Category: Uncategorized

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Quoted Trackback Spam on Iroha Isshiki Hair Color Study · The New Leaf Journal by Nicholas A. Ferrell (thenewleafjournal.com)
As you can see, a spam website linked to my February 12, 2021 article Iroha Isshiki’s Hair is Brown, as Expected?, and my site received the trackback on September 28, 2026. How do I know this is a spam website and not a legitimate website sharing my anime/light novel 2D girl hair color research? Well, the fact that the link text was “free russian porn” ... Failing to capitalize a country name was the obvious tell. There may be other tells, but I think capitalization is the big one.

I receive remarkable amounts of comment spam on The New Leaf Journal’s Guestbook page, but I seldom receive pingback/trackback spam. For that reason, I took note when my first 2D Japanese girl hair color study from back in 2021 received not one, but two spam trackback links. While I could have simply sent them to spam and thought nothing more of it, I decided to examine whether the trackback spam, which had an unsavory character, was trying to tell me something about my research.

See: Trackback Spam on Iroha Isshiki Hair Color Study.

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I documented my then-new Gingerbread Man Soap Dispenser on The New Leaf Journal last December. I then documented my second refill of Mr. Gingerbread Man back in July. Today, it was time for re-fill three. I had some peppermint castile soap for the job, but I wanted to dilute it. In order to know how much water to add, I needed to know the volume of the soap dispenser. Fortunately, I had a good source: Me. While I did not specifically note the volume in either of my two NLJ articles, I included a photograph of the original tag in the first which noted the volume as being 10.48 oz. I was also reminded of the fact that the tag had a peppermint candy depiction for some unknown reason (the original soap smelled like gingerbread, matching the gingerbreadk man), so I do not have to feel bad about filling it with peppermint-scented soap.

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Quoted Defending Thermopylae 〜 Newsletter Leaf Journal CCC by N.A. Ferrell (The Newsletter Leaf Journal)
The 300th edition of The Newsletter Leaf Journal comes to you with links to numerous new NLJ and ECS articles, 15 links with quotes and commentary from around the web, and other news and notes in a milestone mailing.

I mailed the 300th edition of The Newsletter Leaf Journal earlier this afternoon. I launched the newsletter back in July 2020 as a companion to The New Leaf Journal. While it still serves the purpose of recapping the week that was at The New Leaf Journal and now The Emu Café Social, it has evolved into a publication unto itself. Each issue comes with links from around the web with quotes and commentary (15 per my current practice), a list of the most-visited articles of the week on NLJ, and other news and notes. While I did not do anything special for issue 300 of the Newsletter, I started it early (meaning last night in this case) to make sure it would be a good issue and could go out in the afternoon. If you enjoy the Newsletter, do note that no email sign-up is required. It has an RSS feed and every issue is available in the newsletter archive. See my Newsletter Leaf Journal Sign-Up page for more information.

On to 400?

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On October 1, 2026, I (being N.A. Ferrell) published a new article on The New Leaf Journal titled 86 Days Until Christmas: Seen in Carroll Gardens. On September 29, I had come across an inflatable Christmas countdown clock on the Carroll Gardens side of Degraw Street (Degraw is the border between Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens). The clock correctly indicated that there were 86 days until Christmas. As I photographed it, I recalled that I had published an “early” Christmas countdown clock article in the past. Only when I got home and checked did I realize that (A) I had published the article I was thinking of in 2025 and (B) I took the photos for the 2025 article exactly one year prior (September 29, 2025) and almost certainly at the same residence. Fortunately, the 2026 clock is different than the 2025 clock, so I had material for a new story. Photos are of course included in the articles.

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Quoted Exclusive: A Day in the Life of Luxury With Carl Gambino by Kristine Hansen (realtor.com)
"It is unusual to find a 25-foot-wide Brooklyn Heights townhouse that preserves its 1848 Greek Revival character while offering a fully rebuilt interior," says Gambino.

