# Key Points from IRC Discussion on Transhumanism and Open Hardware

• The IRC channel discussed SKDB (Software Knowledge Database), a proposed system for hardware package management with dependency resolution similar to apt-get but for physical components, with participants planning a proof-of-concept implementation focusing on a small set of initial packages.

• Users shared technical resources for open hardware development, including MCAD (GitHub repository with OpenSCAD models for components like NEMA motors and bearings) and GitDuino, a platform for sharing hardware designs with standardized metadata.

• The conversation highlighted the technical challenges of creating metadata standards and dependency resolution for hardware components, with participants noting that graph theory for dependencies is simpler than the integration challenges of physical components.

• There was discussion about memristors and their potential to accelerate brain simulation technology, with one user suggesting they could enable "rudimentary rat brains in the next 5 years" and potentially accelerate Kurzweil's singularity timeline.

• Users analyzed the historical popularity of the term "memes" (coined by Richard Dawkins in 1976) using Google Trends and Ngram data, noting its significant growth during the early web era.

• The channel shared mainstream media coverage of transhumanism, specifically a Washington Post article about Peter Thiel's investments in transhumanist technologies, indicating growing public awareness of the movement.

• A video of a biohacking talk at London Hackspace was shared, demonstrating the growing intersection between DIY biology and hacker communities.