① is the winner, refined with your notes (gradient bar, date, modern search, dot blooms, darker rows). ③ & ④ reworked for contrast. Sample names only.
A soft, uneven glow that catches the edge at random and fades to nothing — never a full frame, never just the corners. Each pinned project gets its own glow (seeded from the project, so it stays put — it won't reshuffle while you scroll). A–C are intensities; D proves the randomness.