Anecdotes · Standard Reader

The New Leaf JournalAug 25, 2026

Union Street and Questioning Article Assertions

AnecdotesBrooklyn Botanic Garden

The Emu Café SocialAug 24, 2026

Burger King Surpasses Wendy’s

Fox Business reported on August 9, 2026, that Burger King surpassed Wendy's as the (distant) second largest burger chain in the United States after McDonald's. According to the report, Wendy's had passed Burger King in 2020 and held the runner-up spot for six years, but their fortunes have reversed: Burger King reclaimed the No. 2...

anecdotesburger king

The Emu Café Social - A tranquil cafe with coffee and teaAug 24, 2026

Burger King Surpasses Wendy’s

Fox Business reported on August 9, 2026, that Burger King surpassed Wendy's as the (distant) second largest burger chain in the United States after McDonald's. According to the report, Wendy's had passed Burger King in 2020 and held the runner-up spot for six years, but their fortunes have reversed: Burger King reclaimed the No. 2 position as its U.S. turnaround gains momentum, with domestic same-store sales jumping 8.5% in the second quarter. Wendy’s, meanwhile, reported a 7% decline in […]

anecdotesburgerKing

The New Leaf JournalAug 20, 2026

Nintendo 64 at 30 and My N64 Memories

AnecdotesNLJ Video Game Stories

The Emu Café SocialAug 9, 2026

Used Game Stores in an All Digital World

Much digital ink has been spilled on the slow decline of physical video games (including by yours truly). In a reply post by Jake at An Almost Anonymous Blog titled The importance of owning physical (and digital) media when possible, he noted that the demise of physical games will result in the corresponding demise of...

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anecdotessega genesis

The Emu Café Social - A tranquil cafe with coffee and teaAug 9, 2026

Used Game Stores in an All Digital World

Much digital ink has been spilled on the slow decline of physical video games (including by yours truly). In a reply post by Jake at An Almost Anonymous Blog titled The importance of owning physical (and digital) media when possible, he noted that the demise of physical games will result in the corresponding demise of used game stores for new games. That astute and correct observation made me a bit nostalgic. As I have noted elsewhere, my only home console from 1994-1998 was a Sega Genesis. […]

anecdotessegaGenesis

The New Leaf JournalAug 7, 2026

Free “Just Heavy :)” Air Conditioner in Brooklyn

AnecdotesNLJ Original Photography

The New Leaf JournalJul 17, 2026

Broken Bench in Red Hook, Brooklyn

AnecdotesNLJ Original Photography

The Emu Café Social - A tranquil cafe with coffee and teaJul 15, 2026

Using AIM Until the Bitter End

Hackaday published an article authored by Tyler August titled AIM-ing For A More Open Platform Than Discord, wherein he summarized an article on running a self-hostable open-source implementation of AIM's underlying OSCAR protocol (see Here's how I host my own AIM server at Veronica Explains). I appreciate the project to bring back AIM because I used AIM for many years. My own use of AIM inspired me to reply to one minor part of Mr. August's report. He began the article by asserting that […]

aimanecdotes

The New Leaf JournalJul 14, 2026

Refilling Gingerbread Man Soap Dispenser

AnecdotesNLJ Original Photography

The Emu Café SocialJul 1, 2026

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 07-01-26

I have not published "daily" Pook-Emu Bee links since June 23. But today is the start of a new month. Let us turn over a new leaf in July with the Pook-Emu Bee. [caption id="attachment_6173" align="aligncenter" width="1008"] I took this photograph in Brooklyn Bridge Park on the morning of July 1, 2026. It is difficult...

aianecdotes

The Emu Café SocialJun 28, 2026

Cabbage Sorter’s Review of Shiki (Anime)

I follow the excellent Cabbage Sorter blog for fun articles about and reviews of anime, manga, and novels (not to mention entertaining posts on other subjects). Here, she reviewed the 2010 anime version of Shiki, which is an adaptation of a serialized horror novel of the same name. She notes that she first tried to...

