- The Atlantic article “Can Scientific Discovery Be Automated?” (https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/04/can-scientific-discovery-be-automated/524136/) was shared as a hopeful sign that automated science tools may soon enter the mainstream.  
- A new open-source BitTorrent tracker implementation, Chihaya (https://github.com/chihaya/chihaya), was highlighted for its potential to support large-scale data distribution in open-science projects.  
- Discussion of thalamic stimulation research noted that boosting thalamic activity improves cortical categorical representations and task performance, citing Bolkan et al. as key evidence.  
- Launch-loop advocate Keith Lofstrom posted a detailed response to Isaac Arthur’s recent YouTube episode on launch loops (http://launchloop.com/UpwardBound), and Arthur’s follow-up video on orbital rings was also circulated (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMbI6sk-62E).  
- The “Upward Bound” YouTube playlist (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIIOUpOge0LsGJI_vni4xvfBQTuryTwlU) was recommended for coverage of rotovators, vacuum towers, and other active-support space-infrastructure concepts.  
- Participants questioned the practical utility of Urbit, with several admitting they had yet to find a compelling use-case, suggesting it may primarily function as “nerd-sniping.”  
- News circulated that Aubrey de Grey is planning an Ethereum-based ICO, prompting skepticism about the appropriateness of tokenizing longevity research.