Newsletter Leaf Journal CLXV 〜 Lost & not found 〜
The 165th edition of The Newsletter Leaf Journal features many links to our newest long posts at The New Leaf Journal and short posts on our sister site. I also discuss how I managed to accidentally over-write my 9,000+ word list of around the web articles and descriptions.
Welcome to the 165th edition of The Newsletter Leaf Journal, the evergreen 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 have plenty of content to share with you this week from many new articles and short posts to the story of how the winds of new beginnings blew over my Around the Web backlog. Because I have plenty to share, I cut the introduction short so we can get to the sharing.
Leaves from around the web
I spent more of the last week working on New Leaf Journal projects than publishing them. While many of my articles are in the work in progress phase, I still managed to deliver four new articles since mailing Newsletter 164.
Narcissu (Insani version) VN Review
N.A. Ferrell. December 9.
It took me until al|together visual novel review #27 to review the only novel from the project that is widely known in the West: Narcissu. I have now actually read all the novels so my three year project (I came up with the idea in December 2020 but published the introductory article in April 21) finally nears its conclusion.
Li Shangfu(?) Emails The New Leaf Journal
N.A. Ferrell. December 11.
Seldom do I receive spam mail that is worth sharing.
Adding EOIR BIA Decisions to Zotero
N.A. Ferrell. December 12.
A guide for the perplexed U.S. immigration law attorney, researcher, or writer.
On Internal and External Linking
N.A. Ferrell. December 13.
Inspired by an anti-internal linking blog post, I offer my own perspective about how I think online writers ought to handle linking.
Short posts at The Emu Café Social
I published a number of short-form posts over on our sister site.
- Foreverliketh List of Blogrolls and Webrings
- BSOD Coming to Linux ("Blue Screen of Death")
- MealMaster Udon Recipe (The article I link to is a fun read with some interesting resources for digital recipe keepers)
- So long, E3 (The now-former video game expo)
- Quick Review of My Tablet – My Computer (A short [free] book review)
- Feeds for Articles Over X and Mastodon (Another in my series on "feeds over social media")
- Solid OP and ED in The Dreaming Boy is a Realist (Everything in anime in 2023 has solid OP and ED songs... including, now, the mediocre rom-coms)
There was one more short post that has some particular relevance to the instant newsletter...
Around the Web
I may have lost my Around the Web backlog due to unfortunate circumstances. But fear not. Losing a backlog means we just have to create a new backlog.
Pretend these headlines follow from one another
Why the Air Force Is Building a ‘Frankenstein’ F-35 From Two Broken Ones
Kyle Mizokami for Popular Mechanics. December 11, 2023.
Wrong answer: So they can make an F-53.
The F-35 of the Future Just Took Flight: List of TR-3 Upgrades
Kyle Mizokami for Popular Mechanics. December 6, 2023.
My headline arrangement is a work of art.
Everything is ultimately about The New Leaf Journal
All I Want For Christmas Is More Classic Shōjo Anime!
Dawn H. for Anime News Network. December 13, 2023.
I never heard of any of the series in this article but we will have some shōjo anime at The New Leaf Journal in the near future. Merry Christmas?
“The streets belong to the humans” asserts Tokyo taxi driver after arrest for running over pigeon
Casey Baseel for SoraNews24. December 8, 2023.
Some taxi drivers are cruel to pigeons. Some New Leaf Journal writers rescue pigeons.
Think about how I arranged the next two articles
These penguins take 10,000 little naps a day — seconds at a time
Regina Barber for NPR. December 1, 2023.
We're going to need to have a philosophical discussion about what constitutes a nap. (If you are familiar with Seinfeld, combine this headline with the aviancide headline from the previous section and add a "Seinfeld is real life" header for the two articles.)
How Much Caffeine Is Too Much?
Joanna Thompson for Scientific American. December 1, 2023.
You just need sufficient character to metabolize it.
Finding things in unexpected places
Medieval lead curse tablet found in latrine
The History Blog. December 15, 2023.
Fitting in its own way.
Giant Goldfish Are Bad News for the Great Lakes
Margaret Osbourne for Smithsonian Magazine. December 11, 2023.
The photo of the man holding giant goldfish is one of the better pictures you'll come across.
More large animal stories
Black bear attacks reindeer Christmas decorations outside Florida home
Brad Matthews for the Washington Times. December 8, 2023.
Black bears are just big house cats.
People, not the climate, caused the decline of the giant mammals
Jeppe Kyhne Knudsen for Aarhus University. December 7, 2023.
That spear sure looked like it descended from the clouds though.
Libertarian news and thoughts
Promise Kept: Javier Milei Cuts 9 Argentine Government Offices on First Day
Frances Martel for Breitbart. December 11, 2023.
A fairly libertarian start from the world's first Libertarian president. Careful use of capitalization intended for all of our libertarian readers. (The article also goes into detail about which of the cut offices were, for the time being, folded into other offices.)
Make Italy’s Christmas Snake Cake
Andrew Coletti for Atlas Obscura. December 15, 2023.
Or not. It's entirely up to you. Far be it from me, Atlas Obscura, or the government to tell you how to live your life.
Communist news
Christian population shrinking in China amid ‘crackdown’
Zelda Caldwell for Catholic News Agency. December 15, 2023.
China's religious persecution extends well beyond Xinjiang.
My doomed career as a North Korean novelist
Kim Ju-sŏng reprinted by The Guardian. December 12, 2023.
And you think your job is hard.
History section
Brothers in Arms
Alex Griffith for Historynet. December 12, 2023.
"Only seven pairs of American brothers have received the Medal of Honor, only two of those pairs for the same action. The first of the latter recipients were only in their teens, and they very nearly didn’t live to accept their medals."
