# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Discussion

• Participants explored sustainable funding models for DIY labs and hackerspaces, including pottery production ($260/day potential), electric car conversions ($4k profit per vehicle), and selling reagents as a side business, with discussion of structuring operations as separate educational and scientific non-profit organizations.

• A researcher shared information about a patented method for immortalizing stem cells using CDK-1 gene manipulation that allows cells to be implanted without causing cancer, noting the challenge that immortalized cells typically multiply faster than normal cells.

• Technical discussions covered micro-manufacturing technologies, including a shoebox-sized three-axis CNC milling machine programmable in G-code, with participants sharing papers on microfactory development and noting that STM lithography can achieve finer detail for a few hundred dollars compared to more expensive industrial methods.

• One participant mentioned connecting with Ed Boyden (likely from MIT Media Lab) and potentially taking over an OpenStim project being completed by one of Boyden's lab students, indicating ongoing collaboration in neurotechnology research.

• The group discussed creative repurposing of technology, including using computer DDR memory chips (acquired at $50 for 10GB) as 32meg×8 storage for AVR-based microcontroller projects instead of buying more expensive flash memory.

• Detailed technical knowledge was shared about bicycle maintenance, specifically bearing adjustment techniques for tapered roller bearings, demonstrating the community's practical engineering expertise alongside their theoretical discussions.