- RepRap/MakerBot community tension: Bre Pettis publicly criticized a user for releasing a Gen3 board variant only as PDF instead of open-source EDA files, sparking debate over monetization vs. open hardware ethics; Forrest Higgs suggested the complaint was driven by fear of lost sales.  
- New open-source tool: Lic (LEGO Instruction Creator) imports LDraw models and will soon support Lego Digital Designer, enabling anyone to generate custom LEGO instruction books.  
- DIYbio Seattle launches: the group now has a public web presence at diybiosea.org.  
- SKDB/Thingiverse integration: kanzure released a Python script (thingiverse.py) that acts like “apt-get for Thingiverse,” letting users fetch 3-D-printable objects by ID; discussion ensued on poor metadata and the need for richer package descriptions.  
- Hardware acquisition: local $1.2 k 25 W laser cutter (12 × 12 in bed) under consideration for Austin hackerspace; noted it can cut acrylic but little else.  
- Funding update: kanzure expects ~$20 k for an iPhone app he has been developing.  
- Upcoming talks: Ken Goffman (R. U. Sirius) scheduled to speak at Trinity University, San Antonio, on “Hijack The Singularity or The Future Must Be Post Scarcity or Not At All.”  
- DIY Genomics meetup: Melanie Swan and Raymond McCauley will present and lead discussion tomorrow at 1 pm (location not specified).  
- Miscellaneous links shared: Harvard micro-robotics lab, GenomeQuest API docs, IEEE Swarm-bacteria pyramid-building robots, color-blindness-cure ethics debate on Slashdot, and free city-wide Wi-Fi in Mountain View.