- A $10, 128×128-pixel LCD digital picture frame was proposed as an ultra-low-cost maskless DNA microarray: treating each pixel as an 8-nucleotide “spot” yields ~131 kbp of custom sequence per run, with only ~$60 in reagents.  
- The enabling chemistry (MeNPOC photolabile phosphoramidites) was detailed from Singh-Gasson et al., Nature Biotech 1999, including the scary but apparently manageable use of phosgene.  
- Open-source CAD geometry took center stage: kanzure and fenn struggled to compile pythonOCC (Python bindings for OpenCASCADE 6.3) on Ubuntu, documenting missing headers, SWIG quirks, and the need for CASROOT paths—valuable notes for future builders.  
- A curated manufacturing bibliography (Campbell’s 2 GB BibTeX file) was converted to web-viewable HTML via bibutils and SimplyBibTeX, providing an open reference for machining, robotics, and rapid-prototyping literature.  
- Wired invited kanzure to contribute to a public wiki on “Open Up Government Data,” signaling early mainstream interest in open-science policy.  
- Hardware planning for a new lab server included debate over dual-Xeon boards, 16 GB RAM, and Intel SSDs versus traditional HDDs, with Dell OptiPlex 755s already on hand.  
- A passing remark from President Obama’s 2009 stem-cell speech—“cloning for human reproduction… has no place in our society”—was met with tongue-in-cheek concern about hiding artificial-womb and micromanipulator projects.