- A millimeter-scale MEMS gas-turbine engine (ASME 13045) and other micro-actuator papers were circulated as candidates for high-force (>1 N) planar micro-engines, but participants concluded that current MEMS devices deliver only ~0.001 N and are far from macro-scale assembly needs.  
- Leifer et al.’s pre-print (arXiv 1501.03463) demonstrated whole-brain calcium imaging at cellular resolution in freely moving C. elegans using spinning-disk confocal microscopy and real-time 3-D tracking; kanzure criticized the authors for not validating against the OpenWorm atlas.  
- Memory-prosthesis hype was questioned after a 2015 IEEE Spectrum article claimed human memory implants within four years; kanzure countered that no proven memory engrams exist and cited Ramirez et al.’s 2013 Science paper on optogenetically implanting false hippocampal memories.  
- Participants debated ethanol vs. butanol vs. diesel for algae biofuels, noting ethanol’s hygroscopicity, pipeline corrosion, and energy-balance issues, and concluded that selecting oil-secreting algae is hard because non-secretors gain a metabolic edge.  
- The economics of information asymmetry were explored through a proposed voluntary “protected persons” licensing regime that would let only government-vetted firms serve risk-averse consumers while leaving others free to use unlicensed services.  
- nmz787_i reported plans to upgrade a desktop laser etcher by swapping its red laser for a Blu-ray diode and to build an interferometric distance sensor once coursework ends.  
- kanzure revived the 2007 “hplusroadmap” wiki and pointed to diyhpl.us/wiki/projects/proposals/ as the closest living substitute for an updated open-source transhumanist roadmap.