- Real-time control on Linux: the open-source RTAI kernel from an Italian university has replaced the now-commercial RTlinux for hard-real-time applications, making Linux viable for lab automation and robotics.  
- Two competing visions for DIY liquid-handling robots were debated: a <$400 single-axis 3-D-printed 12-channel pipettor for 96-well plates versus a modular Cartesian quad-Z platform capable of automating any bench protocol, highlighting a broader tension between rapid, low-cost iteration and exhaustive reliability testing.  
- Participants argued whether agile software methods can shorten hardware development cycles; advocates claim cheap 3-D-printed parts and open-source communities enable faster field-testing, while skeptics insist on long commercial-grade validation.  
- Practical advice for gaining lab access: schedule meetings with PIs, present clear value propositions, and avoid disruptive cold visits—credentials and respectful outreach outperform confrontational tactics.  
- The revised open-source hardware (OSHW) logo was shared, along with pointers to DIY-CNC, #reprap, #emc, and #cam communities as motion-control resources for building lab automation hardware.  
- Cognitive Genomics (cog-genomics.org) is recruiting high-IQ participants for sequencing; BGI Americas offers an alternative to relocating to China for the study.  
- Project Icarus (icarusinterstellar.org) was highlighted as a volunteer theoretical engineering effort to design an interstellar spacecraft, supported by a large advisory board.  
- “Slack engineering” concept: 3-D-print cheap plastic replacement parts as temporary fixes when precision metal components fail, assuming the machine tolerates lower tolerances.  
- Browser-side binary processing tools discussed include a JavaScript binary parser and pdf.js, which renders PDFs entirely in JavaScript, illustrating the trend toward client-side computation.  
- SolidWorks was recommended for CAD design, with built-in tutorials and YouTube videos as learning resources, though licensing issues for startups were noted.