# IRC Log Summary - November 1, 2011

* A discussion about building scanning tunneling microscopes (STMs) occurred, with one user seeking advice on designing a coarse positioning circuit, considering stepper motors and screws as alternatives to expensive tubular piezo components.

* Several crowdfunding platforms were discussed (Kickstarter, Indiegogo, RocketHub), with kanzure expressing skepticism about the reliability of crowdfunding and suggesting the need for a microformat to track grant proposals.

* Notable crowdfunded science projects were shared, including a magnetic nerve stimulator prototype, an ancient Roman DNA project, and low-cost seismic sensors (http://www.rockethub.com/projects/).

* ImplicitCAD, a new constructive solid geometry (CSG) system written in Haskell, was highlighted (https://github.com/colah/ImplicitCAD), potentially offering alternatives to STL triangle meshes for 3D printing.

* DARPA's "Cyber Fast Track" program was mentioned, which aims to leverage small organizations, boutiques, hacker spaces and maker labs to address cybersecurity issues (http://www.cft.usma.edu/).

* The Open Hardware Journal was shared (http://ohj.perens.net/OpenHardwareJournal_2011_11.pdf), representing efforts to formalize open hardware development.

* A brief discussion about trehalose as a potential over-the-counter caloric restriction mimetic occurred, with a suggestion to ask about it on imminst.org.