• All Library Genesis (libgen) mirrors abruptly went offline, underscoring the fragility of open-access scientific-literature repositories and the need for decentralized backups.  

• A governance debate pitted the claim that Bitcoin requires a “benevolent dictator for life” to avoid forks against the counter-argument that deterministic builds and user-side rule validation are the only sustainable security model.  

• The U.S. federal government issued an RFI for “Nanotechnology-Inspired Grand Challenges for the Next Decade”; participants nominated DNA synthesis, whole-genome synthesis, and shape-predictable restricted-amino-acid protein synthesis as top priorities.  

• kanzure offered immediate cash funding for an open-source DNA-synthesis-equipment proposal, citing the bioinformatics.org/pogo project as prior art and emphasizing that even minimal engineering documentation can have outsized impact.  

• A design session explored replacing $20 k–$100 k commercial DNA microarray/oligo synthesizers with a <$2 k build using Epson 6–8-channel piezo inkjet heads, an open-source head-control board, and Mesa FPGA/LinuxCNC motion control.  

• Mechanical reliability trade-offs: ball-screw linear stages (~$300) were favored for multi-year uptime, while lead screws were accepted if they kept the BOM reproducible and low; “reprap-grade” threaded-rod-and-hot-glue construction was rejected.  

• Reagent-handling architecture: the ABI-style argon-pressurized “columns” approach was argued to be simpler than a nitrogen glove-box for sample loading/unloading and downstream integration with thermocyclers or transformation workflows.  

• Scalability goal: designs were pushed toward ≥1 million parallel sequences; stacking two 8-channel heads already yields 16 independent fluid paths as an interim step.  

• Key reference documents: ABI 391 DNA synthesizer teardown (http://diyhpl.us/~bryan/papers2/DNA/abi391/) and TakeItApart inkjet printer guide (https://www.takeitapart.com/guide/94).