<title type="html"><![CDATA[My Logitech K310 keyboard after a good washing and scrubbing in my kitchen sink. I have been using this as my main desktop keyboard since April 2013 and it is still going strong after countless keystrokes, many cleanings, and one coffee incident. Sadly, Logitech discontinued it several years ago.
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[My Logitech K310 keyboard after a good washing and scrubbing in my kitchen sink. I have been using this as my main desktop keyboard since April 2013 and it is still going strong after countless keystrokes, many cleanings, and one coffee incident. Sadly, Logitech discontinued it several years ago.<br />
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[Welcome to the 170th edition of The Newsletter Leaf Journal, the official newsletter of the perennially virid online writing magazine, The New Leaf Journal. This newsletter comes to you as always from the waterproof keyboard of the editor of The New Leaf Journal,Nicholas A. Ferrell. It is highly likely that there will be a live New Leaf Journal article about said keyboard when you read this newsletter, but that is technically an article for next newsletter week. Below, we cover the events of January 13-19 in our typical Newsletter Leaf Journal manner.
Leaves from the week that was
I published three new articles since mailing Newsletter 169.
Shopping on AI (Sp)Amazon
Justin and Justina discuss some interesting AI-generated product descriptions seen on Amazon (or Spamazon).
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[I published a new version of my New Leaf Journal feed directory. It includes links to our RSS/ATOM/JSON feeds with directions for subscribing to narrower subsets of articles and it also includes our less-used feeds (e.g., mf2, TWTXT), static feed aggregator site, and off-site newsletter RSS feed. For those who do not know much about feeds, I also linked to my introduction and several essays on the benefits of feeds.
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[I review YOGA Image Optimizer, a free and open source GUI image optimization tool, from the context of someone using it to reduce the size of small images for a minimal WordPress blog.
Possibly related posts...
The Enigmatic Life and Death of Emperor Otho
Flood of Tears - Visual Novel Review
2023 Anime Year in Review
ACE Academy - Visual Novel Review
Installing Non-Listed Programs in PlayOnLinux
A Midsummer Day's Resonance - VN Review
May Sky - Visual Novel Review
Four May Issues of The Nursery Magazine (1873-81)
The al|together and Insani Visual Novel Translations]]></summary>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[Over at The New Leaf Journal, my January 5, 2024 article, which was about drug-enhanced professional cycling results, became the sixth New Leaf Journal article (going back to February 2021) to appear on Hacker News page 1 (only after a stop in The Browser newsletter). It reached as high as 11th on HN and was […]]]></summary>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[While I am very much in the pro-video game ownership side of things, I had to call foul on a headline taking a seemingly anti-ownership quote by a Ubisoft executive out of its original context.
Possibly related posts...
History of the Mario Party Gloves
Searching for the "Libertarian Moment"
Leaving the Phrase "Reach Out" in the 90s
Recording a Test New Leaf Journal Pokémon Sword and…
The Last Nintendo Wii Games
The Aborted Nintendo-Minnesota Lottery Scheme
Ambiguous Killer Hallucinogenic Weed Headline
Two Independence Day-Themed Pokémon Battles: Ferrell…
On Nintendo's Pro-User Cartridge-First Strategy]]></summary>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[Pro-Hamas protesters spent January 15, 2024 loudly protesting outside of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, yelling that the cancer hospital is complicit in the so-called “genocide” in Gaza, or even “supporting” it. Far be it from me to offer any sort of advice to supporters of a foreign terrorist organization, but in light […]]]></summary>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[I did not get around to publishing a review of episode 2 of season 2 of Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki-kun after publishing a brief review of the first episode. The second episode had a dramatic tonal shift — segueing from the social game shenanigans that began in the first episode to bullying. I had some issues […]]]></summary>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[A 2022 post featuring my photographs of the Freedom Tower, shrouded in fog, from a morning walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[Justin comes across FOPEAS's "I'm sorry but I cannot fulfill this request it goes against OpenAI use policy. My purpose is to provide helpful and respectful information to users-Brown" on Amazon and asks Justina for her take on the product.
Possibly related posts...
The Enigmatic Life and Death of Emperor Otho
Anime Recommendations of the Decade (2011-20)
ACE Academy - Visual Novel Review
The Best of Anime in 2022: Year in Review
2023 Anime Year in Review
The al|together and Insani Visual Novel Translations
The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten - Anime Review
Justin and Justina review 2022 at the NLJ
Four May Issues of The Nursery Magazine (1873-81)]]></summary>
<author>
<name>Nicholas A. Ferrell</name>
</author>
</entry>
<entry>
<title type="html"><![CDATA[Let's check in on how Amazon and brand FOPEAS are doing...
Fictional dialogue inspired by the "product": https://thenewleafjournal.com/shopping-on-ai-spamazon/
Internet Archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20240112170316/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Ffulfill-request-respectful-information-users-Brown%2Fdp%2FB0CM82FJL2
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg published an interesting “birthday post” asking people to create blogs for his birthday. The idea is that […]
Possibly related posts...
