- Tinkercad released a new “Shape Scripts” API that lets users programmatically generate 3-D models, opening browser-based CAD to scripting and automation.  
- Circuits.io was highlighted as a web-based PCB design tool that exports Gerber files, lowering the barrier to custom circuit creation for bio/electronics projects.  
- A USB & Open-Hardware presentation from the 2012 Open Hardware Summit was circulated (video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pegVYODsn4), covering open-source USB device design practices.  
- Discussion of an $8 handheld refractometer as a low-cost option for DIY biology quantification; concern raised that price alone does not guarantee the required measurement range or accuracy.  
- The impending 2014 expiration of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready patent was noted, with skepticism that generic versions will matter once glyphosate-resistant weeds proliferate.  
- Several tongue-in-cheek domain names for grassroots bio-initiatives were brainstormed (blackhatbio.com, budgetbio.com, piratebio.com, etc.), reflecting an ongoing interest in edgy branding for open biotech.  
- A brief critique of “Coderwall-style” metrics proposed measuring developer productivity like baseball ERAs, but dismissed as likely to induce neurosis rather than useful insight.