- A new Austin “fablab” space is available for $2 k/month, already equipped with a MechMate CNC, woodworking tools, drill presses, vacuum systems, and plans for a lathe; water-jet access is nearby.  
- The group is debating lightweight inventory/BOM/accounting software (nicknamed “fabuntu”) to manage the lab, rejecting open-source ERP tools like xTuple/OpenMFG in favor of a simpler Linux-based solution.  
- A DIYbio “keiki gel” protocol—running DNA electrophoresis inside drinking straws—was successfully crowdsourced on the DIYbio list and featured on BoingBoing, demonstrating low-cost, mass-producible lab gear.  
- Extension PCR plus maskless-lithography gene synthesis was proposed as a path to a “gene compiler,” with a local UT group reportedly inserting eukaryotic control sequences into prokaryotes via BioBricks.  
- A vandal-art concept emerged: disposable or cable-suspended 2-axis CNC gantries (Hektor-style) that could machine graffiti or large façade features directly onto building walls.  
- Hardware vending ideas were discussed—Fastenal’s RFID-controlled “SmartStore” machines for nuts/bolts, and open-source vending designs like the Freedom Toaster—as models for automated lab-supply dispensers.  
- A supercomputer at UT Austin was reported to have performed laser prostate-cancer surgery on a dog by modeling tissue in real time and calculating per-cell laser dosages using Pennes’ 1948 bioheat equation.  
- The group debated the feasibility of running fluid-dynamics simulations on an iPhone for a “very useless but accurate” simulation app, concluding it is possible given slow-moving phenomena.