- A new IGEM team is being formed at Indiana University for summer 2009 under advisor Ryan Lee, head of IU’s new biotech master’s program; participants are described as “clueful.”  
- OROCOS, an open-source robot-control framework, was highlighted; links to UT Austin’s Robotics Research Group simulations and course pages (ME 372J Robotics & Automation, ME 384R Geometry of Mechanisms and Robots) were shared.  
- Discussion of RepRap availability: complete part sets can now be ordered through Ponoko, eMachineShop, and Shapeways after the RRRF store closed; dorm-room fire-code and molten-plastic odor issues were cited as barriers to local printing.  
- A spiral-generating algorithm for domino-like placement was debated; the fix involves orienting each element to the tangent of the spiral curve, with BRL-CAD’s “oed” command already providing rotation control.  
- SolidWorks’ CSV import capability for parameterized CAD models was explored; sample data files were posted to convert membrane-less filtration geometry into editable curves.  
- Polypropylene pellets (sold as bean-bag filler) were noted as a superior prototyping material compared to LDPE for small Tupperware-style containers.  
- A life-cycle-assessment graphic (worldchanging.com) was praised for its clear unit labeling.  
- Anecdotes included storing 3-month psychiatric medication supplies “for impending nuclear winters” and a psychiatrist’s office form where patients list “MIGHT BE A ROBOT” as a medical concern.