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N.A. Ferrell

@naferrell.com

71 followers 90 following 330 posts

Administrator and Editor of the perennially virid New Leaf Journal (https://thenewleafjournal.com) and The Emu Café Social (https://social.emucafe.org/naferrell). By day I am a legal research specialist in the area of U.S. immigration law.

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N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 14

Thanks to @ap.brid.gy and the ActivityPub plugin for WordPress, you can follow my two website projects using your Bluesky account.

bsky.app/profile/then...

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N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · 21h

I published notes from my discussion with my long-time friend and Brooklyn-based musician Victor V. Gurbo on his new album, Outrun the Invisible Man. You can learn about Victor, who is influenced by American folk music, and listen to his album at the link.

#Music #FolkMusic #Album #Brooklyn

Victor V. Gurbo Interview On Outrun the Invisible Man

Brooklyn musician Victor V. Gurbo discusses his and Mark Caserta’s new album, Outrun the Invisible Man, with Nicholas Ferrell of The New Leaf Journal.

thenewleafjournal.com

Reposted by N.A. Ferrell

The New Leaf Journal @thenewleafjournal.com.web.brid.gy · 2d

Interview With Victor V. Gurbo On Outrun the Invisible Man

An interview of sorts with by good friend and New Leaf Journal colleague Victor V. Gurbo on his new album, Outrun the Invisible Man.

thenewleafjournal.com

N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 23

A short fictional dialogue on the modest virtues of being in awe of oneself.

The modest virtues of self-awe

A dialogue about a star baseball player relating to a younger player who was in awe of him. “I’m in awe of me too,” he said.

thenewleafjournal.com

Reposted by N.A. Ferrell

N.A. Ferrell @nafnlj.pixelfed.social.ap.brid.gy · Aug 22

Seen on Love Lane and College Place in Brooklyn Heights (NYC) on June 23, 2025, a free white desk.

Article:
https://thenewleafjournal.com/free-desk-on-love-lane-in-brooklyn-heights/

Tags:
#newyorkcity #nyc #Brooklyn #BrooklynHeights #desk #furniture […]

[Original post on pixelfed.social]

A small white computer desk neatly placed on a sidewalk with its side against a concrete ledge and its back against a black iron fence at the corner of Love Lane and College Place in Brooklyn Heights. Behind the fence we seen neatly collapsed cardboard boxes ready for recycling.

N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 22

In 2023, I came across a broken link in the Department of Justice's Immigration Court Practice Manual. While many other people would have done nothing (the page also had a working link to the same place), I did the "heroic" thing and reported the issue.

My heroic broken link report to U.S. DOJ

I don’t like to brag about being a hero, but sometimes it’s necessary to tell a story to inspire our millions of readers.

thenewleafjournal.com

N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 21

If you enjoyed Victor's guitar commentary, you can learn more about him and his music on his professional website.

www.victorvgurbo.com

Victor V. Gurbo | Singer-Songwriter

The Official Website of Singer-Songwriter Victor V. Gurbo.

www.victorvgurbo.com

N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 21

Back in 2021, my good friend and colleague, Victor V. Gurbo, who happens to be a professional musician and luthier, offered his take on why vintage guitars sound better.

On Why Vintage Guitars Sound Better

Guitarist and luthier Victor V. Gurbo offers his opinion on why vintage guitars sound better than new guitars.

thenewleafjournal.com

N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 20

While I am not sure about live action 5 Centimeters Per Second (open to giving it a go), I'm a big fan of the animated version. Back in 2022, I wrote about my favorite scene in the movie: Takaki's idyllic memory montage in Act I.

thenewleafjournal.com/b/32W

N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 20

I was watching Puella Magi Madoka Magica with a friend way back in 2012. I was in college at the time. A philosophy major, no less. My friend's inability to recognize a key character with different hair raised in me some philosophical questions.

