- A DVD stripped of its reflective layer functions as an inexpensive diffraction grating, enabling “poor-man’s prism” spectroscopy for DIY optical projects.  
- Open Source Ecology is recruiting a full-time “Modern Steam Power Project Manager” at $2,000/mo plus on-site orientation, prompting debate over whether steam-engine development merits that level of commitment.  
- Participants noted that basic Tesla-turbine steam engines can be built quickly with copper tubing and CNC-milled parts, questioning why OSE treats the task as a major engineering effort.  
- The banana (Musa acuminata) genome was reported as newly sequenced; discussion centered on unknown allergens, possible saponin/lectin involvement, and the lack of clear immunological data.  
- A link to Loren Cordain’s speculative list of banana “problem chemicals” was shared, alongside skepticism about his historical stance on saturated fats.  
- SKDB (the open-source hardware package manager) is stalled on CAD integration; OSE is said to like the concept but assigns it low priority, despite plans for a $500 k open-source CAD/CAM suite.  
- A GitHub project “TesseractTrainer” was highlighted as a tool for improving OCR accuracy—users realized prior poor results may have been due to skipping training.  
- Human skin sheds ~40,000 scent-carrying cells per minute, a statistic dropped without further context but relevant to biosensing or forensic applications.