- Stratospheric bacteria reported by ScienceDaily sparked debate over possible extraterrestrial origin and implications for panspermia and the origin of life on Earth.  
- Participants explored repurposing CD-R drives as low-cost optical data links and using CD microchannels as photolithographic masks for grassroots microfluidics.  
- The impending shutdown of CyberKinetics (MEA/BCI company) and the shortcomings of the “open-source hardware bank” project (an Excel-based funding model) were lamented.  
- Rapid-prototyping quality advanced when Tony Fletcher showed RepRap/RapMan parts rivaling commercial machines, prompting discussion of hacking Stratasys cartridges and adopting SLS printers that accept ground plastic feedstock.  
- A fluidic-amplifier project was drafted in QCAD for electro-etched cover plates, illustrating DIY microfluidics experimentation.  
- Inventory-system brainstorming covered RFID tags (~$1 each), dataglyphs, and a “tub-based” physical database for fab labs, emphasizing redundancy and disaster resilience.  
- CAD literacy concerns arose when the Afghanistan FabLab lead described compiling mechanical VHDL straight to STL, prompting warnings that STL lacks material, tolerance, and process data essential for real engineering.  
- Open-source CAD/CAM tools HeeksCAD and HeeksCNC were reviewed: strengths include DXF import with circles and 2-D/3-D hybrid workflow; weaknesses include no splines, unstable snapping, and lack of a feature tree, with QCAD recommended for pure 2-D drafting.