TWE Remembers: The Taft-Katsura Memorandum
James M. Lindsay and Anna Shortridge for Council on Foreign Relations. July 31, 2020.
The Theodore Roosevelt Administration reached an informal agreement with the Empire of Japan in 1905 whereupon Japan pledged that it had no designs on the Philipines, which was under American control, and the United States recognized Japanese rule in Korea. The informal agreement proved to be enduring and was most certainly not obliterated some 36 years after Taft and Katsura shook on it.
What's old is new again
Jousting Makes Comeback In England As Competitive Sport
Justine Gerrardy for Barrons. December 10, 2023.
No longer do you have to wonder what happened to jousting.
The Nintendo Switch CPU Exposed
Al Williams for Hackaday. December 14, 2023.
The CPU is shy so that was not nice.
Actually related
What Does It Mean That Greenland Sharks Could Live for Hundreds of Years?
Jonathan Moens for Atlas Obscura. August 27, 2021.
Well...
Hákarl
Anne Ewbank for Atlas Obscura. November 2, 2017.
I am somehow not surprised to learn that sharks that can live for a couple hundred years do not taste good.
Owls?
Owl Rock in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlas Obscura. December 14, 2023.
"Hidden inside a church cemetery is a Native American carving on an eight-foot-tall rock, marking the forgotten history of this area in southwest Atlanta." (Segue into The Old Leaf Journal...)
(Note: I could have not admitted to having saved over my Around the Web markdown document and just let everyone wonder why so many of the links I shared today were actually from the current month.)
The Old Leaf Journal
Let's check in on our New Leaf Journal archive (which, unlike my Around the Web list, I did not lose):
A Short Saw-whet Owl Poem From 1898
N.A. Ferrell. December 5, 2021.
I did promise more owls.
“Why did the chicken cross the rails?”
N.A. Ferrell. April 30, 2022.
Ask not why...
Digital Purchases as Indefinite Rentals
N.A. Ferrell. July 10, 2022.
An evergreen problem these days...
Working to Save The Bitter End
Victor V. Gurbo. September 27, 2020.
My musician colleague's reflections on participating in a musician-led effort to help save New York City's iconic music venue, The Bitter End.
Into the Car Headlights in Brooklyn
N.A. Ferrell. September 10, 2021.
The car headlights have not been as bad this year as they were in 2021 (thank goodness).
Bill’s Secret Garden – A Pokémon Generation 1 Urban Legend
N.A. Ferrell. April 6, 2022.
I tell the kids what Pokémon culture was like in the spring of 1999.
Most-turned leaves of the newsletter week
I list our most-read articles from the previous newsletter week (Friday to Saturday) in each edition of The Newsletter Leaf Journal. These statistics come courtesy of Koko Analytics, our local, privacy friendly page-counting solution (see my review). Below, I present the 5 most-visited articles for 2023 newsletter week 50 (December 9-December 16). Note: All stats are for 2023 only.
- (1) My Default Apps as of December 2023
N.A. Ferrell. December 7, 2023.
2 appearances. 1st top placement. - (2) Recommended F-Droid FOSS Apps For Android-Based Devices (2021)
N.A. Ferrell. November 27, 2021.
9 appearances. 1 top placement. - (3) Installing GrapheneOS on a Google Pixel 6a
N.A. Ferrell. May 15, 2023.
8 appearances. - (4) An In-Depth Look at Norton Safe Search
N.A. Ferrell. October 18, 2022.
10 appearances. 5 top placements. - (5) 1883 Opening of the Brooklyn Bridge
N.A. Ferrell. May 24, 2023.
NEW.
My Norton Safe Search review saw its streak of five consecutive top placements end (as I softly predicted last week). It was replaced by my article listing my default apps, which followed its runner-up debut-week performance by doing one better. This week featured one surprise -- the top five debut of my May history of the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge. The Bridge history had not previously been in the mix for any weekly top fives before having a strong week (it would have made the vast majority of weekly top fives with its view numbers) for reasons unknown to me. Some of our more successful history articles, see for example my piece on Constantine XI's last stand and my article on Abraham Lincoln's letter to his half brother, took some time to gain traction. Perhaps my extensively researched Bridge article will follow in their footsteps.
My default apps article was our record 11th top weekly finisher of 2023 (2021 and 2022 had 7 and 8 respectively) and I would not be surprised if we add one more before the end of 2023. My default apps post cooled off enough by the second half of the week that I do not necessarily expect it to top the list next week. The field is open for a surprise. One I am watching is my March review of The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten anime, which was our strongest article on Thursday and Friday en route to a 6th place finish in the weekly ranking.
News leaf journal
The most exciting New Leaf Journal news of the week concerned my overwriting my around the web list. Since I already covered that, I will have to hold off until next week for more exciting news.
Notable leaf journal
I have a number of big projects in the works. Chief among these are my al|together visual novel review project (just a couple of reviews left before the grand finale), my 2023 anime year in review (most likely published in the first week of 2024), and a few other reviews I promised in my November month-in-review. If you come to The New Leaf Journal for seasonal content and photos, you may be wondering where the Christmas content is. Fear not -- I have my phone and my phone has a camera. We will have some holiday fun to go along with the very serious work of doing things like publishing reviews of 17-18 year old Japanese visual novel translations.
Taking leaf
Thank you as always for reading and following The Newsletter Leaf Journal. If you have not done so already, you can sign up for our weekly email or add the newsletter's RSS feed to your favorite feed reader. See the options here.
Last year I skipped one December newsletter because Christmas Eve happened to fall on a Saturday. This year, however, Christmas Eve shifts to Sunday, so you can expect our regularly scheduled and suitably red and green newsletter on December 23. Until then...
Cura ut valeas.