# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Log (May 13, 2012)

• Participants discussed technical challenges with matplotlib and MCMC sampling, noting unexpected memory consumption issues (5GB) when creating histograms from 10,000 data points, highlighting computational limitations in data analysis tools.

• A career transition trend was evident as users shared experiences moving from wet lab work to bioinformatics, particularly focusing on next-generation sequencing data parsing.

• The group discussed lab automation and open-source equipment development, specifically mentioning microfluidic DNA synthesizer projects and water-in-oil emulsions technology.

• SIGGRAPH 2012 papers were highlighted as particularly innovative, with special attention to Cem Yuksel's "Stitch Meshes" paper (http://www.cemyuksel.com/research/stitchmeshes/), suggesting interest in advanced computational fabrication techniques.

• Participants expressed skepticism about GnuBio's claims of being an "open-source genome sequencing startup," questioning their actual contributions to open-source technology.

• The SpaceX launch (scheduled for May 19th) discussion clarified NASA's funding model, noting that investments were contingent on delivery rather than taking equity positions.

• A startup funding metric was shared from Hacker News suggesting that successful startups with strong performance metrics should expect approximately 20% of pitches to convert to actual funding.