- The open-source HDL-make tool was highlighted as a convenient way to auto-generate multi-purpose Makefiles for FPGA projects, with all code hosted in public git repositories at git://ohwr.org/misc/hdl-make.git.  
- A discussion arose about the commercial availability of Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) sequencing machines, priced between $800 k and $1.2 M, with Russell Durrett noted as having access to one.  
- Participants speculated on the impact of flooding 23andMe with canine DNA samples, noting that even a few percent genomic difference could distort population-level statistics.  
- A playful proposal suggested leveraging China’s projected male-heavy gender imbalance as a driver for a privately funded space agency, arguing that men would pay almost any price to reach regions with more favorable gender ratios.  
- Two short videos of fluid light patterns were shared (http://youtu.be/CErRAfQQsHY and http://youtu.be/1YNdLUGeXo8); the patterns were identified as caustics, prompting interest in CNC-machined glass optics that could generate arbitrary caustic shapes.  
- The MAGE (Multiplex Automated Genome Engineering) paper was revisited, with participants preferring the more descriptive term “oligo-mediated allelic replacement” for the technique.