Newsletter Leaf Journal CLXXIII 〜 Newsletter of affection
Newsletter Leaf Journal 173 features four new articles at The New Leaf Journal which cover subjects including, but not limited to, anime hair color and free gallons of water seen in Brooklyn. We also feature links to new posts from our sister site, six Valentine's-related links from the archive, 21 links from around the web, and other interesting news and notes.
Welcome to the 173rd 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 Logitech K310 keyboard of the editor and administrator of both The New Leaf Journal and its new sister site, The Emu Café Social, Nicholas A. Ferrell. I have plenty of news to share this week, but I am also off to a late start (it is 1:49 PM on Saturday, February 10, as I write this) and it is nice weather out -- so I am going to try to be efficient in putting this newsletter together.
Let us jump into the content.
Leaves from the week that was
I published four new New Leaf Journal articles since mailing Newsletter 172.
Comparing my al|together VN rank to VNDB (NAF, 2/3)
After ranking the al|together visual novels from 31 to 1, I compared by evaluation of the novels to their average review scores on the Visual Novel Database.
Itsuomi’s Hair Color in A Sign of Affection (NAF, 2/5)
One day after I published an article on hair color in the A Sign of Affection anime, I watched episode 5. Episode 5 had more hair color revelations. There was only one thing for me to do.
Free H2O Seen in Brooklyn (NAF, 2/7)
I meant to publish this in late 2022 but sometimes things get lost in the shuffle.
Outline Guide to Persona 3 FES The Answer (NAF, 2/8)
Persona 3 was originally released in Japan in 2006 (U.S. in 2007). Its fourth version, Persona 3 Reload, is coming out right about now. While Reload may be the most polished, it is missing a 25-hour epilogue that was only seen in the second version of Persona 3, Persona 3 FES (JP 2007, U.S. 2008). In this article, I revisit a guide I wrote for that epilogue more than a decade ago.
I also published many short posts over at The Emu Café Social. See some of the highlights below:
Minds Hashtags and Mastodon (On how Minds Social posts appear on Mastodon)
WordPress Hashtags (Accidentally creating new tags in WordPress...)
Return to Tree Style Tab (Firefox sidebar adventures)
Avoiding Feed Reader Overrun (Keeping your feeds under control)
Follow Minds Social From WordPress (Following my Minds Social account from WordPress)
An Email to “Info” (Fun spam emails, but not the most fun spam emails)
Unpausing Virtual Credit Cards (Lessons learned...)
The Last Bluesky Invites (On receiving my invite to Bluesky less than 48 hours before it opened up registrations)
Brooklyn Bridge Clear of Vendors (Good Brooklyn Bridge news -- with a photo)
What’s an Anime You Fell Asleep To? (I unironically didn't remember but that did not stop me from responding to the prompt)
Basketball Reference Adds Awards to Main Player Tables (Useful for some of my upcoming projects)
Deleting Yahoo Account (Surprisingly painless)
Apple Hat Take on Sudo for Windows (In related news, I won't be buying an Apple Hat)
Leaves from around the web
Let's check in on what's going on around the world wide web.
Everything is about me
RSS Feed Organization Strategies And New Feed Cost
Yukinu at Yukinu Blog. February 6, 2024.
Yukinu at Yukinu Blog posted a very interesting response to my RSS organization article. That is, this one is actually about me (somewhat).
Pigeon suspected of being Chinese spy freed
Brad Matthews for The Washington Times. February 2, 2024.
I like to think that our pigeon-rescue story from last year is inspiring people around the world.
So you've decided to get into mechanical keyboards
Sophie Koonin at Local Ghost. January 27, 2024.
I'll stick with my non-mechanical waterproof Logitech K310 keyboard because I would need to think of a new Newsletter Leaf Journal introduction if I switched. (Haha "switched"! Get it!?)
Speaking of exclamation points
The Grammarphobia Blog: A chorus of exclamation points
Grammarphobia. October 16, 2023.
!!!
Please, don’t force me to log in : Juha-Matti Santala
Juha-Matti Santal. June 27, 2024.
This newsletter doesn't even require an email to subscribe!
Happy (Almost) Valentine's Day!
