- Bowtie, an ultrafast, memory-efficient short-read aligner for genomics, was introduced as open-source at https://github.com/BenLangmead/bowtie, offering a key tool for DIY bioinformatics pipelines.  
- A 1968 paper on percutaneous recording of human skin mechanoreceptor activity in awake subjects was circulated as a potential low-invasive foundation for sensory-interface or BCI experiments.  
- DARPA’s Adaptive Vehicle Make (AVM) program and its Meta-Meta modeling framework were debated; a demo video (http://diyhpl.us/~bryan/irc/darpa/avm/meta/meta/videos/May11%20demo/maydemo2.mp4) illustrated the toolchain, though participants questioned its real-world impact on rapid prototyping.  
- A 5-minute Python/OpenCV mobile document scanner tutorial (http://www.pyimagesearch.com/2014/09/01/build-kick-ass-mobile-document-scanner-just-5-minutes/) sparked discussion of performance bottlenecks in cv2/NumPy versus native C++ and the potential for IPP or CUDA acceleration.  
- The Underhanded Crypto Contest (https://underhandedcrypto.com/) was announced, with a reminder that submissions closed that Friday, highlighting ongoing interest in cryptographic backdoors and security auditing.  
- An Economist article (Sept 2014) noted the FBI’s shift from prosecuting to collaborating with DIYbio labs, including sponsorship of iGEM and an annual conference, prompting surprise at missed invitations.  
- tmate.io was showcased as a clever remote-pairing trick that publicly shares tmux sessions over SSH, enabling seamless collaborative coding.  
- The idea of deploying <$10/hr virtual assistants to audit personal finances and detect hidden bank or credit-card fees was floated, though trust and data-security concerns were raised.