- A Science paper (doi:10.1126/science.1167704) shows that absorbance-modulation optical lithography—using two interfering lasers (633 nm & 325 nm) and a photochromic mask—can print 30–36 nm features, offering a DIY-friendly route to sub-wavelength chip fabrication without multi-patterning.

- Participants proposed repurposing the same photochromic molecules as picosecond-switching, days-stable nanoscale linear actuators to build a 100 nm-class Stewart platform, optically addressed to control six pillars without wiring.

- Practical low-cost fabrication hacks were shared: mounting a Blu-ray laser diode on a calibrated microscope stage for sub-micron photolithography, and building a spin-coater from a quadcopter motor plus double-sided tape to avoid vacuum chucks.

- A Google-Sheet cost model for a “from-scratch” microfluidic DNA synthesizer lists every component down to a hot-plate, enabling zero-lab-access replication; the sheet deliberately keeps retail prices for beginners while noting that scavenged pumps and DIY degassing chambers work.

- SU-8 negative resist was validated for multi-layer microfluidics (15 µm reaction chambers + 150 µm channels) via a 2006 IOP paper; grayscale lithography and direct PDMS casting from SU-8 masters were proposed as single-mask, silicon-etch-free alternatives.

- An open-source aluminum hot-end for liquid-metal 3-D printing was announced (wiki: http://fosscar.faikvm.com/trac/wiki/HotEnd), alongside refurbishment of an SEM for diamond-like carbon deposition, with refusal to assist closed-source eutectic-metal printer projects.

- The Kickstarter “Tsunami” precision DDS/Arduino-compatible signal generator was promoted; technical debate covered integrating a TCXO and dedicated AVR versus a shield, plus community interest in an I²C display/encoder daughterboard for stand-alone use.

- Hacker-News marketing tactics were dissected: direct-link upvotes are discounted, timing is critical, and organic discovery is required—highlighting broader challenges for open-hardware outreach.

- Links circulated included the Chemical Society Reviews survey on artificial molecular machines (Coskun et al., 2011) and the Chematica retrosynthesis platform, prompting ideas to add regulated-compound filtering to open synthesis planners.

- kanzure highlighted reusable scientific code from the Astrophysics Source Code Library (ascl.net), such as ADAM for 3-D asteroid modeling and AMIGA for magnetohydrodynamic cosmological simulations, as transhumanist resources.