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TODAY: Around 22% of job listings are fake & people want action, and admire a wicked 3D render of Winamp. Plus: The Parallel Parking Championship, a massive list of 2026 movie anniversaries (Top Gun, T2, LOTR!), and some fresh gear picks.

⚡ This 3D rendered model of the iconic Winamp desktop MP3 player is incredible and I want it to be real. Art by Rick Guide.

🚗 There's such a thing as a Parallel Parking Championship, hosted in Pittsburgh. I reckon I'm pretty good in this arena, but I don't think I'd be brave enough to prove my skills against others!

😠 Up to 22% of jobs advertised online last year were positions listed with no intent to hire, according to a study across the US, UK and Germany by recruitment software provider Greenhouse.

📆 Folks, we're getting close to 2026 (MMXXVI), so I'm going to note some anniversaries in the next few editions. First up, the films that meant the most to me! You can see IMDB's full list here.​

2026 anniversaries in cinema

40 years (1986)

Short Circuit, Top Gun, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Flight of the Navigator, Stand by Me, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

35 years (1991)

The Silence of the Lambs, Thelma & Louise, Drop Dead Fred, City Slickers, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Terminator 2, Point Break, My Girl, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Hook

30 years (1996)

From Dusk Till Dawn, Happy Gilmore, Fargo, Mission: Impossible, The Rock, ID4: Independence Day, Multiplicity, Space Jam, Star Trek: First Contact, Jerry Maguire, Mars Attacks!

25 years (2001)

Shrek, Artificial Intelligence: AI, Training Day, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Ocean's Eleven, LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring

20 years (2006)

The Devil Wears Prada, Idiocracy, Casino Royale, The Departed, Cars

✋ Oh, alright, let's also do one special anniversary in each edition: the centennial of Robert Goddard's launch of the first liquid rocket will occur on March 16, 2026.

🖼️ Meg Rose Ruiz, one of my fave illustrators online, is worth a follow. She mostly does fan art of well-known franchises, but in her own quirkly style. It's cheerful stuff!

Fresh gear

It's too late for Christmas gift arrivals, but if you're just shopping for yourself, these items are some faves of mine.

• ​Aulumu M07 cable (A$52) – 240W charging, 10Gbps data, 4K60 video. The holy trinity of cable specs!
• ​Matador BetaLock lockable carabiner (A$47)
• ​Official Bandai gashapon machine (A$180)
• ​'Table Tennis Photography' book (A$95) – this is so good.

Okay, we're done for today. How was it?

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