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anecdotesanime

The Emu Café Social - A tranquil cafe with coffee and teaJun 28, 2026

Cabbage Sorter’s Review of Shiki (Anime)

I follow the excellent Cabbage Sorter blog for fun articles about and reviews of anime, manga, and novels (not to mention entertaining posts on other subjects). Here, she reviewed the 2010 anime version of Shiki, which is an adaptation of a serialized horror novel of the same name. She notes that she first tried to watch it in 2013 before dropping it and picking it up again in 2026. 2010 was the first year I recall watching anime simulcasts, but I missed Shiki at the time. I picked it up well […]

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anecdotesanime

The New Leaf JournalJun 20, 2026

Supporing the Pumpernickel Bagel

AnecdotesBagels

The Emu Café SocialMay 8, 2026

Learning About Preserving Strawberry Freshness

I came across a blog post by Chris Glass titled Strawberries were on sale. Having not long ago published an article about once purchasing out-of-season cherries on sale. I had to open. While Mr. Glass’ post came as advertised, I found a tip. After purchasing his for-sale strawberries, he soaked them in one part white...

anecdotesfruit

The Emu Café Social - A tranquil cafe with coffee and teaMay 8, 2026

Learning About Preserving Strawberry Freshness

I came across a blog post by Chris Glass titled Strawberries were on sale. Having not long ago published an article about once purchasing out-of-season cherries on sale. I had to open. While Mr. Glass’ post came as advertised, I found a tip. After purchasing his for-sale strawberries, he soaked them in one part white vinegar and three parts water for 10 minutes to “extend their freshness.” I have found that the appearance of strawberries deteriorates quickly, so I will have to study […]

anecdotesfruit

The Emu Café Social - A tranquil cafe with coffee and teaMay 8, 2026

Learning About Preserving Strawberry Freshness

Things I Learned in 2026 (NAF)anecdotes

The Emu Café SocialMay 1, 2026

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 05-01-26

We welcome May with a new edition of the daily Pook-Emu Bee links (after a spotty week). It looks nice outside my window... 1. Stripe introduces Link, a digital wallet that autonomous AI agents can use, too (Sarah Perez for TechCrunch. April 30, 2026.) While this is certainly exciting, I would suggest considering not allowing...

aianecdotes

The Emu Café Social - A tranquil cafe with coffee and teaMay 1, 2026

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 05-01-26

We welcome May with a new edition of the daily Pook-Emu Bee links (after a spotty week). It looks nice outside my window... 1. Stripe introduces Link, a digital wallet that autonomous AI agents can use, too (Sarah Perez for TechCrunch. April 30, 2026.) While this is certainly exciting, I would suggest considering not allowing "autonomous AI agents" to make purchases on your behalf. 2. Pirate RPG game is secretly looting your SSD lifespan — new Windrose patch promises smoother sailing and […]

aianecdotes

The Emu Café Social - A tranquil cafe with coffee and teaMay 1, 2026

Pook-Emu Bee: Links For 05-01-26

Pook-Emu Beeai

The New Leaf JournalApr 30, 2026

Weathered White Brooklyn Banana Bench

AnecdotesNLJ Original Photography

The Emu Café SocialApr 22, 2026

Remembering My Clamshell Landline Phone

Dan Lewis' April 21, 2026 "Now I Know" newsletter covered the subject of Garfield (the comic cat) phones washing up in France. It is a good (and well-sourced) story, but here I will focus on his opening sentence: "If you grew up in the 1980s, there's a decent chance you had a novelty telephone in...

anecdotesdial-up internet

The Emu Café Social - A tranquil cafe with coffee and teaApr 22, 2026

Remembering My Clamshell Landline Phone

Dan Lewis' April 21, 2026 "Now I Know" newsletter covered the subject of Garfield (the comic cat) phones washing up in France. It is a good (and well-sourced) story, but here I will focus on his opening sentence: "If you grew up in the 1980s, there's a decent chance you had a novelty telephone in your home — one shaped like a football, a hamburger, or perhaps a cartoon character." While I was technically born in the 80s, I grew up in the 90s. Nevertheless, I do remember at least one novelty […]

anecdotesdialUpInternet