- Apple’s new M1 chip is being hailed as “black-magic fuckery” for its dramatic performance-per-watt gains, sparking discussion about the lack of comparable Linux-friendly ARM laptops with user-replaceable SO-DIMM memory.  
- Participants lament that the open-hardware Novena laptop remains the only real option, but it is power-hungry and was already obsolete when it shipped.  
- A new astrobiology paper by Snyder-Beattie, Sandberg, Drexler & Bonsall (“Timing of evolutionary transitions suggests intelligent life is rare”) was circulated; the discussion linked both the paper (doi:10.1089/ast.2019.2149) and its Hacker News thread.  
- The seven-screen “Aurora 7” prototype by Expanscape drew attention on HN; its creator noted that aviation regulations on lithium-battery watt-hour limits are a major obstacle to making the device’s battery function as a mobile UPS.