• A DIY experiment was proposed to image the magnetic domains on floppy disks by spreading iron nanoparticles in isopropanol and photographing the pattern under a microscope, then decoding the data with an algorithm; the same user had previously demonstrated optical decoding of magnetic-stripe cards.  
• Discussion of a tactile “vibrating vest” that translates audio (speech or music) into patterns of vibration for deaf users; a TED talk by David Eagleman on creating new human senses was linked as reference.  
• A $22 open-source logic analyzer (SUMP2, 96 MSPS) built around an FPGA and FT2232H USB2 bridge was shared, with on-chip compression to fit the USB bandwidth.  
• The RFCat USB radio dongle (sub-GHz ISM bands, CC1111-based) was introduced as a handy tool for RF experimentation; the #rfcat IRC channel was noted for support.  
• A batch of 2015 iGEM projects was highlighted: yeast-based graphene production, carbon-nanotube-mediated DNA delivery, an inexpensive open-PCR thermocycler, and the “bacterial tape recorder” that uses the SCRIBE system to write analog chemical signals into genomic DNA for later read-out.