- A 44-second Balenciaga-themed synthetic-biology video (https://youtu.be/BtO8C5ZnUi4) was shared as an example of pop-culture engagement with bio-design.

- Discussion of the EU’s proposed CSA law to mandate client-side scanning and effectively break end-to-end encryption, with participants criticizing the policy as technically regressive and decades behind current internet architecture (Wired article: https://www.wired.com/story/europe-break-encryption-leaked-document-csa-law/).

- A search for a concise verb to describe the new cognitive activity of using large language models for open-ended research and ideation; after rejecting “surfing,” “chatting,” and “writing,” the group settled on “muse,” noting its etymology of “to stand with one’s nose in the air” while pondering.

- Open-source spectroscopy resources were highlighted: the long-running Hackaday Open Spectrometer project (https://hackaday.io/project/1342-open-spectrometer) and the OpenRAMAN initiative (https://www.open-raman.org/) were recommended as starting points for DIY Raman spectroscopy builds.

- Participants recalled a precedent in which a high-school student successfully built a Raman spectrometer ~15 years ago, reinforcing the feasibility of low-cost, community-driven analytical chemistry.