- Science magazine published an article titled “Who’s downloading pirated papers? Everyone,” documenting the global scale of Sci-Hub usage and sparking debate on open-access publishing.  
- Channel participants discussed Sci-Hub’s reliability, noting that some corporate networks block it and that DIY mirrors or Tor are common work-arounds; Intel employees specifically avoid Tor to protect their jobs.  
- A low-cost, transportable electroporator for in-utero electroporation was highlighted (Wiley paper) as an example of open-hardware biotech tools that the community tries to access despite paywalls.  
- Intel’s internal blockchain and SGX (Software Guard Extensions) work were mentioned under NDA; kanzure speculated that projects include Hyperledger integrations and countered claims that SGX has already been broken.  
- Microsoft’s Haven project—SGX-secured containers inside the Drawbridge framework—was cited as an early attempt at trusted execution, now less relevant as Microsoft shifts to Xenon/Argon containers.  
- RS-485 transceiver chips (e.g., Maxim MAX13413) were proposed for building inexpensive sensor/actuator networks, with discussion of their electrical characteristics and USB-to-RS-485 adapters.  
- Community nostalgia for the now-defunct paperbot service resurfaced, alongside proposals for a “ghetto-paperbot” that would silently redirect requests to Sci-Hub.  
- A brief side-thread explored whether granulated sugar could sabotage diesel engines; consensus was that it would likely clog fuel filters rather than dissolve.