• The SKDB project (open-source hardware design repository) is actively being refactored: kanzure rewrote the GraphSynth integration from C#/.NET to pure Python, moved it to a third-party directory, and continued incremental commits; fenn debugged segfaults in a thread-geometry generator and merged changes.

• A critique of SysML/XMI was highlighted by posting a verbose XML snippet (showing UML connector redefinition) and contrasting it with a concise YAML bearing definition, arguing that mere XML parsing does not equate to usable knowledge.

• Genomatica’s engineered bacteria that convert sugar into 1,4-butanediol (a precursor for both plastics and synthetic DNA reagents) was shared, prompting discussion on why sugar-to-bioplastic processes have not yet outcompeted petrochemical routes.

• Microfluidics fabrication on FR-4 printed-circuit boards was explored: ybit2 reported that a local facility abandoned borosilicate glass in favor of FR-4, supports grayscale lithography, and listed several PCB-microfluidics papers and patents for further study.

• Additional links and references circulated: the 1990s OSCOMAK “need” document on open-source manufacturing, a FabLab wiki, aerial photos of kanzure’s large backyard for potential hardware projects, and skepticism about inflated cyber-crime statistics on Slashdot.