# Key Points from IRC Log

• A discussion about the MtGox Bitcoin exchange hack occurred, with mentions that user passwords were leaked and transactions were rolled back after someone manipulated prices to $0.01. Several channel members were notified their accounts appeared in the leak.

• Participants debated Bitcoin security vulnerabilities, with some arguing the problem wasn't Bitcoin itself but implementation issues like unencrypted wallets and exchange security, while others criticized Bitcoin's economic model as "wasting electricity."

• A resource called FundingTrends.org was shared, which tracks research funding across different fields, showing cancer research at approximately $70T and stem cell research at $2.4T total funding.

• A paper about a low-cost plasma focus device was mentioned, notable for operating at the lowest voltage among reported plasma foci and costing only about $20 USD for its capacitor bank.

• A discussion about security expert Bruce Schneier noted his evolution from focusing primarily on encryption to recognizing encryption is "just a tiny part of the whole security equation" around 2003.

• There was a brief conversation about open hardware development, with someone sharing a DIY keyboard project on GitHub, highlighting how hardware developers are using software platforms for open hardware projects.