# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Log (August 20, 2010)

• A Japanese transhumanist community of approximately 100 members was identified on the Mixi social network, with the unexpected detail that a Raelian was serving as the group organizer, suggesting interesting cross-pollination between transhumanist and Raelian philosophies in Japan.

• Jason Bobe shared a draft letter to the bioethics.gov commission regarding DIYbio regulation, which was criticized for apparently not incorporating previous community recommendations and feedback.

• Ray Kurzweil's formal response to PZ Myers' critique "Ray Kurzweil Does Not Understand the Brain" was shared and discussed, highlighting ongoing debates about the scientific validity of Kurzweil's brain modeling theories.

• Participants discussed technical challenges with OpenNURBS visualization, particularly the significant rendering problems with BREP (Boundary Representation) models compared to mesh models, exploring alternative approaches including OpenCascade's tools and implementations in PythonCAD.

• The Kartik M. Gada Humanitarian Innovation Prize was discussed with some skepticism, as the $80,000 funding for RepRap improvements had not yet been secured, though a smaller $18,000 prize was confirmed to exist.

• The upcoming Open Hardware Summit (http://openhardwaresummit.org/) was highlighted as an important event for the community interested in open-source hardware development.