- **Google Scholar scraping stack**: Participants shared diyhpl.us/cgit/pyscholar and kanzure’s PhantomJS re-implementation (github.com/kanzure/pyphantomjs) plus the paid CAPTCHA-solving service deathbycaptcha as a working toolchain for large-scale paper harvesting.  
- **Competence vs. eloquence debate**: One member claimed financial success is the best proxy for scientific competence, while others countered that domain knowledge and Google Scholar citation metrics are more reliable filters.  
- **Rejection of “homo superior” governance**: A proposal for a genetically or cybernetically enhanced ruling class to “direct” humanity and eliminate religion was condemned as unethical and historically disastrous, with explicit channel norms against “master races, world hegemonies, or transhuman religions.”  
- **Religion as a target for eradication**: Repeated questions about using genes, drugs, or memetic vaccines to “cure” religion were met with arguments that religion is not purely genetic, may not be pathological, and that such framing misdiagnoses deeper cultural problems.  
- **Vanguardism critique**: The idea of an elite transhuman vanguard guiding civilization—compared to Asimov’s psychohistory and Leninist vanguardism—was rejected on grounds that objective facts do not require superior brains and that militarist or mystic versions of such movements could end catastrophically.  
- **Open educational resources shared**: diyhpl.us/~bryan/papers2/bio/ hosts a large DIY-biology paper archive, and two scanned “Machine Shop Series” PDFs on mathematics and operations were linked as foundational reading.  
- **Mobile-web performance tip**: CSS translate3d was recommended over display:none toggling for speed, with a satirical reference to friendsdontletfriendsjqm.tumblr.com.