Eight intriguing articles from October.

There's a touch of nostalgia in the air in this month's Super8.

Maybe it's the time of year, as we hurtle toward the New Year, wondering where the time went. From drooling over classic PC fonts to raising some eyebrows at the plot to Jurrassic Park come-to-life, the past seems to be nipping at our heels and reminding us not to forget it too quickly.

Before the whirlwind of annual deadlines, festive catchups and last-minute shopping sojourns has your head spinning, let our resident SEO specialist, Seb Griffiths, delight your imagination and give you some inspiration for the year to come.

1. ‘I applied to 2,843 roles’: The rise of AI-powered job application bots.

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• Read the full article here.
• Created by: Jason Koebler.
• Contributed by: Sebastian Griffiths.

Employment continues to attract a lot of attention when it comes to innovation in AI. For instance, open-source AI Hawk automates job applications by generating custom resumes and cover letters in seconds, helping users pour rocket fuel on their job seeking efforts. As AI increasingly infiltrates recruitment, there are concerns about the diminishing role of human interaction in hiring. Is this the future of work, or a dystopian shift where humans get lost in the loop? Both hirers and job seekers will get something out of this piece.

2. Michael Mosley: Just One Thing review – a wonderful tribute to the man who made us change for the better.

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• Read the full article here.
• Created by: Rebecca Nicholson.
• Contributed by: Doug Ross.

When renowned Dr. Michael Mosley passed earlier this year, he was working on a TV series that expands on his popular podcast series “Just One Thing”. While the series was cut down in length (and isn’t yet available in Australia), the library of podcast episodes are available for free via the BBC website. Dive into Mosley's simple but scientific recommendations and remember a man passionate about helping us all live healthier lives.

3. How I choose typefaces.

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• Read the full article here.
• Created by: Dan Mall.
• Contributed by: Stefan Imbesi.

Design expert Dan Mall shares practical strategies for elevating your design skills by making bold, distinctive type choices. Eschewing the safe, much-loved but much-used favourites, Mall emphasises the importance of selecting typefaces that truly reflect the message of the design. He recommends and shows how you can apply a personal approach—exploring multiple options, trusting your instincts, and looking for subtle details that make a brand stand out in a field crowded with generic choices.

4. Email deliverability: What you need to know.

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• Read the full article here.
• Created by: Constantine von Hoffman.
• Contributed by: Timocles Copland.

Are you in automation, marketing or building your own business? Here's a laundry list of things to get your head around about email deliverability. Did you know using terms like 'money', 'investment' and 'income' might get your email flagged as spam? Have you heard of 'warming up', 'IP address' or 'BIMI'? Learn a heap from this post. It's one you can bookmark and refer back to when you're shaping your email marketing strategy.

5. Getting into the Discovery Mindset.

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• Read the full article here.
• Created by: Maria Rosala.
• Contributed by: Kurt Smith.

In this straightforward and helpful guide, Maria Rosala runs through the importance of approaching UX discovery with an open mind and uncovering problems rather than jumping straight to solutions. Key to this piece is how she provides practical strategies to combat the allure of cognitive biases and the limitations they can place on your creativity. By creating processes that actively foster curiosity and openness, your teams can gather valuable insights and create more effective, user-centred designs.

6. De-extinction company provides a progress report on thylacine efforts.

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• Read the full article here.
• Created by: John Timmer.
• Contributed by: Maikel Daloo.

When asking whether the beloved Tassie Tiger might make a comeback, it’s hard for the layperson not to think of Jurassic Park and question if we should be going down this path at all. Regardless, scientists are ramping up efforts to bring the thylacine back from extinction. The project leverages advanced genetic technology, aiming to revive the iconic marsupial using DNA from preserved specimens and closely related species. With new funding and cutting-edge tools, researchers are hopeful that de-extinction could become a reality, marking a major milestone in species revival and a world of unknowns.

7. Shopify, accessibility lawsuits & 'Compliance'.

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• Read the full article here.
• Created by: Nic Chan.
• Contributed by: Isabel Silvis.

A Shopify store owner’s lawsuit brings accessibility into focus. This down-to-earth article (with a really fun website design that's giving us plenty of ideas) highlights that brands—not just Shopify—are responsible for ensuring their sites are accessible. It breaks down common misconceptions, reviews Shopify’s 'Dawn' theme, and warns about issues with third-party apps. The key takeaway? Prioritise accessibility early to avoid lawsuits and create a better user experience. Useful tips and resources included!

8. The oldschool PC font resource.

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• Read the full article here.
• Created by: INT10h.org.
• Contributed by: Sergio Moreira.

Preserving raster typography from pre-GUI times, here's a comprehensive collection of classic textmode fonts, system fonts and BIOS fonts from DOS-era IBM PCs and compatibles. Take a trip down memory lane, or dive into the past, depending on your age bracket and how nostalgic you get about the 90s.