Anime Hairstyles on the Ship of Theseus

Does a 2D girl in anime wear a hairstyle, or is she a hairstyle? I examine the Ship of Theseus as applied to anime, with an anecdote.

thenewleafjournal.com

N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 19

A short piece in the September 19, 1829 edition of The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction reminded me of an account of the death of Caesar Augustus.

The Comedy of Life and Augustus’s Death

Examining an 1829 London magazine piece, “The Comedy of Life,” and the last words of the first Roman Emperor, Augustus.

thenewleafjournal.com

Reposted by N.A. Ferrell

N.A. Ferrell @nafnlj.pixelfed.social.ap.brid.gy · Aug 19

Seen in Red Hook, Brooklyn (NYC), on April 29, 2025: A solitary yellow and red tulip.

Article:
https://thenewleafjournal.com/a-solitary-tulip-in-red-hook/

Tags:
#nyc #newyorkcity #Brooklyn #redhook #flower #tulip #weeds #rocks #tree #googlepixel […]

[Original post on pixelfed.social]

A solitary yellow garden tulip with red accents growing from a dry patch of soil in front of a wooden post, surrounded by small patches of grass.

N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 18

I published an article on March 21, 2022, praising Nintendo for being "cartridge-first" with respect to the Switch. Fortunately, I never predicted that the cause for praise would persist indefinitely.

Physical Game Cartridges are Pro-User

I write in praise and defense of Nintendo’s focus on marketing physical game cartridges for the Switch while its rivals focus on digital-first strategies.

thenewleafjournal.com

Reposted by N.A. Ferrell

The New Leaf Journal @thenewleafjournal.com.web.brid.gy · Aug 17

Missing the “Liquid Death” Marketing Campaign

Hours after learning what Liquid Death was, I read an article explaining that the band has been popular on social media for some time. I investigate how I avoided learning about it.

thenewleafjournal.com

N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 16

Back on August 8, 2018, I saw what appeared to me to be an albino sparrow in Brooklyn Heights. Unfortunately, it flew away before I could document it with my former BlackBerry Classic.

thenewleafjournal.com/b/W5

An Albino Sparrow Sighting in Brooklyn

The story of a possible summer albino sparrow sighting in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of New York City.

thenewleafjournal.com

N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 16

NLJ was originally on a shared Bluehost server with cPanel. Back in 2022, I moved the site to a Hetzer VPS and manage the server with Cloudron. I consider this a good upgrade, but mileage may vary (note Cloudron free, which I use, has a 2-app limitation).

thenewleafjournal.com/b/2gZ

N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 16

One man's trash is another man's treasure, or so the saying goes. While that is often not the case, I turned some trash in Red Hook, Brooklyn, into a photo post which did surprisingly well thanks to the NewsBreak App.

Garbage and Free Stuff in Red Hook, Brooklyn

On two separate walks past Hicks and Nelson Streets in Red Hook, Brooklyn, I encountered refuse coffee cup art and two free chairs left out for the taking.

thenewleafjournal.com

N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 15

Featured photo from my article on a humorously mis-placed "Liquid Death" sticker under glass bottles of Coke.

thenewleafjournal.com/coca-cola-li...

N.A. Ferrell @nafnlj.pixelfed.social.ap.brid.gy · Aug 15

I was looking to buy a drink in a small produce store in Boerum Hill (Brooklyn NYC neighborhood) August 14, 2025. While looking at the options, I was surprised when I saw a "LIQUID DEATH" sticker under glass bottles of Coca Cola. I noticed that there was a […]

[Original post on pixelfed.social]

Photograph of drink refrigerator at Mr. Beet in Brooklyn. On the right are three varieties of Liquid Death. On the left are individual glass bottles of Coca Cola next to six pack glass bottles of Coca Cola and Diet Coke. There is a price sticker under the drinks which says LIQUID DEATH $2.49TAX. Curiously, the Liquid Death price sticker is under the Coca Cola instead of the Liquid Detah.

