The stargazing events to look forward to in 2026
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newscientist_feedThere are a host of celestial events to get excited about next year – including a total solar eclipse. Abigail Beall is lining up her calendar
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retro_icontest - Blast From The Past Icontests - is once more embarking on
Are you ready to ride? Pack your satchel of art supplies and join us in another round of the Icon Quest!
Looking for more places to make icons? Here is the list of currently active iconmaking communities on dw: https://icontalking.dreamwidth.org/46317.html
SBTB Bestsellers: November 29 – December 12
Dec. 14th, 2025 10:00 amsmartbitches_feedThe latest bestseller list is brought to you by heating pads, mugs of your hot beverage of choice, and our affiliate sales data.
- These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean Amazon | B&N | Kobo
- Good Spirits by B.K. Borison Amazon | B&N | Kobo
- Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone Amazon | B&N | Kobo
- Hitwoman by Elsie Marks Amazon | B&N | Kobo
- The Second Death of Locke by V.L. Bovalino Amazon | B&N | Kobo
- Birding with Benefits by Sarah Dubb Amazon | B&N | Kobo
- Copper Script by KJ Charles Amazon | B&N | Kobo
- A Delicate Deception by Cat Sebastian Amazon | B&N | Kobo | GooglePlay
- The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood Amazon | B&N | Kobo
- The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones Amazon | B&N | Kobo | GooglePlay
I hope your weekend reading was cozy!
We make our own choices, we pay our own prices.
Dec. 14th, 2025 11:23 amgoodbyebirdRec-cember Day 14
Bound
Devil Never Saw the Likes of Us by
It started right on their doorstep. Violet got out of bed Saturday morning and tugged a silk bathrobe up over her shoulders.
It was new. Almost everything she had with her had been bought since they’d left the city, but this was so new she’d had to snap the tags off it before she pulled it on. It had this swirly peacock pattern on it, like streaks of paint, and paint felt sort of like their lucky charm.
She wasn’t much of a cook, but she could add water to a mix like anybody else, and she decided to make blueberry muffins. She liked the little pastel-and-foil cups you put them in to bake: everything had its own little splotch of color. The old apartment had been nothing but black and white and steel, lifeless and cold. This place—their place—was different.
She was just sliding the tray in the oven when she heard the knock.
Hanukkah 2025 Giveaway: Eight Fabulous Care Packages!
Dec. 14th, 2025 07:00 amsmartbitches_feed
Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah!
Get ready, we’re going into the new year with candles and jelly donuts and latkes and it’s going to be a party!
Like last year, I’ve put together eight care packages designed to make your winter more fun, mellow, warm, and entertaining.
Just in time for the beginning of 2026!
First: my Hanukkah wishes for you tonight and for the next eight: may each candle lit lead to another and another, until we have all connected to bathe the world in light and warmth. May there be peace in our lifetime.
Now, let’s talk about what’s in the care packages. I used to be super great at care packages because my kids went to sleepaway camp – not the type of camp where the care packages included Gucci bags and Loro Piana slippers wrapped in an Hermes scarf or anything – and I LOVED putting them together.
I still sort of send care packages now that they’re in college because I have to send them things pretty regularly, but that’s a small item in a bubble mailer. This is a whole ass box.
So what’s in the care package?
I’m not telling!
Well, I’ll share some details so you know what to expect, but some of it will be a surprise. It might rhyme with “schmeggo.”
In keeping with my wishes for all of you to have a cozy and warm 2026, the care packages will include:
- things that are fuzzy
- things that are warm
- things that are soothing
- things that are fizzy
- things that are indulgent
- things that are fun!
And, like last year, I reached out to folks I know in publishing, and have assorted books, of course! There will be several books in each package, including some major titles from this year. And maybe an ARC or two (shhh!).
This is a way for me to thank you for being part of yet another lovely year here at SBTB. We are still here, and it’s because of you hanging out with us each day. It’s been a big year, and we’re looking forward to more mayhem and silliness in 2026!
SO, ready to enter to win?
To enter, please comment and tell us what book (or recommendation of any sort!) that you found at SBTB that you most enjoyed?
