• G-protein-coupled optogenetics was critiqued for its slow (seconds-scale) kinetics, prompting debate over whether it can replace faster opsin-based systems or must remain a complementary tool.  
• A newly released 1.5 TB public scrape of dark-net market data was highlighted as a potentially valuable dataset for research.  
• Nick Szabo’s archived essays on stopping a comet and self-replicating nanotechnology were circulated as foundational reading for nanotech strategy discussions.  
• A Russell Barkley ADHD lecture was shared, emphasizing working-memory deficits and the “ADHD as time-travel” cognitive framing.  
• Microfluidic bonding for nano-channels was debated: glue risks clogging or dimensional drift, while interferometric glass-flatness and FIB/SEM inspection were proposed as solutions; a surplus Gatan precision ion-milling machine (~$1 k, 1.5 pm beam at 10 kV) was identified as a candidate fabrication tool.  
• The Los-Angeles Biohackers group (biotechnbeyond.com) confirmed it now hosts an open-source inkjet DNA-synthesizer and holds regular meetups with PhD-level biologists.  
• The POSaM open-source inkjet oligo-synthesis platform was dissected in detail: 6- or 8-channel Epson heads deposit 1.5–10 pL droplets of phosphoramidites and tetrazole onto epoxysilane-functionalized slides, with Rain-X as a cheap hydrophobic boundary; key open issues include linker chemistry, surface attachment, spot-size control, reagent compatibility, and deletion-error minimization.  
• Practical build advice emerged: two printheads may be required (one for linker, one for nucleotide cycles), grayscale printing tricks (merging 1.5 pL drops in flight) can achieve 75–150 µm spots, and reagent costs per slide are < $50 thanks to micro-volume usage.  
• Participants stressed the need for a single comprehensive document compiling all phosphoramidite reaction conditions, concentrations, and cleavage protocols, noting that mechanical aspects are largely solved while chemistry documentation remains fragmented.