Matt Damon's Brooklyn Heights Crane Game
Around the Web 〜 Alternative Software and Services Resources
The New Leaf Journal Celebrates Its First Birthday
Justin and Justina review 2022 at the NLJ
New Leaf Journal Year-In-Review: 2023
The al|together and Insani Visual Novel Translations
Justin & Justina: The Most-Read New Leaf Journal…
100 Articles and Counting at The New Leaf Journal
Searching for the "Libertarian Moment"]]></summary>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[I came across a blog post titled Just Blog by Frank Meeuwsen. This post alerted me to an interesting “birthday” project by WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg. Mr. Mulenwig asked for people to blog for his birthday and link to his post. Ideally, the links should show up as pingbacks on his article. His post said […]]]></summary>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[Welcome to the 169th edition of The Newsletter Leaf Journal, the official newsletter of the perennially virid online writing magazine, The New Leaf Journal. This newsletter comes to you as always from the waterproof keyboard of the editor of The New Leaf Journal, Nicholas A. Ferrell. I am running a bit behind schedule today, so let us cut straight to your regularly scheduled newsletter content.
Leaves from the week that was
I published three new articles since mailing Newsletter 168.
2023 Anime Year in Review
My third annual New Leaf Journal review of the year that was about anime, and it features my ranking of the top six series of 2024, notes on additional series, and category-specific awards. You can either use my article to find something to watch or as a prompt to become angry bec…]]></summary>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[The story of then-President Abraham Lincoln's decision to pardon Frank Judd, the son of Lincoln's Minister to Prussia, sparing him from what would have been execution for desertion.
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[This will come as a shock to all of our readers, but I (N.A. Ferrell) do not approve of requiring Instagram usage for school assignments.
Possibly related posts...
The dangers of adapting school to tech
The Enigmatic Life and Death of Emperor Otho
Anime Case Against Japan's Population Loss
History of the Mario Party Gloves
The New Leaf Journal Celebrates Its First Birthday
Searching for the Figure Behind the Blob Dylan Tags…
New Leaf Journal Third Birthday Reader
An Early Review of Pixelfed - Instagram Alternative
April Fools, Sonic and Tails in SSB Melee]]></summary>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[I published my third annual review that was of the year in anime. In the article, I ranked what I think were the six best series of 2023, included notes on 12 additional series, and gave out five category-specific awards. I made sure to get it done close to New Years because I know the whole industry was waiting for this.
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[A 2021 post about my 2020 photo of a pigeon on a limb looking for a snack... and a reminder that pigeons are heavier than sparrows.
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[I published an article on The New Leaf Journal about doping in cycling during (and before) the Armstrong era. I noted in my Saturday newsletter that it unexpectedly blew up (by our standards) within hours of its publication. I was not immediately able to identify the source, but I figured out from our referrals that […]]]></summary>
<author>
<name>Nicholas A. Ferrell</name>
</author>
</entry>
<entry>
<title type="html"><![CDATA[Search, Means, and Ends]]></title>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[I starred this very insightful comment by Hacker News user marcinzm about search engines. The commenter noted the obvious, that big tech search shows ads because its purpose is to generate revenue through ads. But I appreciated the commenters putting it in terms of means and ends. Ideally, the user wants a search engine to […]]]></summary>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[This was the first completely new (as in not subsequent season) anime I am trying in the Winter 2024 season. These days, not involving “another world” or “reincarnation” is a good place to start. We have a girl, Himari Momochi, who is an orphan. When she turns 16, she learns her late parents left her […]]]></summary>
<author>
<name>Nicholas A. Ferrell</name>
</author>
</entry>
<entry>
<title type="html"><![CDATA[2023 Anime Year in Review]]></title>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[N.A. Ferrell ranks the top six anime series that concluded in 2023, lists honorable mentions, and gives several category-specific awards.
Possibly related posts...
The al|together and Insani Visual Novel Translations
New Leaf Journal Year-In-Review: 2023
Justin and Justina review 2022 at the NLJ
A Dream of Summer - Visual Novel Review
New Leaf Journal Third Birthday Reader
The New Leaf Journal Celebrates Its First Birthday
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[Welcome to the 168th edition of The Newsletter Leaf Journal, the official newsletter of the perennially virid online writing magazine, The New Leaf Journal. This newsletter comes to you, like the newsletters of 2020-2023, from the waterproof keyboard of the editor of The New Leaf Journal, Nicholas A. Ferrell. Despite being under the weather for the early days of 2024, we still had an eventful week of the new year at your favorite green online writing magazine. Without further ado, let us begin with the first newsletter of the new year.
Leaves from the week that was
I published four new articles since mailing Newsletter 167.
December 2023 at The New Leaf Journal
Just in case you have to catch up on 2023 before starting on 2024.
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[I re-watched the first season of Bottom-Tier Character Tomozaki (after having watched it as a simulcast in 2021) for two reasons. Firstly so I could write a review and secondly so that I could refresh my memory for the second season. I watched the first episode of season 2, titled The best games make reconnaissance […]]]></summary>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[Addressing an interesting argument that because Lance Armstrong was the best stage racing cyclist in a largely doped field, he would have been the best clean cyclist in a clean field.
