# Summary of IRC Log from Jan 29, 2010

• A discussion about political opinion systems included mention of Canonizer, a tool for tracking consensus, and a proposed reputation system using Bayesian methods for coordinating between headquarters and local chapters.

• Significant research on cell reprogramming was shared, highlighting a paradigm shift in developmental biology where fibroblasts can be directly converted to neurons in one week with higher efficiency compared to the month-long iPSC process.

• Several resources on knowledge ecosystems were shared, including papers on open-scale economics (http://panarchy.com/Members/PaulBHartzog/Papers/TYF_06%20econ%20openScale.pdf) and future knowledge ecosystems (http://www.iftf.org/files/deliverables/SR-1236%20Future%20Knowledge%20Ecosystems.pdf).

• Open hardware projects were discussed, including the MakerScan project (http://abarry.org/stereo/), which uses a PIC microcontroller for 3D scanning, and updates to the Open Source Ecology project's compressed earth block press (http://openfarmtech.org/weblog/).

• Participants shared information about the electrical properties of materials, noting that epoxy has a voltage standoff rating of approximately 20kV/mm, which is relevant for DIY electronics projects.

• The UK government's open data initiative (http://data.gov.uk/) was mentioned, noting it was advised by Tim Berners-Lee, showing interest in open government data.

• Research on the relationship between blood glucose levels and future-oriented thinking was discussed, suggesting that higher glucose levels correlate with more abstract, future-focused cognition.