How to Make an Origami Heart (Free PDF and Instructions)
A Day In Our Shoes. January 29, 2024.
I can barely fold a rectangle so I will sit this one out. Feel free to try it yourself, however.
Unrealized potential
The Surprising Possibilities of See-Through Wood
Jude Coleman for Knowable Magazine. December 7, 2023.
I'm amending my article on the ideal phone -- the color e-ink screen should use see-through wood.
New Game Boy Title Gives You A Reason To Dust Off Your Game Boy Printer
Damien McFerran for Time Extension. January 19, 2024.
I don't have mine anymore...
Your appendix is not, in fact, useless. This anatomy professor explains
Selena Simmons-Duffin for NPR. February 2, 2024.
A little late for some people.
Architecture abroad
Sinicising Islam in China: The Story of a Mosque
Ruslan Yusupov for Made in China Journal. January 18, 2024.
Learn about the Chinese Communist Party's strong preferences in the area of Islamic architecture.
Should Egypt Renovate This Ancient Pyramid?
Sonja Anderson for Smithsonian Magazine. February 5, 2024.
Egypt should focus on closing smuggling tunnels before it worries about "renovating" the great pyramids.
Only in Japan
Lipton releases Pancake Tea Latte in Japan
Oona McGee for SoraNews24. January 31, 2024.
I'd try it but I don't think I'll get my hands on it.
Guide: Best WonderSwan Games Of All Time
Damien McFerran for Time Extension. February 2, 2024.
I never had a WonderSwan for reasons that should be obvious from the introduction of this article.
It's a matter of perspective
'Extremely Rare' Sighting of Newborn Great White Shark Reported Off California Coast
Will Sullivan for Smithsonian Magazine. January 29, 2024.
"They think it’s a newborn in part because of its size—the shark was only around five feet long..." ("Only")
Contrary to What You Might Expect, There Were Higher Rates of Naturalization Denials Under Biden than Trump
David North for Center for Immigration Studies. December 14, 2023.
The author's hunch as to the reason for this fun stat is almost certainly correct.
The wonders of AI
A Chinese professor used AI to write a science fiction novel. Then it was a winner in a national competition
Holly Chilk for the South China Morning Post. December 20, 2023.
I can't wait for paperback books to be SEO-optimized.
Amazon introduces Rufus, an AI shopping assistant for its mobile app
Paul for AlternativeTo. February 2, 2024.
It should be nice for regular Amazon shoppers to have an assistant that speaks the same language as the product description writers.
Law & disorder
DEA seized record 386 million deadly fentanyl doses in New York in 2023 — enough to kill every American
Katherine Donlevy for the New York Post. January 18, 2024.
Sounds subpar.
Can Ecuador copy the Bukele model?
Fin Carter for UnHerd. January 15, 2024.
Not easily, according to the author.
Come up with better names
The Singapore Stone in Singapore
Atlas Obscura. January 31, 2024.
Creative name here.
Avocado-Shaped Robot Makes Its Way Through The Rainforest
Lewin Day for Hackaday. February 3, 2024.
It deserves a good name.
The Old Leaf Journal
Let's dig into our archives (I wonder what this week's theme will be)...
Justin and Justina 〜 A Christmas Card For Valentine’s Day
N.A. Ferrell. February 14, 2022.
This is a two for one because it invites you to read its predecessor article.
“The Valentine” – An Engraving by W.E. Tucker
N.A. Ferrell. February 21, 2022.
I published this one late for Valentine's in 2022. It is on time for this newsletter, however.
The Pine Tree Lovers of Takasago
N.A. Ferrell. February 13, 2021.
One of my personal favorite articles.
“Love is Free Not cheap” Fridge Graffiti in Brooklyn
N.A. Ferrell. February 11, 2022.
Google was strangely recalcitrant about indexing this for a long time.
LoveChoice Visual Novel Review
N.A. Ferrell. February 9, 2021.
A fun little Chinese visual novel on Steam that, notwithstanding some translation issues, is worth the low price of admission when it is on sale.
A Winter’s Tale – Visual Novel Review
N.A. Ferrell. February 14, 2023.
