- Mozilla’s open-source DeepSpeech implementation (TensorFlow port of Baidu’s architecture) was highlighted as a practical speech-recognition tool; benchmarking on an AWS g2.4xlarge (NVIDIA K80) showed it ran at ~0.7× real-time, prompting discussion of newer GPUs (GTX 1080, AMD Vega) for adequate throughput.  
- Participants compared cloud GPU pricing: AWS K80 vs. Google Cloud TPU instances and Azure, with Google’s TensorFlow-tailored TPU service noted as competitively priced for both training and inference.  
- A new channel member introduced “quantum radar” based on entangled photons, suggesting YIG sphere filters (≈ US $50–150 on eBay) as an accessible component and speculating on repurposing the technique for protein spectroscopy.  
- Cost reduction in life-science research was debated; a Hacker News thread (linked) argued current Western lab costs are 10–100× inflated, prompting offers to contribute to open, low-cost bio-research initiatives.  
- ForeverLabs (cryopreservation of adult stem cells) was mentioned; skepticism centered on whether the service stores anything beyond basic cell samples (“they don’t store chutzpah”).  
- Tweets from @bcrypt and others circulated about “genomic exploits,” including proposals for DNA-based code-signing, private-key storage in living cells, and satirical hacks like inducing sunlight intolerance or involuntary obscenities.  
- Blockstream’s patent strategy and potential crossover into “crypto-biology” were discussed; individuals expressed interest, but management support was deemed unlikely.  
- DIY gene-editing resources (diyhpl.us/wiki/gene-editing) and an enzymatic-synthesis mailing-list thread were shared as references for implementing error-correcting codes in DNA.  
- The sandsifter x86 ISA fuzzing paper was praised for its novel page-fault side-channel that reveals hidden instruction lengths from user mode, even exposing System Management Mode opcodes.  
- Bromantane was ordered for personal nootropic trials, continuing the channel’s tradition of self-experimentation with cognition-enhancing compounds.