It doesn’t have to be a 2024 book, of course. Any book that you haven’t read is a new book! But what did you discover this year at SBTB that you really liked?
Standard disclaimers apply: We are not being compensated for this giveaway. Void where prohibited. Open to international residents where permitted by applicable law. Must be over 18 and ready to be warm and cozy. May cause increased feelings of security, warmth, and delight.
Comments will close 21 December 2025 at or near 11:59am ET, and winners will be announced shortly afterward. Packages will be shipped out in January 2026.
Thank you to the indefatigable Kristen Dwyer of LeoPR for their generosity!
Good luck, Happy Hanukkah, and thank you for being part of Smart Bitches! May you have a lovely holiday, and for everyone, a peaceful new year.
Safety
Dec. 13th, 2025 11:08 pmysabetwordsmithOne Critical Factor Predicts Longevity Better Than Diet or Exercise, Study Says
They then factored in other variables that can affect life expectancy, including physical inactivity, employment status, and educational level. The association between insufficient sleep and lower life expectancy still held. Only smoking had a stronger link.
Good, adequate sleep is a survival need. Modern society often sabotages it.
However, this study suggests that banking sleep on weekends can mitigate the effects of lost sleep during the week. I used to do that in school, and people said it didn't work, but it certainly helped my energy level. It may be a trick that some but not all bodies can do.
They then factored in other variables that can affect life expectancy, including physical inactivity, employment status, and educational level. The association between insufficient sleep and lower life expectancy still held. Only smoking had a stronger link.
Good, adequate sleep is a survival need. Modern society often sabotages it.
However, this study suggests that banking sleep on weekends can mitigate the effects of lost sleep during the week. I used to do that in school, and people said it didn't work, but it certainly helped my energy level. It may be a trick that some but not all bodies can do.
Today's Cooking
Dec. 13th, 2025 11:03 pmysabetwordsmithToday's plan to visit a holiday market got wiped out by copious snow. Again. :( So I'm drowning our sorrows in a batch of Dark Chocolate Brownies with Raspberry Spread.
(no subject)
Dec. 13th, 2025 10:43 pmgoodbyebirdRec-cember Day 13
Star Trek (2009 movie)
Lunch and Other Obscenities by
When Starfleet Academy's Housing and Accommodation Officer—whose name, according to the sign next to her door, was Diane Maza—arrived at her office the next morning, Nyota was already there, waiting.
"My roommate's a sex-crazed exhibitionist with a food phobia," Nyota told her. "You have got to reassign me."
Maza didn't react. She regarded Nyota for a moment with a coolly appraising gaze that seemed designed to silently communicate that she hadn't just seen everything, she'd seen everything plus some other shit as well, and therefore any attempt to shock a reaction out of her was doomed at the outset.
Science
Dec. 13th, 2025 02:00 pmysabetwordsmithHuman brains light up for chimp voices in a way no one expected
Humans may carry ancient neural traces that let us recognize the voices of our primate cousins.
Humans don’t just recognize each other’s voices—our brains also light up for the calls of chimpanzees, hinting at ancient communication roots shared with our closest primate relatives. Researchers found a specialized region in the auditory cortex that reacts distinctly to chimp vocalizations, but not to those of bonobos or macaques, revealing an unexpected mix of evolutionary and acoustic influences.
Humans may carry ancient neural traces that let us recognize the voices of our primate cousins.
Humans don’t just recognize each other’s voices—our brains also light up for the calls of chimpanzees, hinting at ancient communication roots shared with our closest primate relatives. Researchers found a specialized region in the auditory cortex that reacts distinctly to chimp vocalizations, but not to those of bonobos or macaques, revealing an unexpected mix of evolutionary and acoustic influences.
