Newsletter Leaf Journal CLXXVII 〜 Newsletter Publisher
Welcome to the 177th edition of The New 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 published several new articles since mailing the last newsletter. Without further ado, let us jump into the new articles and other newsletter news and notes.
Leaves from the week that was
I published four new articles since mailing newsletter 176.
Fallen One Way Sign in DUMBO
Nicholas A. Ferrell. March 2.
I wish I could tell you that there was a twist but the headline is accurate and comprehensive.
High School Newspaper Microsoft Publisher Memories
Nicholas A. Ferrell. March 4.
The impending demise of Microsoft Publisher prompted me to share my memories of it from when I used it to produce my high school newspaper in the late 2000s.
History of My Anime Hair Color Project
Nicholas A. Ferrell. March 5.
The recent triumph of my anime hair color articles in our February ranking and weekly rankings inspired me to publish the full history of the project thus far.
Revisiting My Ideal E-Ink QWERTY Phone
Nicholas A. Ferrell. March 6.
I revisited my 2023 article on the ideal phone (e-ink and QWERTY) after seeing that there is a crowdfunding campaign for an e-ink and QWERTY phone.
I also published five short posts on The New Leaf Journal's sister site, The Emu Café Social.
- GitHub User Takes Credit for Nintendo's Yuzu Suit (Some people overestimate their impact...)
- Linkedin’s New AI “Features” (I never used Linkedin and doubt that I am missing out)
- [Reply] Introducing Pokémon Red Novel Project (Updates from my New Leaf Journal project)
- Learning that Bloomingdale’s is Part of Macy’s (Who knew!?)
- HiDive Redesign (A welcome update to one of the two anime streaming services I subscribe to)
Leaves from around the web
Let's check in on what is happening around the world wide web...
Everyone needs a hobby
John Locke's recipe for Pancakes (2021)
Marissa Nicosia at Rare Cooking. December 14, 2021.
How many ingredients can you change in Locke's pancake recipe before it is no longer Locke's pancake recipe?
Sir Winston Churchill - Painter and Prime Minister
“Painting is a companion with whom one may walk a great part of life’s journey.” Sir Winston Churchill
Virtual Boy
Talking Point: As A Nintendo Fan, Do You Really Need To Play The Virtual Boy?
George Banks for Nintendo Life. February 3, 2024.
I need to see if mine still works.
3DS Virtual Boy Emulation Gives You 3D Without The Headaches
Damien McFerran for Time Extension. February 26, 2024.
That's probably the best-ever use of the Nintendo 3DS's 3D functionality.
What's old is new again
Today's YouTubers are repeating the mistakes of yesterday's bloggers
Matt Haughey at A Whole Lotta Nothing. February 6, 2024.
Un-noted in the article: Calling themselves -ers.
Dial-Up Is Still, Just Barely, a Thing
Lewin Day for Hackaday. March 6, 2024.
I never thought about it but I hope that The New Leaf Journal is dial-up friendly.
Scientists make things unnecessarily complicated
Plant roots mysteriously pulsate and we don’t know why – but finding out could change the way we grow things
Etienne Farcot for The Conversation.
Has anyone considered ASKING?
Clownfish Can 'Count' Stripes on Other Fish to Identify Intruders, Study Suggests
Christian Thorsberg for Smithsonian Magazine. February 6, 2024.
They could have figured this out by asking the clownfish to count to 3.
Wandering animals
The Surprising Story of the 10 Bison Roaming Golden Gate Park
Harrison Watkins for Atlas Obscura. February 5, 2024.
They're probably thinking about moving.
Wild ‘super pigs’ from Canada could become a new front in the war on feral hogs
Marchs Lashley for The Conversation. December 19, 2023.
"While efforts to control wild pigs are well underway in the U.S., incursions by Canadian super pigs may complicate the job." (Looks like Canada is trying to get revenge for 1812.)
Purple
Judge rejects NYU Langone claim that Northwell Health stole its color purple
Carl Campanile for the New York Post. March 2, 2024.
It's inspiring to see the big hospitals focusing on the important issues.
Why do Japanese games like Pokémon represent poison using purple and not green?
Verity Townsend for Automation West. February 27, 2024.
I associated purple with poison in games but that ties into the article.
Mistakes happen
Archaeologists Discover Burnt Porridge Inside a 5,000-Year-Old Clay Pot
Julia Binswanger for Smithsonian Magazine. February 28, 2024.
Did they forget to add enough liquid or forget to stir?
Embattled Oklahoma high school breaks its silence after sick footage showed students engage in 'toe-licking' challenge for fundraiser: 'We failed to uphold dignity of our students'
Martha Williams and Laura Parnaby for Daily Mail. March 5, 2024.
"No faculty or staff participated during the assembly, according to the statement." (When "the faculty and staff just like to watch" is your defense...)
Everything is about me
Coney Island Locals Voice Opposition to Gaming at Anti-Casino Panel
Jada Camille for Brooklyn Paper. February 15, 2024.
I voted NO on the casino referendum in 2014 so don't blame me.
When ‘like’ means ‘lack’
Grammarphobia. March 4, 2024.
I wish more people had a like of likes in their sentences.