I came across an article about a “fully restored 1840s Brooklyn Heights townhouse” available for the low price of $12.75 million. It looks nice. But the artcile does leave out some potentially important notes about its location. It is in Brooklyn Heights, unlike Old Fulton Street. But there is a caveat here. Beginning at Hicks Street, Joralemon Street in Brooklyn Heights goes sharply downhill, descending to Furman Street and Brooklyn Bridge Park, both of which are about level with the East River. There are two one-block side-streets coming off that sharp-downhill section of Joralemon, connecting it with State Street. Those two side-streets are Willow Place and Columbia Place. This residence is on Willow Place. Thus, I will submit that it is on a side street in the middle of a steep hill between the main, “high” part of Brooklyn Heights, and Brooklyn Bridge Park. I do like both Willow Place and Columbia Place (although I would be wary of living on or right off of Joralemon in the current Brooklyn Bridge Park era), but this would certainly be something to evaluate before throwing down $12.75 million for the Brooklyn Heights experience.

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Let us start October off on the right foot with an exciting new edition of the Pook-Emu Bee Links.

Oh no, whatever will I do?

1 | Reddit is killing RSS feeds and ending public API access because of AI bots (Sarah Perez for TechCrunch. Sep. 30, 2026.)
One may think that your favorite (I hope) feed proponent would be outraged about Reddit discontinuing its RSS feeds. To paraphrase the Reddit community: “Well ackshully….” Why in the world would I want to contaminate my feed collection with Reddit?

2 | Citi Bike user reveals outrageous ‘hidden tax’ slapped onto every e-bike (Aurielle Weiss for the New York Post. Sep. 26, 2026.)
These lunatics are complaining about the speed limit. The fees can’t be high enough.

Kitty

3 | Bronx Zoo welcomes adorable snow leopard cub threatened by extinction (Natalie O’Neill for the New York Post. Sep. 30, 2026.)
I too welcome the new snow leopard.

4 | Workers free kittens from shredder that could have ‘obliterated’ them in purr-fect rescue mission (Steven Vago for the New York Post. Sep. 28, 2026.)
A very timely kitten rescue.

Starcents

5 | Starbucks to close 250 stores: ‘Difficult decision’ (Anders Hagstrom for Fox Business. Sep. 24, 2026.)
I have never been a big burnt coffee fan, but there was once a time when Starbucks was clearing the bar many people

6 | Starbucks Japan releases new Pikachu Honey Cream Latte into the wild for new Pokémon collaboration (Oona McGee for SoraNews24. Sep. 29, 2026.)
I wouldn’t drink it because it looks like a year’s worth of sugar. But Starbucks did a surprisingly decent job of converting the Pikachu aesthetic into a drink.

Self-Hosting

7 | Radiology practices that own their imaging equipment less likely to face closure (Marty Stempniak for Radiology Business. Sep. 30, 2026.)
That checks out.

8 | Self Hosting Passwords (Chuck Carroll. May 20, 2026.)
He uses KeePassXC and Syncthing. He is a smart man. I hubly say that because I too use KeePassXC and Syncthing. With that being said, I would not necessarily recommend our combo to “normies.”

Photograph

9 | Sheep Tree (Jan Ulicki on Lens Culture. May 20, 2025.)
Great photo, baaaa.

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I have been watching all of the top division bouts at the 2026 Aki Basho (September Grand Sumo Tournament). One of the highlight bouts on day 4 featured Yokozuna Onosato vs Takayasu. Takayasu delivered a brutal hit at the Tachiai, forcing the Yokozuna back. Onosato backpedaled, and circling away, tried to guide Takayasu out of the ring. He very nearly succeeded, but Takayasu gracefully twirled one leg, staying in. Unfortunately for Yokozuna Onosato, he ended up twirling as well, but without the same success as the light-footed Takayasu. YouTube user Wegwezen decided to set the slow-motion highlights to music, and I must say that I fully approve of his music selection. Consider this video a “must watch.”

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Before July’s Nagoya Basho (July grand sumo tournament), I predicted which wrestlers I thought would reach 10 wins. Now, one tournament wiser, I will predict the entire field for the September 2026 Aki Basho (running from September 13-27, 2026). To see predictions from more learned sumo observers, see Tim Edwards’ predictions at Sumo Stomp and the Fantasy Basho predictions. Note that I am assuming for purposes of my predictions that all wrestlers who are slated to compete on day one will compete all 15 days.

