- Near-infrared brain imaging was flagged as a feasible DIY project, with a link to Biopac’s research application page provided as a starting point.  
- Trans-cranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) received mainstream press coverage in Nature News, prompting discussion about its simplicity—allegedly just a 9 V battery, resistor, and wet sponge—and fears of “electrodoping” by students before exams.  
- Participants contrasted tDCS with trans-cranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), noting TMS’s far higher technical barrier due to high-voltage, fast-switching, large-current requirements.  
- A Guardian quiz comparing Muammar Gaddafi quotes to Charlie Sheen quotes was shared as pop-culture humor.  
- Android root exploits were described as “surprisingly easy to find/make/use,” hinting at open hardware and security interests within the channel.  
- A Lego telescope project (rifkin.com/LazyStar/legoscope.html) was offered as an example of accessible DIY instrumentation.  
- Debate arose over whether transhumanist themes are newly prevalent in pop culture; long-standing examples such as Terminator, I-Robot, Blade Runner, and “any B-movie ever” were cited.  
- The perennial claim that “transhumanism is a religion” was dismissed, with Wikipedia and Google offered as sources for those curious about the argument.  
- Discussion of space settlement pivoted to pragmatic concerns: radiation shielding, human reproduction off-Earth, and the utility of extremophiles such as tardigrades, Deinococcus radiodurans, and radiotrophic melanotic fungi for long-duration missions.