The decline and fall of Western civilization
England: Ban on Private Ownership of Primates Proposed
Clare Felkert-Ahalt for Global Legal Monitor. March 4, 2024.
The Sun has finally set on the British Empire.
“What About My Freedom of Speech?” UNLV Shuts Down Israeli Professor’s Lecture Rather Than Remove Anti-Israel Protesters
Jonathan Turley. March 7, 2024.
A little hard to maintain plausible deniability when you're shutting down physics lectures.
Let's try to explain a declining national birth rate with a headline and quote
Karina: Why one of K-pop’s biggest stars has been forced to apologise to fans for having a boyfriend
Maroosha Muzaffar for The Independent. March 7, 2024.
"According to reports, the fans drove a truck with an electronic billboard to the star’s agency that displayed messages for the pop star. 'Is the love given to you by your fans not enough?'"
Yes, but...
Haunting 'mermaid' mummy discovered in Japan is even weirder than scientists expected
Harry Baker for LiveScience. February 24, 2023.
What would have really been unexpected is if the mummy was actually a mermaid.
Full Sack Yards Lost Data Added to Pro Football Reference
Mike Lynch for Sports Reference. February 1, 2024.
The quarterbacks say this should be added to the offensive line stats instead.
The Old Leaf Journal
Let's check in on The New Leaf Journal archives...
Brown hair and dress codes in Ippon Again!
Nicholas A. Ferrell. April 24, 2023.
An anime series that addressed the real-world hair color issues that helped inspire my anime hair color project.
Searching for the Figure Behind the Blob Dylan Tags in NYC and Florida
Nicholas A. Ferrell. October 24, 2021.
Searching for the man behind the BLOB DYLAN graffiti in Florida and New York City.
The Quarantine Sessions: “Frankie & Albert”
Victor V. Gurbo. May 3, 2020.
Victor's first Quarantine Sessions article covered Frankie & Albert.
Sowell on Walter Williams and Objective Teaching
Nicholas A. Ferrell. December 4, 2020.
Thomas Sowell on the importance of objectivity in the classroom (complemented by my own college anecdote).
The Fallen Tree in Brooklyn Heights
Nicholas A. Ferrell. September 1, 2020.
This is probably the most destructive fallen thing I have examined in the pages of The New Leaf Journal to date.
What is an “Android Alternative”?
Nicholas A. Ferrell. August 24, 2022.
I considered criticism that my /e/ OS review received on Hacker News for describing /e/ OS as an "Android alternative." Here, I concluded that my description was accurate and explained why I stood by it.
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, you will find the five most-visited articles of 2024 newsletter week 9 (March 2-8) along with their 2024 statistics and all-time statistics, which go back to the first week of 2021.
[1] Yuki's Hair Color in A Sign of Affection
Nicholas A. Ferrell. February 2, 2024.
2024 History: 5 appearances and 1 top placement.
[2] Itsuomi's Hair Color in A Sign of Affection
Nicholas A. Ferrell. February 5, 2024.
2024 History: 4 appearances and 3 top placements.
[3] Installing Ubuntu Touch on a Google Nexus 7 (2013)
Nicholas A. Ferrell. July 5, 2021.
2024 History: 4 appearances and 1 top placement.
Overall History: 81 appearances and 3 top placements.
[4] An In-Depth Look at Norton Safe Search
Nicholas A. Ferrell. October 18, 2022.
2024 History: 5 appearances.
Overall History: 17 appearances and 5 top placements.
[5] Introducing Pokémon Red Novel Project
Nicholas A. Ferrell. February 27, 2024.
2024 History: NEW
Analysis
Week 9 was our softest week of 2024, both at the top and overall -- although it was still a solid week by our overall standards. The A Sign of Affection hair color duo narrowly took the top two spots -- but this time with my article on Yuki Itose's hair color taking its first top ranking and snapping the 3-week streak of the Itsuomi article (I would have held off on my hair color article history piece if I had known that Yuki would take the top spot -- I suppose an update is needed). The top five were all close together (it was one of the closer weeks from 1-5 on record). The "surprise" of the week was my very recent article introducing my Pokémon Red Novel Project. Someone shared it and my presidential middle name article to Hacker News. Neither gained any meaningful traction but the Pokémon piece did decently enough on its own after being shared to sneak into the top five. It is a shame that the Pokémon series introduction was shared before I have any chapters in the series being introduced -- but I probably will not be ready to start publishing those for another couple of weeks. I do have some long term hopes for the presidential middle names article (which ended up in 7th place on the week), but its moment (if it has a moment) will apparently have to wait.
News & Notable leaf journal
I have no significant New Leaf Journal news to report this week, but I do have some draft articles that are almost ready to publish.
In the notable department, I am testing Zim Wiki as a GTD planner (see its explanation). I am making a few tweaks to its recommended template, but it seems promising so far. Perhaps we have a future article project in the works.
Taking leaf
I would like to have a coffee and take a walk before it starts raining, so I will finish a somewhat short (by our recent newsletter standards) here. Thank you as always for reading, and if you are not already a follower, you can sign up for our weekly email or simply add our newsletter's RSS feed to your favorite feed reader (see options). See my introduction to feeds and feed readers.
Until the day after the ides of March -- Cura ut valeas,
Nicholas A. Ferrell, Editor and Administrator of The New Leaf Journal.