- Participants debated the feasibility and legality of DIY laser eye-surgery kits, noting that the widely circulated $100 “Lasik at Home” device was a hoax and discussing how self-surgery risks prosecution for practicing medicine without a license.  
- The Nokia N900 was highlighted as the preferred Linux-based smartphone for open-source biohackers, praised for its hardware keyboard, full Debian-derived OS, and hacker guide released by Nokia’s PUSH program; older N810 tablets were considered as lower-cost alternatives lacking cellular radios.  
- A new open-access courseware portal from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (http://ocw.upm.es/) was shared as a resource for free engineering and science curricula.  
- Foresight Institute’s Gada Prize for atomically-precise manufacturing was circulated (http://www.foresight.org/gadaprize.php), with discussion of its relevance to post-doc recruitment by government biosecurity programs such as the FBI’s WMD Directorate outreach booth at “outlaw biology” events.  
- Maker-oriented housing links included a $1,500 flat-pack micro-house and the MyAbod gallery, prompting critiques about insulation and the need for external sun-shade systems.  
- Technical fixes for MakerBot extruders were posted, including updated thermistor tables and firmware instructions for 1 mm thermistors.  
- A 9 GB PLoS torrent was reported unseeded, illustrating ongoing bandwidth and open-access distribution challenges.  
- Participants exchanged ideas for rapid income generation—ranging from selling organs (jokingly) to seeking $5–10 k side projects—while emphasizing minimal extra work hours.