- A proposal was floated for a “real reality TV” platform where volunteers live-stream their entire lives for five years, with footage released afterward as a Truman-Show-style product.  
- Discussion explored whether a “periodic table of simple machines” exists; participants collected links to dozens of novelty periodic tables but found no canonical taxonomy for mechanical elements.  
- Texas power-grid failures during a cold snap were analyzed as a case study in infrastructure fragility and ERCOT policy isolation.  
- H+ Magazine (hplusmagazine.com) was reviewed for traffic strategy: 2–3 k daily readers, occasional 10 k spikes, yet no sustained keyword traffic; brainstorming centered on recategorizing 1,100+ articles and leveraging sexbot-related search hits.  
- The Gada Prize draft rules were finalized to exclude entries that are “only open-source if they win,” reinforcing a strict open-source requirement from day one.  
- DIYbio activity was noted with the launch of DIYbio-Chicago (chicagobioscience.wordpress.com) as an offshoot from Ben Hyink’s efforts.  
- A PLOS ONE paper on non-invasive brain stimulation to facilitate insight was shared, highlighting emerging cognitive-enhancement techniques.  
- NASA’s Flickr set from a Bigelow Aerospace visit showcased Mars-themed corporate art, illustrating aspirational space-culture messaging.