- A participant is preparing to purchase neodymium magnets for subdermal implantation to test “magnetic sensing,” weighing placement options to avoid interference with parkour activities.  
- Discussion clarifies that implanted magnets do not detect static fields like Earth’s; instead, the user feels mechanical vibration when near time-varying fields such as store security gates or electric motors.  
- An alternative sensing concept is proposed: using a conductor to convert changing magnetic flux into electrical signals that could interface with the nervous system, but it is noted that the required conductor size would be impractically large.  
- A prototype “smart watch” is under development that integrates Zigbee, a 128×64 daylight-readable display, and an array of sensors (compass, barometer, humidity, temperature, spectral light, and later accelerometers and magnetic-field strength) to serve as an external, modular sensory extension.  
- A Nature paper on DNA-based neural networks (doi:10.1038/nature10262) is shared, prompting debate over whether the term “neural network” is being misapplied to the biochemical system.  
- Links and resources circulated include PySurfer (Python interface to FreeSurfer for neuroimaging), JSTOR torrents, Royal Society search code, SHERPA/RoMEO publisher copyright database, and a diabetes-monitoring graphene tattoo prototype.  
- Interest is expressed in low-cost, non-invasive brain-imaging techniques combining near-infrared LED/photodiode arrays with EEG to capture dream content or other cognitive states.  
- A Flickr set documents the arrival of animatronic “nekomimi” cybernetic ears in San Francisco, highlighting rapid prototyping and open-source body-mod culture.  
- The channel debates open-source CAD tools, noting that Werner Almesberger’s Cadmium/OpenSCAD workflow on Qi-Hardware takes ~81 minutes to compile a design, spurring discussion about performance and alternative “lolcad” projects.