Birdfeeding
Dec. 13th, 2025 01:51 pmysabetwordsmithToday is cloudy and cold with copious snow. This has wiped out our plans to visit a holiday market. :(
I fed the birds. I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, at least one female and four male cardinals, a mourning dove, and a tiny wren clinging to the bathroom window as it probed the edges for hibernating insects.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/13/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/13/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/13/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a large mixed flock of sparrows and house finches, at least one female and four male cardinals, a mourning dove, and a tiny wren clinging to the bathroom window as it probed the edges for hibernating insects.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/13/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/13/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/13/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
Whatcha Reading? December 2025, Part One
Dec. 13th, 2025 08:00 amsmartbitches_feed
Welcome back! It’s our first Whatcha Reading of the month, and that means only one more to go before 2026. Here’s what we’re reading:
Lara: I’m reading and enjoying Dom-Com by Adriana Anders. ( A | BN | K | AB ) I’m finding the growth of trust and intimacy in this book particularly great. There’s a lot of (hot) sex/scenes but each one pushes the characters development and evolution.
Elyse: I’m reading Audition by Katie Kitamura. ( A | BN | K | AB ) It’s not romance but I’ve heard multiple people say it’s wonderful and its shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
It’s also 200 pages which is right where my attention span is right now.
Amanda: I’ve been using my TBR game board and landed on “continue a series.” Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco ( A | BN | K | AB ) is book two in the Prince of Sin series and I really enjoyed book one. My only gripe is that it’s hardcover and lugging it around is less than ideal.
Carrie: I’m polishing off The Novel Life of Jane Austen: A Graphic Biography by Janine Barchas and Isabel Greenberg ( A | BN | K ) and it is delightful.
Sarah: I’m currently reading Magic and Mischief at the Wayside Hotel, which I just started. I think I might have a thing for “magical hotel/boarding house” stories. I know I like innkeeping stories – one of my favorite Nora’s is Born in Ice, about a woman who runs a bed & breakfast, though magic isn’t a major plot point. I’m very curious about where this book is going.
Shana: So I’m currently hate reading Fascinating Womanhood, ( A ) an anti-feminist self help guide published in 1963. It is WILD.
Sarah: I’m both intrigued and alarmed.
Shana: I can’t really recommend it. The book feels a bit like if NXIVM and a religious cult had a baby, and that baby spoke with hyperbolic mania.
I’m at the point where the author explains that men’s ideal woman has the “charms of femininity, radiance, good health, and childlikeness.” Also domestic skills and inner happiness.
So a child in a frilly dress, who happily scrubs floors using her healthy body and knowledge of cleaning supplies.
Sarah: Yikes on trikes.
Whatcha reading right now? Tell us in the comments!
Economics
Dec. 13th, 2025 12:15 amysabetwordsmithGround Zero: Los Angeles and the Endgame of the Growth Ponzi Scheme
Los Angeles didn’t mismanage its way into crisis. It built its way here.
I disagree. If a city does not track all of its liabilities, such as the maintenance costs of roads and utilities, that is mismanagement. You can't run a budget when you don't know where your money is going. That ought to be obvious.
( Read more... )
Los Angeles didn’t mismanage its way into crisis. It built its way here.
I disagree. If a city does not track all of its liabilities, such as the maintenance costs of roads and utilities, that is mismanagement. You can't run a budget when you don't know where your money is going. That ought to be obvious.
( Read more... )
Philosophical Questions: Humans
Dec. 13th, 2025 12:06 amysabetwordsmithPeople have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.
Is the human tendency to create groups an overall positive or a negative trait in terms of general human flourishing?
Necessary. Insofar as we know, Homo like most primates is a troop animal, evolved to live in groups rather than alone. Individuals may choose to live alone, but it is much more difficult. Of course, humans can choose to create groups that are themselves positive or negative in structure and behavior, but that's a personal choice.
Is the human tendency to create groups an overall positive or a negative trait in terms of general human flourishing?
Necessary. Insofar as we know, Homo like most primates is a troop animal, evolved to live in groups rather than alone. Individuals may choose to live alone, but it is much more difficult. Of course, humans can choose to create groups that are themselves positive or negative in structure and behavior, but that's a personal choice.
Where am I?
Dec. 13th, 2025 03:30 amthebloggess_feedI was going to write a real post today but I ran out of time and it’s late so instead I’m going to just share the substack letter I just mailed out in case you don’t subscribe but want to know why I’ve disappeared for a few days: Hello, love! I know I just sentContinue reading "Where am I?"
