• A pre-print on “Scalable continuous evolution of genes at mutation rates above genomic error thresholds” (biorxiv.org/2018/05/03/313338) was shared, describing a system that pushes directed evolution faster than the natural error catastrophe limit.

• MIT Technology Review’s article on the late biohacker Aaron Traywick’s planned CRISPR trial in Mexico was linked and discussed; participants viewed the coverage as potentially biased “spin.”

• Synthego—an sgRNA and CRISPR kit company—was noted to be recruiting hardware engineers to automate their high-throughput production pipeline, prompting reflection on the Bay Area biotech job market.

• A lightweight Python script for generating audio-video flashcards from Wiktionary entries was released (gist.github.com/nmz787/53852c926eac0c4d9b047aac5733f74a) as an open-source language-learning tool.

• Conversation briefly touched on practical sleep-safety engineering for infants, including the use of apnea monitors and firm futons to mitigate SIDS risk, framed as an example of low-tech but high-impact health optimization.