but better known internationally as a challenge to opposing teams at sports events -- the New Zealand rugby union team aka the All Blacks is associated with this, as they've been performing a haka before matches since an 1888 tour of the United Kingdom [Sidebar: of note, most of that team were in fact Maori], but other New Zealand national teams also do it. From Maori, of course, though there are dance-related cognates in other Polynesian languages such as Hawaiian haʻa, dance, and Tongan haka, hand action made while singing.
---L.