Newsletter Leaf Journal CCXVIII 〜 Best in-box
Newsletter Leaf Journal 218 has links to my new Pixelfed revieew and look back at the year that was in anime in 2024, 21 links from around the web, and assorted news and notes about what you can look forward to in the pages of The New Leaf Journal.
Welcome to the 218th edition of The Newsletter Leaf Jounrnal, the official newsletter of the perennially virid online writing magazine, The New Leaf Journal. This newsletter comes to you as always from the Filco Majestitouch V3 keyboard of the administrator and editor of The New Leaf Journal and its short-form writing sister site, The Emu Café Social, Nicholas A. Ferrell. I only published three new posts in the last week, all on The New Leaf Journal, but they were long posts. Below, I share links to my new writing, links from around the web, and other news and notes as we begin February.
Leaves from the week that was
I published three articles since mailing Newsletter 217 on January 25.
First, I wrote and published January 2025 Look at Pixelfed Social. I was inspired to finally write a second Pixelfed review after seeing my 2020 first look at Pixelfed article lead our weekly ranking two months in a row. Pixelfed has not changed so much in the intervening four years that I needed to re-invent the wheel, so I focused on discussing some new Pixelfed features, walking readers through what it is like to use Pixelfed (based on my experience with its flagship instance), I also offered my updated thoughts on Pixelfed's place in the alternative social media ecosystem, building off other articles I have written on the subject.
I ended the week with a pair of articles I have been promising for some time. First, in The Best TV Anime of 2024, I listed in reverse order my choices for the best six shows of the year and then went into notes on 15 additional shows I watched that did not make my final ranking. Regular newsletter readers will note that A Sign of Affection, which has been present in many newsletters due to reader interest in several articles I wrote about the show, is present in the top six, as are a couple of other shows I have written about. However, there are many shows discussed that I have not previously mentioned in The New Leaf Journal, so I have not foreshadowed everything. In 2024 TV Anime Category Awards, I made picks for the best anime in specific areas such as writing, aesthetics, and best characters. In previous years, I included the most important awards in my main review articles, but I decided to split things up in 2024. I will note that as of the mailing of this newsletter, all of the anime I discuss are available for streaming on Crunchyroll and/or HiDive (I believe both of these can be accessed from Amazon as well, but I subscribe to them directly), so if you find one you are interested in trying, they are all officially available at this time.
Leaves from around the web
If you need more to read after learning about Pixelfed and the best anime of 2024, I have you covered with 21 links from around the web.
Respecting punny headlines
New York Rescuers Break the Ice to Save Moose From a Frozen Lake (archived)
Adeel Hassan for The New York Times. January 18, 2025.
I get that the moose may be shy but I'd prioritize getting out of the lake before coming up with conversation starters.
A Fish Farm Offered 40,000 Pounds of Salmon for Free. There Was a Catch. (Archived)
Sarah Maslin Nir for The New York Times. January 30, 2025.
I see what they just did there.
Promoting personal websites
The Blogosphere Lives
Mike Grindle. August 29, 2024.
This reminded me of my small contribution to ensuring that visual novel fans can experience the soul crushing fun of Midsummer Haze.
The OG Social Network: Other People’s Websites
Jim Nielsen. August 3, 2022.
This is a good take.
Advice for a friend who wants to start a blog
Heinrik Karlsson. January 29, 2025.
The most important part of starting a blog is telling everyone that you started a blog. "Nice to meet you, I have a blog btw."
Let's check in on northern Mexico
Mexico Allowed Los Zetas Cartel Gunmen to Escape After Opening Fire on U.S. Border Agents in Texas
Ilderfonso Ortiz and Brandon Darby for Breitbart Border. January 29, 2025.
I am not in the business of providing free counsel to the Mexican government, but if I were, I would suggest that it is probably in their best interest to convince their cartels to not fire across the U.S.-Mexico border.
U.S. Consulate in Mexico Sends Out Travel Warning over Cartel IEDs After Breitbart Report
Breitbart Border. January 30, 2025.
Starting to think Mexico has some uncomfortable similarities to Lebanon.
Links that were saved for my anime review article
Fox will stream Super Bowl for free on Tubi
Associated Press (via The Washington Times). January 16, 2025.
Don't forget you can also stream most of Sound! Euphonium on Tubi.
Who is DAN DA DAN Heartthrob Ken Takakura?
Joey Weiser for Anime News Network. November 22, 2024.
Anime introduces the world to Japanese action stars from the 1970s/80s.
Everybody recycle
No, You Can’t Recycle Bowling Balls — But People Keep Trying
Elanor Cummins for Curbed. June 29, 2021.
Maybe they should make a recycling three strike rule.
What Happens To Your Gifts After You Return Them?
Charlie Sorrel for IFIXIT. January 28, 2025.
With the bowling balls.
Be an advocate
I've been advocating for RSS support, and you should too
ReedyBear. January 17, 2025.
I agree. You need not ask me, however. The feed link for this newsletter is readily available.
Privacy Is Not Just About You
Josh for Mojeek Blog. October 31, 2024.
While the sentiment is admirable, the advice sounds like a great way to ensure that your friends and family stick with the big tech solutions.
Land wars in Europe
The Ukraine War Cannot End With A Russian Crimea
Kaush Arha, George Scutaru, and Justina Budgianaite-Froehly for The National Interest.
Proposed title for reply-piece: "Can is Ability: The Geopolitical Essay."
The secret of Putin's meat grinder
Anastasia Edel for UnHerd. January 28, 2025.
A good, informative, and well-sourced essay on how Russia fuels its war machine.
Tech is watching you
A Robot Vacuum That Picks Up Socks Stole Our Hearts (and Socks) at CES 2025
David Watsky and Jon Reed for CNET. January 9, 2025.
