- A prototype DIY scanning-probe mass-spectrometry microscope uses a CD-ROM voice-coil actuator for sub-micron raster scanning and a residual-gas analyzer to image surface topography via local helium partial-pressure contrast.  
- Open-source vacuum-hardware brainstorming covered oil-free scroll pumps (~$1 k on eBay), MEMS micro-pumps that still need a roughing stage, and a speculative solid-state “bio-inspired” porous-ceramic membrane that actively pumps gas.  
- Neurobiology-of-hangover discussion linked light sensitivity to dehydration-induced cortisol spikes and reduced temporal-lobe blood flow, and highlighted N-acetylcysteine (NAC) supplementation for acetaldehyde detox; the ALDH2 rs671(A) allele’s defective aldehyde-dehydrogenase was cited as the molecular basis for “Asian flush” and lower alcoholism rates.  
- NanoTHOR (2012) and momentum-exchange tethers were revisited as low-cost, propellant-free methods to fling nanosatellites from LEO to deep space or to let sub-orbital vehicles reach orbit by trading momentum with a rotating tether.  
- A new Bitcoin BIP draft proposes adding auxiliary block headers with only ~104 bytes overhead by re-using the last transaction’s Merkle branch, enabling sidechains or merged mining as a soft fork; links to curated Bitcoin reading lists and python-bitcoinlib patches were shared.  
- IEEE-754 floating-point specification was criticized for its $71–$90 paywall and restrictive licensing, which participants argue discourages correct implementation and open discussion.  
- Aaron Swartz Day hackathons were announced for 11 cities (Austin, Berlin, Boston, Buenos Aires, Houston, Kathmandu, L.A., Magdeburg, NYC, Oakland, Oxford, San Francisco).  
- Speculative human germline edits—myostatin knockouts, p53 redundancy, DREAM deletion for memory enhancement—were weighed against the social consequences of “designer baby” headlines.