- **Open-source CAD for biology hardware**: ImplicitCAD (extopenscad) was evaluated as a viable tool for reproducible lab hardware; a modular 2-D template (nateplate.escad) and a public test-case repo (https://gitorious.org/implicitcad/implicitcad-tests/) were highlighted as practical starting points.

- **Dream-recall enhancement stack**: Combining Calea ternifolia (“dream herb”) with vitamin B6 supplementation and nightly journaling was reported to restore vivid, long-term dream memory without noticeable side-effects.

- **Non-invasive brain-state injection concept**: A short (<2 k word) typing calibration using high-resolution fMRI/EEG could capture individual activation patterns, which might later be replayed via targeted ultrasound stimulation as a less invasive alternative to micro-electrode arrays.

- **Postdoc crisis & reform**: A National Academies report advocating $50 k baseline salaries, five-year term limits, and alternative career tracks was discussed; participants underscored the oversupply of trainees versus faculty slots and the lack of IP ownership for postdocs.

- **DIY AI brain simulator critique**: The “ahuman” Google Code wiki—comprising 550 brain-area pages, neuron-pool classes, and a multi-threaded simulator—was debated; some argued its anatomical granularity is premature given current data quality, while others saw value in the structured approach.

- **Low-cost microfluidic pneumatics**: A 12 V, 2-position 3-way pneumatic solenoid valve was identified for $7–12 on Amazon/eBay; the group noted Quake-lab-style valve-switching schemes that eliminate wash steps by enforcing non-overlapping flow paths.

- **SpaceX Dragon’s radiation-tolerant design**: Dragon reportedly relies on triple-redundant, off-the-shelf computers rather than radiation-hardened parts, as detailed in an Aviation Week article (http://aviationweek.com/blog/dragons-radiation-tolerant-design).

- **Fukushima dose perspective**: A 180 mSv exposure was compared to ~10 CT scans or living near high-background Brazilian beaches, translating to an estimated ~0.8 % incremental lifetime cancer risk.