Possibly related posts...
Most-Visited NLJ Articles of 1H 2023
The Best of Anime in 2022: Year in Review
Golf and Immigration: Matter of Masters
Anime Recommendations of the Decade (2011-20)
Analyzing BIA Decision in Matter of Salama
ACE Academy - Visual Novel Review
Bottom-tier Character Tomozaki S1 Anime Review
New Leaf Journal Third Birthday Reader
The Poor Little Bird - Visual Novel Review]]></summary>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[Presenting the 54 most-visited New Leaf Journal articles of 2023, in dialogue format. For WordPress admins out there, I use Koko Analytics, an open source and entirely local page counting solution for stats.
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[I opened Steam because I am purchasing at least one visual novel while it is on sale. Steam prompted me to ask whether I wanted to participate in the Steam hardware survey. I said yes. I did my part to represent EndeavourOS. But what about my specs? OS: EndeavourOS CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 6-Core […]]]></summary>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[My final newsletter of the year includes links to a week's worth of new articles and short posts, 21 links from around the web, and news and notes about what I am working on as we look ahead to 2024.
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[Welcome to the 167th edition of The Newsletter Leaf Journal, the official newsletter of the perennially virid online writing magazine, The New Leaf Journal. This newsletter comes to you as always from the waterproof keyboard of the editor of The New Leaf Journal, Nicholas A. Ferrell. We had New Years Eve for the last newsletter of 2022, but we will have to settle for New Years Eve Eve in 2023. But while we missed the holiday this year, I think we nevertheless have some holiday-tier content to bring 2023 to a close.
Leaves from the week that was
We (actual "we" this time) published five new articles since mailing Newsletter 166.
Victor V. Gurbo's "Christmas & You"
I included links to Victor's two YouTube videos of his recording of his original song, Christmas & You, with last week's new…]]></summary>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[With season 2 of The Dangers in My Heart just around the corner, I review season 1 of the middle school romance with an antisocial boy and a popular model.
Possibly related posts...
Heights in “The Dangers in My Heart” Anime
Height differences in anime romances
The al|together and Insani Visual Novel Translations
The Best of Anime in 2022: Year in Review
On Review Scoring Systems
The Best Anime Series of 2021
The New Leaf Journal Celebrates Its First Birthday
New Leaf Journal Third Birthday Reader
The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten - Anime Review]]></summary>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[I checked by 404 logs over at The New Leaf Journal. I found an interesting user agent among the myriad web crawlers: PoorlyConfiguredWebCrawler I appreciate that the crawler advertises that it is not well configured. You get the feeling that whoever released the poor thing on the internet is asking us to not be too […]]]></summary>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[Back in January 2022, I wrote a dialogue (using fictional characters) explaining why I was moving the NLJ off Bluehost shared hosting to a small VPS server. Nostalgic, and in terms of site performance... definitely turned out to be the correct decision.
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[My privacy-friendly local page-counting solution for WordPress, Koko Analytics, picked up a referral from snapchat.com over at The New Leaf Journal. Snapchat? Really. I thought this was for sending photos. No no, don’t correct me. I am happy living in ignorance. I will just go on living under my assumption that Snapchat is not the […]]]></summary>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[My short notes on figuring out how to properly enter administrative precedent decisions of the Board of Immigration Appeals into Zotero.
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[I enjoy some of the fun public domain images on Openclipart. For Christmas 2022, I shared a “cat Christmas tree” over at The New Leaf Journal. This year, I will use my new social posting site (it seems more conducive for the purpose) to share a fun Openclipart Christmas owl posted by Openclipart artist Michal […]]]></summary>
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[Once clad in a witch's hat for Halloween, an endearing green car in Gowanus is now bearing Christmas presents.
Possibly related posts...
The Wicked Car of the Gowanus - Car with Hat
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Car with Antlers
io [Christmas Eve] - Visual Novel Review
Plain Song Christmas Special - VN Review
A Christmas Menagerie On a Lawn in Gowanus
Make it Christmas With a Santa Hat
"Uncle Susan is a Wolf" - A Graffiti Photo and…
The New Leaf Journal Celebrates Its First Birthday
The Inflatable Christmas Dragon of Gowanus]]></summary>
<author>
<name>Nicholas A. Ferrell</name>
</author>
</entry>
<entry>
<title type="html"><![CDATA[The ultimate test of my theory that a Santa hat can make just about anything Christmas. Not Tux (surely that penguin is Tux), but the gentleman just behind Tux.
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[The ultimate test of my theory that a Santa hat can make just about anything Christmas. Not Tux (surely that penguin is Tux), but the gentleman just behind Tux.<br />
<summary type="html"><![CDATA[My good friend Victor V. Gurbo noted over on The New Leaf Journal that his college friend gave him the prompt for a melancholy Christmas song that would have no prospect of commercial success. I addend his post to note that the unnamed friend was a very versatile character. The person Victor refers to is […]]]></summary>
<author>
<name>Nicholas A. Ferrell</name>
</author>
</entry>
<entry>
<title type="html"><
