- A petition against synthetic-biology research (climatevoices.wordpress.com/2011/01/10/petition-against-initiative-on-synthetic-biology/) is feared to trigger over-regulation that could stifle open-source bio work.  
- Emokit (github.com/daeken/emokit) is an open-source Python library that decrypts and streams EEG data from the $299 Emotiv EPOC headset without the proprietary SDK, enabling low-cost BCI experimentation on embedded Linux boards or even Arduino with off-loaded decryption.  
- Participants are rewriting the SKDB client (skdb-get.py) to create a minimal, open-source hardware package-manager spec for tool inventory and dependency resolution, debating whether to reuse existing package-manager models or build from scratch.  
- A DIY lucid-dreaming rig uses an Arduino to flash LEDs 80 minutes after sleep onset as a “dream-sign inducer,” paired with long-term dream journaling; the group explores two-way dream communication via EEG-trained binary or Morse signals and tactile tongue interfaces like BrainPort.  
- Resources shared include MIT’s Computational Physiology lab (rle.mit.edu/cpci), Thorlabs optical gear, a spectroscopy how-to (home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~robh/howto.html), and OpenNI (openni.org) for Kinect motion-capture hacking.  
- Water-purification brainstorming covers UV pens, reusable filters, sari-cloth equivalents, and sonication/ion-exchange for cholera prevention.  
- The reputation-economy discussion contrasts Cory Doctorow’s non-monetary “whuffie” with Bitcoin and metacurrency projects, critiquing Whuffie Bank’s service-centric implementation.