It’s time for my 2024 year in review for Diverse Tech Geek—a look back at noteworthy blog posts (and any other blog-related events) over the past year.
Blog post info below is pulled from Matomo analytics as of December 27. I’m just looking at posts I wrote this year, versus some post I wrote back in 2019 still outranking some of what I wrote this year.
The top 5 Diverse Media Notes posts for 2024
- 10 major cartoon characters entering the public domain between 2024 and 2034 (January)
- Stop Project 2025 Comic: An explanation of Project 2025 in comic form (October)
- Cartoons that should’ve entered the public domain in 2024 (but didn’t) (January)
- “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” switches from CBS to NBC (November)
- A look at non-white versions of classic cartoon characters (August)
Normally, the most popular media post of the year (and for the blog overall) is my annual “cartoons that should’ve entered public domain” post. However, this year the 2024 post for such only came in at #3. The most popular media post is something that isn’t a “what should’ve been”; instead it’s about what cartoons will actually enter public domain over the next 10 years (or nine, given as of this writing it’s almost 2025). The public domain is finally active again, and that’s a good thing.
At #2 is something unfortunately timely, a post about a series of comic strips explaining Project 2025, a massive wish list of regressive policies backed by a conservative think tank. Despite saying otherwise, Trump and his incoming cabinet have plenty of ties to Project 2025.
In the #4 spot is a seasonal entry, the news that the long-running “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” Christmas special is switching from CBS to NBC. As it’s not available for streaming, over-the-air and home video availability still matter; fortunately, “Rudolph” is available on DVD and Blu-ray.
At #5 is another timely-due-to-politics post, a look at non-white versions of classic cartoon characters. Elon Musk (a man raised under apartheid-era South Africa) is apparently irritated that cartoon characters created during Jim Crow (or not long after) aren’t all white in some modern incarnations.
The top 5 Diverse Tech Geek posts for 2024
- Tech review: Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ (April)
- Where can you buy DVDs and Blu-rays? (April)
- Media server review: Jellyfin (January)
- How to filter AI images from Google search results (April)
- Recommended streaming services for cartoons (2024 edition) (August)
The #1 tech post, as well as the most popular post this year by a country mile, is about the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+ tablet I bought last spring. Since then, it’s been working out OK—I can browse the web, read ebooks and digital comics, and watch videos. Which is all I need my tablet to do, without costing what a new iPad with similar storage capacity would’ve run.
At #2 and #3 are posts related to my shift back to buying physical media to use to set up a media server. Since last spring, the number of places selling DVDs have declined even further, with Big Lots filing for bankruptcy earlier this month. Still, I’ve finally finished rebuying most of my old DVD/Blu-ray collection, though I still buy the occasional DVDs. Meanwhile, Jellyfin is working out well as a media server—it doesn’t cost me anything (unlike Plex’s advanced features), I get the benefits of a personal “Netflix,” and I even put my music collection to Jellyfin (used with the Symfonic app on Android).
At #5 is my annual recommended streaming services for cartoons post. Given the state of streaming (purged content, price hikes, etc.), my general advice of going with the classic “Big Three” catch-alls (Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video) plus Disney+ might not seem like a bad idea. Those several services offer a broad range of material, from kids shows to adult sitcoms to anime.
2024 site highlights
A few major changes to the site this year include:
- Dropping Google Ads. It wasn’t bringing in much money; I was lucky to meet the minimum payout once a year, and Google Ads started to take longer than that. Also throw in some of the displayed ads (for me anyway) looked tacky or questionable. Thus, I figured there wasn’t any reason to keep ads on the site. I also have Ko-fi for anyone who wishes to donate to the blog financially.
- In August, I moved the site’s host from its longtime home of Digital Ocean to GreenGeeks. A VPS (virtual private server) for what’s a basic blog felt like overkill, and involved more work than it was worth. Some time after the move, I later learned of some negative goings-on involving their former CEO; if I’d known about that before, the web host switch would’ve happened sooner.
Again, thanks to all of you for following my blog over the past year. See you for more media and tech thoughts in 2025!