N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 15

I continue to watch the Rent-A-Girlfriend anime into its 4th season for some unknown reason. My time was not totally wasted, however. Episode 42 revealed hair color information about the hapless protagonist, Kazuya Kinoshita, which I turned into an article.

Kazuya’s Hair Color in Rent-A-Girlfriend

A flashback scene in the fourth season of the Rent-A-Girlfriend anime revealed that the brown-haired protagonist Kazuya’s hair is naturally black.

thenewleafjournal.com

N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 14

Thanks to @ap.brid.gy and the ActivityPub plugin for WordPress, you can follow my two website projects using your Bluesky account.

bsky.app/profile/then...

bsky.app/profile/nafe...

Reposted by N.A. Ferrell

The New Leaf Journal @thenewleafjournal.com.web.brid.gy · Aug 14

Coca Cola Liquid Death Tag

I saw glass bottles of Coca Cola next to Liquid Death at a small produce store. Curiously, the Liquid Death price sticker was under the Coke.

thenewleafjournal.com

N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 14

The featured image from my article on a laundromat in Ridgewood, Queens. I took this photo back in May 2024 (only my second, and to date, last, trip to or through Ridgewood).

thenewleafjournal.com/b/7y8

N.A. Ferrell @nafnlj.pixelfed.social.ap.brid.gy · Aug 14

Pictured is the window of a non-descript laundromat in Ridgewood, Queens. I photographed this on what was the back-end of a 22.6 mile walk from Brooklyn to the Queens neighborhood of Forest Hills.

Article […]

[Original post on pixelfed.social]

Photograph of the window of a laundromat in Ridgewood, Queens. The inside of the window is covered by brown paper and cardboard. On the itisde, there are two washing machine figures tapped on. The left figure appears to be make and is waving with an awkward smile. The female figure is holding his hand and smiling while waving more naturally.

N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 14

I recently ran into two sites I wanted to subscribe to via RSS which had main feed problems. The first had each part of multi-part reports in the main feed. The second had an empty main feed. But there was a solution for both: Taxonomic feed links (both are WP sites).

Finding the Best RSS/ATOM Feed

Some websites offer cluttered or empty main RSS/ATOM feeds. However, in some cases, taxonomic feeds (e.g., category, author) may provide a better experience.

thenewleafjournal.com

N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 13

NYC Councilman Lincoln Restler announced the planting of 200 new trees in Greenpoint and Williamsburg. He urged residents to water the trees. I like trees. I support trees. Because I am a fan of trees, I express my concern that Mr. Restler did not address a bad kind of tree "watering."

Nicholas A. Ferrell @naferrell.social.emucafe.org.ap.brid.gy · Aug 13

https://social.emucafe.org/naferrell/protecting-new-trees-in-greenpoint-brooklyn/

Mary Frost of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that “t]he NYC Department of Parks planted 200 new trees in Greenpoint and Williamsburg over the past two weeks, with over a […]

[Original post on social.emucafe.org]

Modified photo of flowers on a coffee plant.

Reposted by N.A. Ferrell

Nicholas A. Ferrell @naferrell.social.emucafe.org.ap.brid.gy · Aug 12

https://social.emucafe.org/naferrell/reddit-vs-ia-vs-ai-07-11-25/

From _Reddit blocks Internet Archive to end sneaky AI scraping_ by Ashley Belanger on Ars Technica:

> Reddit is now blocking the Internet Archive (IA) from indexing popular Reddit threads […]

[Original post on social.emucafe.org]

Modified photo of flowers on a coffee plant.

N.A. Ferrell @naferrell.com · Aug 13

One year and one day to the day, I published an article examining animation aesthetics and hair color in the world of the Gimai Seikatsu anime adaptation. There is a link in the article to my subsequent, decidedly mixed, season review.

Aesthetics and Hair Color in Gimai Seikatsu

I first use Days with My Stepsister as an example of how strong aesthetic direction can carry an otherwise mediocre anime. I then look at the show’s take on hair color.

thenewleafjournal.com