• The channel trialed IRC mode +r (registered-nicks only) as an anti-spam measure, prompting debate on whether the registration hurdle deters new participants in open-source transhumanist communities.  
• An anonymous pair of patrons pledged a combined US $20 k to independent researcher gwern via Patreon, signaling a new scale of crowdfunded open research.  
• nmz787 investigated long-term archival storage options, specifically querying the open-source backup suites Bacula and Amanda and highlighting the Linear Tape File System (LTFS) for its ability to expose LTO tape as a mountable filesystem despite sequential-write constraints.  
• Biohack The Planet conference dates were circulated: 31 Aug 2018 (19:00–22:00) and 1 Sept 2018 (10:00–22:00), with unusually low airfares noted; admission is ~$70 (~$90 with commemorative T-shirt).  
• fenn proposed a speculative future food concept in which McDonald’s markets a vat-grown, amorphous “McOid” organism—living meat chunks that respond to stimuli—designed solely for consumption.