# Key Ideas from #hplusroadmap IRC Discussion

• Participants discussed carbon nanohoops as a promising technology for creating long carbon nanotubes, sharing research from PhysOrg that suggests potential breakthroughs in this area.

• The group critiqued the Order of Cosmic Engineers (OCE) for positioning itself as an engineering-focused transhumanist organization while producing little actual engineering output.

• A significant portion of the conversation explored creating an open source hardware packaging system modeled after software package managers like apt-get, with potential integration with fab labs and manufacturing technologies.

• Participants debated business models for open source manufacturing, comparing it to successful software models like Cygnus, while discussing challenges in finding investors who understand open source hardware principles.

• The concept of dependency trees for self-replicating manufacturing systems was explored, extending beyond software dependencies to include physical manufacturing instructions and recipes.

• The group discussed minimizing "exogenous components" in fabrication systems, debating whether to focus on mechanical assembly or the complete manufacturing chain in pursuit of more self-sufficient production systems.

• References were made to Andrew Hessel's work on open source biotech cancer treatments and TinkerCell as a graphical gene/biobrick editor, highlighting interest in open source approaches to biotechnology.