- UK government is reportedly planning to monetize “anonymised” health and personal data, prompting warnings that de-identification is often trivial to reverse and that such datasets will inevitably be sold to private interests.  
- Participants argue that large-scale government AI deployments—such as camera networks to detect potholes—are more likely to expand surveillance than deliver promised efficiencies, citing chronic under-delivery and cost overruns in public-sector tech projects.  
- The discussion frames national health-service databases as a cautionary tale for U.S. audiences, asking whether citizens should trust any state with lifetime medical records when financial incentives exist to commercialize them.  
- A Frontiers in Physiology paper (10.3389/fphys.2023.1215686/full) on an under-funded therapeutic approach was shared as an example of promising science languishing for lack of resources.  
- Color e-ink on the reMarkable tablet was judged underwhelming; participants compared its muted output and $250 premium to the still-functional, inexpensive Nook Simple Touch and discussed extracting legacy Android APKs before repositories disappear.