- Petals (https://github.com/bigscience-workshop/petals) was highlighted as a BitTorrent-style system that lets individuals run 100 B+ parameter language models at home with up to 10× faster fine-tuning and inference than traditional off-loading.  
- A low-cost, non-prescription wound-closure device (DermaQuik) was discussed; participants noted it can be improvised with UV-cure glue, fresh band-aids, and zip ties for field use.  
- The 2023 NaNoGenMo competition (https://nanogenmo.github.io/) was shared as a venue for fully computer-generated novels, prompting debate on whether writing “a plan to save the world” would be more useful than unread fiction.  
- Concerns were raised about machine-generated junk on arXiv, referencing the historical SCIgen fake-paper generator and speculating on the current percentage of AI-authored submissions.  
- A Sinclair-lab Cell paper (https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(22)01570-7) was circulated, reporting that loss of epigenetic information drives aging in mice and that restoration can reverse it—framed as progress toward “robust mouse rejuvenation.”  
- A PhD thesis topic was briefly described as investigating how astrocytes influence spiking neural-network simulations, underscoring growing interest in glial roles in computational neuroscience.  
- A viral tweet juxtaposing “autonomous self-driving vehicles vs CRISPR horse” sparked jokes about biotech branding, with an Apple-logo-on-the-chest quip.  
- Participants alluded to a brewing controversy involving Nick Bostrom and Anders Sandberg, calling it a “perfect Shiri’s scissor” placed to maximize harm, though details were deliberately withheld.