- 23andMe’s genotyping service dropped to $99 (it had been $60 a month earlier), and users confirmed that the raw 23andMe data (a 24.8 MB tab-separated text file with columns: rsid, chromosome, position, genotype) is downloadable; some participants registered under pseudonyms and opted in to free future re-analysis of their stored samples.  
- Channel members debated the value of 23andMe versus waiting for whole-exome sequencing, noting that 23andMe already offers $999 whole-exome tests and that public genotype dumps (e.g., hu44DCFF on my.personalgenomes.org) are available for independent analysis.  
- A participant reported writing his own software to compose industrial-metal music with explicitly transhumanist lyrical themes, illustrating DIY culture extending into creative media.  
- Discussion of cultural influences on transhumanist thought included Ghost in the Shell (both films and series), Blade Runner, Knights of Sidonia, Abara, and the manga BLAME!, with links to a torrent of the 6-episode BLAME! anime and critiques of its low animation budget.  
- Surprise and skepticism greeted the announcement that actor Edward James Olmos (Blade Runner, Battlestar Galactica) will keynote SENS, while others recalled William Shatner’s poorly attended 2007 TransVision talk, highlighting ongoing tensions between celebrity outreach and technical depth in longevity advocacy.  
- Boing Boing coverage (linked by panax) of a U.S. congressman calling for a ban on 3-D-printed firearms was shared, underscoring regulatory concerns intersecting with open-source hardware.