- Anders Sandberg suggested that SKDB (Semantic Knowledge Database) could be modeled with LEGO bricks; fenn demonstrated a working LEGO demo and was urged to speak with Eric Drexler about open-source hardware for lab automation.  
- fenn questioned the viability of the new venture retro.bio, noting it resembles the failed Halcyon Molecular and wondering how to secure George Church’s co-authorship on papers.  
- Recent papers on “in-situ genome sequencing” (ExSEQ/ExM) were highlighted: expansion-microscopy hydrogels enlarge tissue so DNA/RNA can be read in place, resolving both sequence and 3-D structure.  
- Vesuvius eruption vitrified human brains in 79 CE, preserving neuronal morphology; the discovery was discussed in NEJM and PLOS ONE and linked to brain-preservation advocacy.  
- Effective Accelerationism (“e/acc”) meet-ups were announced for a Genesis House in San Francisco; attendees include Sam Altman and other Silicon Valley figures, with fenn nominated as the resident skeptic.  
- A new Cell paper reports generating post-gastrulation synthetic mouse embryos ex utero from naïve ESCs, extending synthetic-embryo research beyond the blastocyst stage.  
- Google and GlobalFoundries open-sourced a 180 nm PDK under Google’s silicon initiative, lowering barriers for open-source chip design.  
- fenn sought Anki decks or flashcards to memorize neurotransmitter structures, precursors, and drug analogues, lamenting the “word salad” of biochemical nomenclature.  
- Discussion of cryptocurrency skepticism: Taleb’s “bitcoin is nothing” tweet, sidechains vs. drivechains, and the complexity of Lightning Network as a scaling layer.  
- Practical anonymity techniques were debated—Monero, Tor-only VPS hosting, porkbun domains—along with the difficulty of maintaining pseudonymous reputation without legal identity.