  • 12-3: O1e Kirishima
  • 11-4: Y1e Onosato
  • 10-5: O2e Aonishki, M6w Ichiyamamoto, M8e Takerufuji, M8w Hiradoumi, M16e Toshinofuji
  • 9-6: S1e Atamifuji, M10e Oho, M11w Shodai, M12w Asahakuryu, M15e Asasuiryu
  • 8-7: O1w Kotozakura, K1e Hakunofuji, M1w Kotoeiho, M2e Takayasu, M2w Yoshinofuji, M4w Fujiryoga, M13e Asakoryu
  • 7-8: K1w Daieisho, M1e Kotoshoho, M4e Takanosho, M7e Fujiseiun, M13w Abi
  • 6-9: S1w Fujinokawa, M3e Gonoyama, M6e Asanoyama, M9e Ura, M9w Shishi, M10w Kinbozan, M11e Wakamotoharu, M14e Tobizaru, M15w Tokihayate
  • 5-10: M3w Churanoumi, M5e Roga, M5w Oshoma, M7w Nishikifuji, M14w Chiyoshoma, M17e Shonannoumi

I made my picks conservatively, generally avoiding picking extreme records for this tournament. To be sure, I am sure there will be some 3-12/4-13 records on the low-end and I would not be surprised to see one of the wrestlers in my 10+ win group run up a 13-2 record (most likely Kirishima, Onosato, or Aonishki, health permitting on the latter two). Based on other picks I have seen, I will mark M6w Ichiyamamoto and M8w Hiradoumi as my “surprise” picks for this basho.

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Liked 9 Games to Know Me (Strange Voyages)
Part of the User Manual Series where I give some brief overviews of the media, experiences, thoughts that help make me...me. Released hourly on my 32nd birthday.

I read a post on the Strange Voyages blog titled 9 Games to Know Me (HT Bubbles Weekly). It caught my interest because the concept struck me as similar (albeit not identical) to my September 2023 article titled Ranking My Big Impression Video Games (see simple list version), wherein I ranked the 12 video games that left the biggest impression on me. The author at Strange Voyages states that he put the list together for his 32nd birthday, which would have him being born in August 1994. Thus, the author a bit younger than me, given that was about when I received my first video game console (model 2 Sega Genesis) and game (Sonic 2) (see my recent discussion). Because early games often have ways of leaving big impressions, a difference in when one first encounters games will likely affect these sorts of lists. With that being said, my big impression list and the Strange Voyages 9 games list both include Persona 4 Golden (I included it in one selection with the original Persona 4). The Strange Voyages list also has later entries in two series I included in mine. Strange Voyages has Pokémon HeartGold while my list had the original Pokémon Gold (to be sure, Heart Gold is a better game than the original Gold/Silver) along with Pokémon Red (which I ranked number one) and Pokémon Ruby. Strange Voyages has Animal Crossing: New Horizons while I had the original Animal Crossing for GameCube.

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Favorited To the Moon creator explains why he still makes games with RPG Maker. The “just right” simplicity that lets you focus on the creative sides of development. by AUTOMATON WESTAUTOMATON WEST (automaton-media.com)
Interview with To the Moon developer Kan Gao about making games in RPG Maker.

Kan Gao is the creator of the successful indie To the Moon series. I am not personally a fan of To the Moon. I tried the first entry and it just was not working for me, so I never finished. But despite not being a fan of the series, I read with some interest a recent Automation West interview with Mr. Gao. Automation West asked Mr. Gao why he chose to make To the Moon in RPG Maker instead of a different tool or engine. Mr. Gao replied:

It was the tool with the least friction capable of making what I needed to make. I think an important rule for me is to choose not the most elaborate, fancy or feature-heavy tool, but rather the simplest one that’s capable of doing what I need for the project. Friction is the enemy of making multi-media projects, and I tend to become my own obstacle when choosing a needlessly complex tool for the job.

Kan Gao

Well put. Now that I am a totally professional visual novel developer, I continue to think about which tools to use for new projects. I made my most recent visual novel in ONScripter-EN, which I suppose has its roots in the same era as Mr. Gao’s tool of choice, RPG Maker XP. None of this is to say that old engines (or old school engines) are necessarily better than the new. but tools are a means to an end. The best tool is the one that efficiently helps one reach the end goal of, as Mr. Gao puts it, making “interactive experiences that someone might remember one day.”

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Bookmarked Extract and Review Web Page Links Using a Bookmarklet by Adam Douglas (Adam Douglas)
To help combat these obstacles I set out to figure out a solution to extract and then review all web page links using a bookmarklet. I’ve found the bookmarklet I created “List Page Links” to be quite useful and figured I should share it with you dear reader. Come along to discover what are bookmarklets, the advantages of this simple bookmarklet, how to install and run it.