I ranked A Winter's Tale 13th out of the 31 al|together novels. What better time to enjoy this 2002 romance (sort of) visual novel for the low price of freeware?
Most-turned leaves of 2024 Newsletter Week 6
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, you will find the five most-visited articles of 2024 newsletter week 7 (February 3-9) along with their 2024 statistics and all-time statistics, which go back to the first week of 2021.
Newsletter Week 6 Ranking
(#1) The Mystery of Sōseki and Tsuki ga Kirei
Details Nicholas A. Ferrell. March 14, 2021.
2024: 1 appearance and 1 top placement.
Total: 133 appearances and 70 top placements.
(#2) The Pokémon Special Split in Generation 2 - Statistics and Analysis
Details: Nicholas A. Ferrell. January 18, 2022.
2024: 2 appearances.
Total: 48 appearances and 4 top placements.
(#3) An In-Depth Look at Norton Safe Search
Details: Nicholas A. Ferrell. October 18, 2022.
2024: 1 appearance.
Total: 13 appearances and 5 top placements.
(#4) Changing Hair Color in "A Sign of Affection"
Details: Nicholas A. Ferrell. February 2, 2024.
2024: 1 appearance.
(#5) Heights in “The Dangers in My Heart” Anime
Details: Nicholas A. Ferrell. April 2, 2023.
2024: 5 appearances and 1 top placement.
Total: 11 appearances and 1 top placement.
Notes
This week saw the return of my tsuki ga kirei article to the top of the weekly ranking. It received a boost from being shared by someone on X in a thread about the Japanese language. While that did not lead to a ton of visits, it was more than enough on top of tsuki ga kirei's 2024 baseline to put it atop of this week's ranking. It now has 70 top finishes since it was published in March 2021.
The second notable of the week is my essay on hair color in A Sign of Affection scoring a top five in its debut week. The series is hitting its half-way point today, so assuming its views are being driven by the fact that it is ongoing, we may see it and its companion article feature in more top fives in the coming weeks.
The third notable point of the week is that the two articles that had appeared in all five of our 2024 weekly rankings disappeared. My Cycling Doping Fallacies essay was one spot and a few views short of making it six for six. This is by far the earliest we have had no perfect articles in a year. See the last article to lose its perfect streak in each of the first three years we have been keeping track of weekly rankings:
2021: Reviewing the HALOmask and är Mask (23 appearances)
2022: The Mystery of Sōseki and Tsuki ga Kirei (52 appearances)
2023: The Mystery of Sōseki and Tsuki ga Kirei (29 appearances)
My tsuki ga kirei article made the top five in all 52 newsletter weeks of 2022 (part of what would end up being a 117-week streak), but for the two years with limited streaks, the last perfect article fell out of the ranking after 23 and 29 weeks consecutively. This year, my cycling doping essay and Recommended F-Droid FOSS Apps For Android-Based Devices (2021) made it five weeks. In an additional note, we have also had more top-placed articles in the first six weeks of 2024 (4) than in 2021 (3), 2022 (1), and 2023 (2), so we are certainly seeing more articles popping up near the top of the ranking this year.
News Leaf Journal
I decided to add author and category information to our archive pages. I briefly experimented with removing the dates (I don't think they are quite the right size for how I organized the links), but I ultimately restored them.
I also changed our Feed Aggregator site to use NLJ author feeds instead of the main site feed. The effect of this is that the author is now listed with each feed item. You can see the full list of feeds here.
Notable Leaf Journal
I created a Bluesky account when I saw that it (1) supports RSS feeds and (2) allows one to use his or her own domain as a handle. While I use The New Leaf Journal domain for NOSTR, I opted to use naferrell.com, which I control, for Bluesky. I will use Bluesky similarly to my other social profiles (sharing my articles), but I took advantage of its RSS functionality to add it to our feed aggregator.
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 to this weekly newsletter with your email or simply add its RSS feed to your favorite feed reader (see options).
I have a number of real work assignments next week, but I still have a couple of Valentine's-themed articles in the works. I look forward to sharing them in next week's newsletter (but I recommend reading them ahead of next Saturday on The New Leaf Journal).
Until February 17,
Cura ut valeas.