- Camp ShopBot, a free CNC-focused maker event, is scheduled for Feb 27–28 in Austin, TX; participants see it as a potential weekend trip for hands-on fabrication experience.  
- A Guardian article warning that peak oil is “close” sparks a debate on energy futures; participants cite IEA whistleblower claims that official reserve numbers have been politically massaged.  
- Discussion centers on whether large-scale technological fixes (ITER fusion, next-gen fission, distributed solar/wind) can arrive in time; skepticism is voiced about both fusion timelines and the adequacy of fission fuel supplies.  
- Participants explore societal resilience strategies: localized renewable micro-grids to bridge the gap until advanced energy sources mature, plus a “vademecum” of low-tech survival skills to hedge against systemic collapse.  
- Concern is raised that modern civilization’s exponential population and economic growth are tightly coupled to cheap fossil energy; any sustained shortfall could force a non-linear contraction rather than a mere “step back” in technological progress.  
- Nokia N900 is praised as the first “non-sucking” phone due to its open Debian-based OS that allows unrestricted apt-get installations, contrasting sharply with locked-down app-store ecosystems.  
- A link to Michael Anissimov’s essay “World Peace Through World Domination” is shared, framing benevolent singleton AI as a path to global stability.  
- Idle musing on registering “buildapedia.org” and “fabhow.com” hints at ongoing efforts to create open, wiki-style hardware documentation platforms.