Mood Theme in a Year Returns!
Dec. 12th, 2025 07:26 pmsoc_puppet posting in dw_community_promomoodthemeinayear is coming back in 2026 with a new twist: Creating a custom mood theme can now earn you Dreamwidth points!Mood Theme in a Year is a community that takes a laid-back approach to creating a custom mood theme. If you've always wanted to create your own mood theme (those little images that pop up when you select something from the drop-down "Mood" menu when posting), this is a great place to do it! Take your time creating graphics for anywhere between 15 and 132 moods, either following the community's suggested schedule or going at your own pace. (Though you need to make a minimum of 18 graphics to earn any paid time.)
The "official" schedule starts again from the beginning on January 1st, but you can jump in at any time during the year; feel free to challenge yourself as well with Bingo cards or the Mood Theme in a Month calendars! Learn more in the community pinned post or profile.
I hope to see you there!
Water
Dec. 12th, 2025 04:20 pmysabetwordsmithScientists find hidden rainfall pattern that could reshape farming
Where rain comes from may decide the future stability of global food production.
New research shows that crops are far more vulnerable when too much rainfall originates from land rather than the ocean. Land-sourced moisture leads to weaker, less reliable rainfall, heightening drought risk. The U.S. Midwest and East Africa are particularly exposed due to soil drying and deforestation. Protecting forests and improving land management could help stabilize rainfall and crop yields.
Allow me to point out that the Midwest used to have copious fencerows of trees and bushes, more pocket forests, and more farmhouse yards. People cut down most of those to clear a few more acres of farmland. The results have been poor across multiple areas including wildlife losses, soil erosion, worsening winds with less interruption, and of course the aforementioned droughts.
Where rain comes from may decide the future stability of global food production.
New research shows that crops are far more vulnerable when too much rainfall originates from land rather than the ocean. Land-sourced moisture leads to weaker, less reliable rainfall, heightening drought risk. The U.S. Midwest and East Africa are particularly exposed due to soil drying and deforestation. Protecting forests and improving land management could help stabilize rainfall and crop yields.
Allow me to point out that the Midwest used to have copious fencerows of trees and bushes, more pocket forests, and more farmhouse yards. People cut down most of those to clear a few more acres of farmland. The results have been poor across multiple areas including wildlife losses, soil erosion, worsening winds with less interruption, and of course the aforementioned droughts.
Podcast 696, Your Transcript is Ready
Dec. 12th, 2025 09:38 pmsmartbitches_feed
The transcript for Podcast 696. Holiday Wishes IV with Rae A, Josephine, and Sneezy has been posted!
This podcast transcript was handcrafted with meticulous skill by Garlic Knitter. Many thanks.
Birdfeeding
Dec. 12th, 2025 03:18 pmysabetwordsmithToday is partly cloudy and chilly. Yesterday it snowed.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/12/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/12/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/12/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/12/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
I fed the birds. I've seen a few sparrows and house finches.
I put out water for the birds.
EDIT 12/12/25 -- I did a bit of work around the patio.
EDIT 12/12/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/12/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
EDIT 12/12/25 -- I did more work around the patio.
As it is getting dark, I am done for the night.
If gaslighting had a table of contents.
Dec. 12th, 2025 07:55 pmgoodbyebirdWell, that was a DUMB amount of scrolling. Remind me to keep up to date on fanart recs, BlueSky is not all too helpful. But I did get to make a variety of happy faces as i re-discovered some fanarts I'd forgotten about. We really are spoiled with IWTV. And to look forwards to: I pre-ordered the BLOOD & BROCADE fanart zine. Wanting to experience the first hand in physical format, I'll have to wait until February. And after that? Well, the rumor is s3 will premiere in April. At least, going by a verbal slip and a couple of deleted cast posts. Not too long now!
Anyways, have a bunch of fanart recs featuring pretty vampires.
❄️ ❄️ ❄️ ❄️
Rec-cember Day 12
( Be all the beautiful things you are, and be them without apology. For all eternity. )
Anyways, have a bunch of fanart recs featuring p
Rec-cember Day 12
( Be all the beautiful things you are, and be them without apology. For all eternity. )