I'm down when they come up with a no telemetry version.
Windows telemetry
Size of Cat. January 13, 2025.
Let's check in on Windows checking in.
Searching for rocks
The Rarest Mineral Is So Rare It's Only Ever Been Found Once
Michelle Starr for Science Alert. November 29, 2024.
I suppose that's rare.
The Curious Gems of the River Thames
Ellery Weil for Atlas Obscura. January 7, 2025.
"[I]f you look in the right spot on a sunny day, you might see something special: the wink of tiny, dark red stones, shining like pomegranate seeds against the pebbles. If you see these, consider yourself lucky—you’ve found one of the river’s little-known treasures: a Thames garnet."
Miscellaneous interesting essays
Cute Force
Theodore Dalrymple for Taki's Magazine. January 31, 2025.
We need to do something about the midwit academic gobbledygook.
Our writer of Korean descent weighs in on using Korean names in Japan
Master Blaster for SoraNews24. January 14, 2025.
An interesting perspective offered by a Korean citizen and life-long resident of Japan.
Most-turned leaves of the newsletter week
I use a privacy-friendly and entirely local tool called Koko Analytics (see my 2022 review) to track page hits. In each issue of the newsletter, I list our five most-visited articles, according to Koko Analytics, for the one-week period beginning with Saturday and ending with Friday. Below, I present the five most-visited articles of 2025 Newsletter Week 5 (Jan 25-31) with 2025 and historic (going back to 2021) ranking information for each of the five articles.
(1.) Brave Pumpkin in a Hat
N.A. Ferrell. January 20, 2025.
First appearance and top placement.
(2.) An Early Review of Pixelfed – Instagram Alternative
N.A. Ferrell. November 13, 2020.
2025: 3 appearance and 2 top placements.
Historic: 38 appearances and 4 top placements.
(3.) An In-Depth Look at Norton Safe Search
N.A. Ferrell. October 18, 2022.
2025: 5 appearances.
Historic: 51 appearances and 18 top placements.
(4.) January 2025 Look at Pixelfed Social
N.A. Ferrell. January 29, 2025.
First appearance.
(5.) Examining Whether Defense Wins NBA Championships
N.A. Ferrell. July 9, 2024.
2025: 3 appearances.
Historic: 7 appearances and 1 top placement.
Analysis
We had a big surprise at number one with my very recent article centered on a photograph of a slowly wilting pumpkin in a hat snagging the top-spot in the ranking. We did once have a pumpkin article receive the most views in a week, but that was in 2020, before I started keeping weekly rankings (see Halloween and the Pumpkin with a Mask). What happened here? Thanks to a referrer header picked up by Koko Analytics, I determined that the post was shared by Caroline Crampton in the January 30, 2025 edition of her newsletter, You Don't Have To Be Their Audience. The newsletter contains other interesting links from around the web (much like this one). Ms. Crampton has helped us before -- she runs The Browser, a separate newsletter for discovering and sharing interesting links. In January 2024, The Browser shared my Cycling Doping Fallacies essay which set off a chain of events leading to it becoming our most-visited article of 2024. My pumpkin-hat article had done decently well before being shared for what it is, but I suspect that it will end up being a one off surprise for weekly ranking purposes.
My new Pixelfed review made the weekly ranking despite only being online since Wednesday, confirming my hunch that the readers are demanding new Pixelfed articles. I will note it did quickly cannibalize views from my 2020 Pixelfed review, which missed out on a third consecutive top-placement thanks to the hatted pumpkin surprise.
My Norton Safe Search review now stands as the only article to have made every 2025 weekly ranking. Kaori After Story – Visual Novel Review had been 4/4 but it narrowly missed a going 5/5 by one position (the pumpkin hat pushed it out). However, Kaori may take as consolation the fact that she led the January ranking and posted the best one-month performance since Cycling Doping Fallacies in January 2024, and in so doing she ended the Norton article's run of leading five consecutive monthly rankings. I will likely publish all of our January statistics before mailing our February 8 newsletter.
News leaf journal
I had planned to publish a review of the Girls Band Cry anime (which makes several appearances in my 2024 anime reviews) before publishing my reviews, but I determined that I did not have enough time to finish that project and the reviews, so I delayed Girls Band Cry. However, I will work on publishing the GBC review in February because I have what I think is an interesting anime plot comparison article which follows from a base review. I also have in the works a new article on the phrase tsuki ga kirei in anime. Which anime? It made a few cameo appearances in my 2024 reviews, but I will save the surprise for the article.
On the non-anime front, I am working on a new article inspired by the Wutsearch Search Engine Launchpad, which I reviewed originally in March 2021. Tech-inclined readers can look forward to my upcoming articles about the PineTime smartwatch, librebooting a MacBook that was the subject of a 2021 post, and (possible for February) an updated article on open source Android applications available on F-Droid (see my 2021 survey). I have an additional article planned inspired by a rather horrifying quote on feeding people content.
On the culture front, I have a follow-up article on Halloween in Japan (see the original) that I have designated as a target this month. Valentine's Day is coming up so you can expect a couple of articles in the spirit of the occasion.
Taking leaf
Thank you as always for reading and following The Newsletter Leaf Journal. If you are not already a regular reader, you can subscribe to our weekly Saturday email, add our newsletter's RSS feed to your favorite feed reader, or simply check in on our newsletter archive page when you are so inclined. See all of the options here.
January was our busiest month that did not involve one of our articles appearing on page one of Hacker News (December 2024 had been the previous record-holder). I am not sure that we can top that in February, but I look forward to publishing some new and interesting articles in many different subject areas and seeing what happens.
Until February 8,
Cura ut valeas -- Nicholas A. Ferrell.