- Two-photon microscopy was discussed; one participant noted that the Wikipedia article buries the key detail (simultaneous two-photon absorption) until the fourth sentence, and another confirmed having hands-on experience from a multi-modal imaging course.

- nmz787_i is preparing to service a scanning-electron-microscope diffusion pump (oil-based) and planning a small clean-room build for a focused-ion-beam system, highlighting the trade-off between oil contamination and turbo-pump vibration.

- Affordable high-flow (> 1 L min⁻¹) peristaltic pumps were sought; an AliExpress 12 V, 1100 mL min⁻¹ unit was linked, and 3-D printing plus parallel ganging of cheaper pumps was suggested as a DIY route.

- NIH will host a citizen-science workshop on 14 July 2017, with associated meetups by DC Genomics and DMV Biotech; participants noted NIH videocasts are openly downloadable in multiple resolutions.

- Toyota announced that the 2018 Camry will incorporate open-source software, flagged as a milestone for automotive open-source adoption.

- A book on the Haber-Bosch process and global nitrogen fixation (“The Alchemy of Air” by Thomas Hager) was shared as relevant to synthetic-biology and energy discussions.

- genehacker’s successful PhD defense was celebrated in-channel, marking a community milestone.

- Two tongue-in-cheek but technically rich USENIX papers by James Mickens on the “life of a programmer” and Byzantine fault tolerance were circulated for their insights into building reliable systems under pervasive distrust.