# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Log (Dec 20, 2009)

• Custom electronics manufacturing costs were discussed, with Martyn sharing that his complex 4-layer PCBs cost approximately $2800 for 100 units, with individual microcontrollers at $4 each, highlighting the financial barriers to hardware development.

• Safety concerns in DIY biology were raised through a cautionary tale about a 1994 incident where "Frostban" bacteria accidentally escaped from UC Santa Cruz research fields, resulting in significant NSF fines.

• Participants shared their technical backgrounds, with Kanzure working on transcriptional logic and genetic circuits (http://heybryan.org/genetic-circuits.html) and Martyn discussing his father's research on rhodopsins and phototropic mechanisms in archaebacteria.

• An Arduino-based clock/watch project with surface-mount LEDs was described, with potential expansion to include GPS functionality, demonstrating the community's interest in wearable technology (http://www.igotu.com/hackthebadge).

• A user reported attempting to build a concentrating solar power plant with parabolic collectors on their property but claimed they were forced to stop due to neighbor harassment, highlighting potential social barriers to DIY renewable energy projects.

• The conversation revealed ongoing development of knowledge-sharing platforms for open hardware, comparing SKDB (Software Knowledge Database) with Thingiverse, indicating the community's focus on building infrastructure for collaborative innovation.

• The Zeitgeist Movement was mentioned as driving significant traffic to transhumanist presentation videos, suggesting growing cross-pollination between adjacent futurist communities.