# Key Points from IRC Log

• Charlie Stross predicted in 1993 that "the era of mass production will grind to dust on a million back-yard manufacturing systems," showing early recognition of distributed manufacturing concepts that would later become central to maker movements.

• The conversation referenced Biocyte (later PharmaStem), which opened the first umbilical cord stem cell cryonic storage facility, allowing parents to store newborn stem cells for future bone marrow replenishment and gene therapy.

• Several discussions focused on personalized medicine and genomics, including mentions of 23andMe, DNA Direct, and "genetic benefit management companies" that are emerging to manage genetic testing utilization for insurers.

• Michel Bauwens was referenced regarding "the emergence of open design and open manufacturing," highlighting the growing interest in open-source approaches to physical production.

• A user shared progress on getting their CNC machine working with EMC2 software, representing practical implementation of digital fabrication tools.

• The group discussed NanoSpire's technology for "cutting, drilling, welding, hammering, and annealing materials only a few nanometers in size by harnessing cavitation microjets," showing interest in nanoscale manufacturing.

• There was critical discussion of a Kickstarter campaign for BioCurious (a biotech hackerspace) that had only raised $750 of its $30,000 goal, with particular skepticism about the $1,000 reward tier.

• The conversation revealed connections between early internet/open source pioneers and the Extropian movement, suggesting significant overlap between these communities in the 1990s.