- DIY micromanipulator discussion: participants asked for open-source designs and considered repurposing inexpensive 3-axis “mini-CNC” stages from AliExpress (≈ US $20 each) while acknowledging uncertainty about mechanical rigidity and mounting.  
- fenn linked a 3-D-printed flexure stage (Thingiverse #1424169) as a compact, backlash-free alternative and recalled high-end 6-DOF flexure stages from Physik Instrumente.  
- Reverse-use idea floated: employ a nanopositioning flexure in reverse to mechanically amplify the tiny stroke of a piezo stack for larger-range motion.  
- Piezo inertia drives (stick-slip actuators) were highlighted as another low-cost, high-resolution positioning option; Physik Instrumente tutorial provided.  
- Magnetically enhanced water splitting: a Nature Energy paper (s41560-019-0404-4) reported that simply attaching a permanent magnet to an electrode doubled alkaline water-oxidation current density at the same applied voltage, sparking discussion on practical implications for DIY hydrogen generation.  
- kanzure shared the Verifiable Delay Function (VDF) research portal (vdfresearch.org) and an explanatory FAQ from the Qi-Hardware project, framing VDFs as a cryptographic primitive relevant to decentralized consensus and timestamping.  
- A cross-channel query about building a fume hood for a camper-van stove led to a concise engineering summary: axial fans favor high airflow, centrifugal fans favor high static pressure; most small hoods use axial units.  
- Link to a Fee.org article on regulatory capture in the insulin market was circulated, underscoring ongoing community interest in open-source pharma and bio-hacking alternatives.