It's basically 'book babes'. Booth babes went out of fashion a while back for good reason. This kind of thing is relatively harmless in the instance but in aggregate puts out a vibe.

I think in some parts of US culture not that familiar with Japanese culture there is the misconception that anime is all tentacle porn or something and so you should be embarrassed for liking anime.

While that stereotype still exists in some corners; I've actually found that there is more mainstream understanding and acceptance of anime these days. I work in an office that terminally online folks would call “full of normies”; but I have found people here are at least aware of anime, if not active consumers. These days, it's not “cringe” to enjoy anime itself, and I'm guessing that the majority of commenters in this particular thread are over-analyzing the presence of an anime girl on a website.

The author probably likes seeing an anime girl, and feels that displaying one on their page expresses an interest in anime, tech, and a casual tone for their writing.