# Key Points from IRC Log

• A discussion about nucleic acids and molecular biology clarified that nucleic acids consist of nucleotides (which include a base, sugar, and phosphate), with nucleotides forming base pairs in DNA structures - highlighting the distinction between the information-carrying bases and the structural backbone.

• Bruce Perens' Open Hardware wiki catalog (wiki.openhardware.org) was criticized for using a wiki-based approach rather than a more structured, machine-readable format for cataloging open hardware projects, with discussion about the limitations of this approach for data accessibility.

• A technical conversation about detecting human contact with an electric fence proposed using the human body as part of a voltage divider circuit, with suggestions to use optoisolators to safely interface with an Arduino for detection.

• There was discussion about Box2D being available in JavaScript (box2dweb), potentially useful for physics simulations in web applications.

• A novel indoor farming technique from Dutch PlantLab was shared (via Singularity Hub), which uses no sunlight or windows while requiring less water to produce better food.

• A skeptical discussion occurred about claims that some people maintain permanent electrostatic charges that can interfere with electronic devices, with participants agreeing this is likely pseudoscience and easily testable.