- NanoEngineer-1 (NE1), the orphaned open-source molecular CAD package, is being revived: kanzure hosts a GitHub mirror (https://github.com/kanzure/nanoengineer) and the community is documenting chroot-based Linux installs, diagnosing 64-bit Windows DLL failures, and working around 3–5 fps OpenGL bottlenecks by exposing /tmp/.X11-unix and /dev/dri inside the chroot.  
- Long-term plan for NE1 is to refactor its 34 MB Python/Pyrex code-base into modular libraries—especially the MMP file-format layer—so external MD engines like GROMACS or LAMMPS can run large-scale simulations without the sluggish GUI.  
- A lightweight successor CAD tool was proposed that would export MMP and couple directly to GROMACS for parallel molecular-dynamics; Ascalaph Designer (GPL) was suggested as a source of reusable code.  
- GRBL, the open-source CNC firmware, was patched to stream real-time machine position, feed/seek rates, and spindle settings back to the host, improving feedback loops for DIY fabrication workflows.  
- Language-design debate weighed C, C++11, Scheme, and Haskell for “future-proof” transhumanist software; Stalin/Vicare Scheme compilers were praised for generating fast x86 binaries while Python’s unstable APIs and runtime bloat were criticized.  
- Computer-vision discussion explored alternatives to the Hough transform for robust rectangle detection, suggesting line-length filtering, orientation clustering, and ML classifiers as next steps.  
- A Motherboard article claiming “3-D printed blood vessels in seconds” was debunked: the structures were solid, non-hollow, non-biodegradable rods produced by standard DLP lithography (EnvisionTEC Perfactory), not vascular scaffolds.  
- Halcyon Molecular’s quiet shutdown was dissected; insiders rejected the public “Oxford Nanopore beat us” narrative and instead cited Elon Musk’s frustration and a failed pivot to DNA synthesis as the real causes.  
- Governance and credibility issues in the biohacker scene were aired: Biocurious alleged mismanagement, Singularity University labeled a “credit-card scam,” and key figures accused of hijacking credit for DIYbio origins; Joseph Jackson (jojack@gmail.com) was recommended as a source for deeper Halcyon and San Diego DIYbio lab back-story.