I saw a post in my feed collection by Adam Douglas titled Extract and Review Web Page Links Using a Bookmarklet. As the title suggests, he created a bookmarklet which “will create a new local web page with a page heading of ‘List of Links Found’, source web page address, total count of links found, and an unordered list of each link found on the source web page.” I have confirmed that it works as promised. Very neat. You can find the bookmarket and full explanation in his link.

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I came across a New York Post opinion column by Lydia Moynihan titled The Gwyneth Paltrow AI controversy only hurts women. This may be rich coming from someone who, in the last month, has published reports on a free air conditioner and free printer left out for the taking in Brooklyn, New York City, but really? When I see that headline, I think “I have a deadline and no ideas, let me scour social media for something to write about.” Far be it from me to tell other internet writers how to live their internet writing lives, but please do not do this.

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Reposted “Like Them, but Better.” It’s Not. by iamgregb (@iamgregb)
A social media strategy focused entirely on the competition is in bad taste. There is nothing wrong with highlighting your strengths in comparison to theirs, but it becomes exhausting when that is your entire message (I'm looking at you, Proton).
I want to choose your product because of its unique proposition, not because “it’s like … but better.”

I came across a short post on @iamgregb (I assume by Greg B) titled “Like Them, but Better.” It’s Not. In the post, he makes the case against “[a] social media strategy focused entirely on the competition,” explaining that “I want to choose your product because it’s a unique proposition” rather than because it is not a different project. As the author of The Positive Case for Good Tech, I could not agree more, and state that “I am Greg B” in the “I am Spartacus” sense. I will add an additional reason to advise against defining ones product in terms of what it is not rather than what it is Because iamgregb uses Proton as an example, I will follow suit and in so doing assume arguendo that his description of Proton’s negative advertising is accurate. I do not need to be persuaded that Google handling my personal email is undesirable, and I assume that the same is true for most people considering Proton. Thus, given that I am already the “target audience,” I would want to know what makes Proton’s email offering good in and of itself rather than in comparison to something I am not interested in using. Thus, that sort of negative marketing does not move me at all. A positive case can reach people who feel “stuck” on Google or one big tech solution or another as well as people who are already using different options.

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Quoted Shoppers are still spending on expensive dairy products amid inflation by Matty Merritt (Morning Brew)
With grocery item costs up everywhere, even $10 butter feels like a reasonable little treat.

Writing for Morning Brew, Matty Merritt covered “luxury butter.” According to the author: “With grocery item costs up everywhere, even $10 butter feels like a reasonable little treat.” I live in an expensive area of Brooklyn, New York City (even by the general standards of Brooklyn) and I would have to put effort into spending $10 on butter. Let it be said that $10 butter does not strike me as a “reasonable little treat.” Similarly, he writes about $15 pints of ice cream (I just bout a 46 oz tub of Turkey Hill Simply Natural ice cream at a local grocery store for $5) and $30 frozen yogurt (spending $30 on frozen yogurt is the result of frightening levels of Instagram and TikTok usage). It is one thing to write about some people spending like drunken sailors who spend too much time on social media, but another to segue into a suggestion that it is a default state of affairs.

A carton of Turkey Hill Simply Natural ice cream, caramel flavor.
$5 sale. Nice. I like the Simply Natural line from Turkey Hill.

(In contrast, I will note that egg prices were legitimately loony in late 2024-early 2025 after the Feds killed all the chickens, albeit even then I was able to find somewhat reasonable prices at one of my favorite fruit and vegetable marts.)

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Replied to Monospace by Ben Tsai (Ben Tsai)
But I’m spending less time in the terminal and IDE these days. I still appreciate the feel of a monospaced font, but I want something that is optimized for prose.

Unlike Ben Tsai, I have never been an engineer. But like Ben Tsai, I “appreciate the feel of a monospaced font, [and] want something that is optimized for prose.” In my case, I write drafts (and law stuff for my day job) in KDE’s Ghostwriter and prefer monospace fonts while writing in markdown. Many of the monospace options out there are more for terminals and code than prose. I have used and like the iA Writer fonts, which he references in his post. I also agree that I am not looking for a “typewriter feel” with reference to Courier Prime. At the moment I am using Nikita Prokopov’s Writer, which is based on IBM Plex Mono. I stumbled upon it while looking for a font to use in my recently published ONScripter-EN visual novel, Under the Alien Sky. It is a nice font, but I will continue searching.