# Summary of #hplusroadmap IRC Log (Sept 4, 2009)

* A discussion about scientific hype in academia noted that labs at Tier-I research universities often stretch the truth in presentations, with a participant stating that "their product is actually what they can put in Powerpoint, not what is reality" - a strategy that works despite its questionable ethics.

* Andrew Hessel's "Pink Army" presentation was shared (http://adl.serveftp.org/sweden%20SALSS%20%20august%2021%202009.mov), likely related to his open-source biotechnology initiatives.

* A debate occurred about magnetic monopoles, with one user sharing news about scientists claiming to have identified them, while another argued this was merely "finessing the definition of 'monopole'" and sensationalist journalism.

* Resources for DIY manufacturing were discussed, including a paper on "Automated generation of interactive 3D exploded view diagrams" and discussions about photolithography equipment that could potentially be built for a few hundred dollars.

* Several DIY project resources were shared, including instructions for homemade delta robots, book scanners, DIY forge construction (with reference to backyardmetalcasting forums), and potential first projects for SKDB (an open-source hardware/manufacturing framework).

* The conversation touched on technical aspects of SKDB implementation, including Python dependencies, with users discussing the challenges of setting up the development environment.