- A $1 B proposal to network one million 1 k-neuron tissue cultures into a “neural-culture supercomputer” was dismissed as unlikely to yield coherent cognition; participants noted that even 10 k insect brains do not equal one rat brain and that the system would probably behave like Izhikevich’s non-functional “pile of neurons.”

- A <$1 optogenetic interface built from commodity LEDs and camera pixels was sketched as a low-cost alternative to $100 k two-photon rigs, with trade-offs between electrode and optical recording (cell death, bandwidth, toxicity) debated and CMOS camera chips proposed as a middle ground.

- The 25 k-neuron “Neurally Controlled Animat” experiment (DeMarse et al.) was cited as proof-of-concept: cultured rat cortex on a 60-electrode MEA learned to stabilize a simulated F-22 within 10° of desired pitch/roll in minutes of flight.

- Early DNA-synthesis and Sanger-sequencing patents have expired; open-access papers on nanopore, graphene-nanogap, and single-molecule real-time approaches were shared, while MinION was judged commercially available but error-prone and nanopore still lags Illumina for general use.

- Second-hand Illumina and SOLiD sequencers can be bought for <$10 k on eBay, but reagent costs, alignment complexity, and frequent run failures make total cost of ownership high; Illumina refunds chemistry if <50 % of reads meet spec.

- DNA synthesis, not sequencing, was identified as the current high-value bottleneck; Craig Venter paid ~$40 M for a synthetic genome, and Cambrian Genomics was highlighted for making “real progress” on cheap, parallel synthesis via solid-phase microbead or CMOS-patterned arrays.

- A working Amray 1830 SEM was located on eBay for $6 k (manuals already hosted by RIT), with ~1.6 kW power draw (~$130/month) but high-voltage expertise and vacuum maintenance flagged as major DIY hurdles; FEI 611 FIB and TESCAN Vega3 benchtop SEMs were also noted as eBay finds.

- ImplicitCAD was praised for ease of design but criticized for poor surface quality on high-dynamic-range models; SolveSpace was recommended over BRL-CAD for cleaner NURBS kernel implementation, while Gendl—a Common Lisp declarative 3-D modeling framework—was introduced as a higher-level CAD scripting alternative.

- A proposal to commission an electronic/progressive music track sampling transhumanist speakers (Aubrey de Grey, Ralph Merkle, George Church, etc.) was floated at ~€2 k for three weeks of professional DJ work.

- Links shared include MIT Technology Review on “radical new DNA sequencer,” Weber’s 1918 essay “Science as a Vocation,” Wikipedia Chemical Structure Explorer, ImplicitCAD, SolveSpace, and Renishaw 1 nm-resolution linear encoders.