# Summary of #hplusroadmap IRC Conversation (April 9, 2009)

• Kanzure mentioned working with DARPP-32, a "potent" inhibitor of PP1 (Protein Phosphatase 1), which is involved in the regulation of forgetting, and shared a bibliography of 60 references on the topic.

• Mendeley.com was highlighted as a useful tool for automatic paper metadata extraction and group sharing of academic papers, with Kanzure mentioning he was using it to organize Nature journal articles.

• A discussion about 3D character models for educational purposes emerged, with suggestions to use rigged models like "wiki-tan" or "Maid May" for creating assembly tutorials and demonstrations.

• Participants debated the challenges of programming realistic human movements for virtual characters, noting that people perform unconscious optimizations when manipulating objects that are difficult to replicate.

• The conversation touched on DIY biology techniques, including proper methods for preparing agar plates (pouring non-sterile and then autoclaving to maintain sterility until first use).

• Fenn expressed frustration about the difficulty of creating broadly useful open-source hardware, noting that "all the broadly useful items are already being mass produced."

• The group briefly discussed bioinformatics education, with experienced members advising a new student that self-directed learning and involvement with projects like BioBricks would be more valuable than formal education.