- The channel debated the real utility of “smart contracts,” with maaku dismissing most Ethereum-based claims as hype and arguing that only simple multisignature schemes and the Lightning Network (http://lightning.network/) currently show near-term value.  
- kanzure linked warcprox (https://github.com/internetarchive/warcprox), an Internet Archive tool for high-fidelity web archiving, as a resource for preserving open-source research data.  
- chris_99 shared NASA’s public-domain technology portal (http://technology.nasa.gov/latest/public_domain) as a source of freely available aerospace and materials IP.  
- Participants critiqued a popular argument that useful technologies should be priced higher because of the efficiencies they create; the counterpoint emphasized marginal-cost pricing and competitive dynamics.  
- Anatomical curiosities were circulated, including a cross-section of an octopus brain showing its mouth passing through the brain (https://anatomytoyou.com/2016/05/10/section-through-an-octopus-shows-the-mouth-passing-through-the-brain/) and a CT scan of starfish vascular structures (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-d0kHTNmkkk).  
- maaku noted the accelerating pace of major corporations open-sourcing new AI projects “almost every week,” highlighting a trend toward commoditization of advanced ML tools.