# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Logs

• Participants discussed building DIY Scanning Tunneling Microscopes (STM), sharing resources like geocities.com/spm_stm and sxm4.uni-muenster.de, with detailed technical conversations about piezoelectric actuators, vibration dampening techniques, and the challenges of measuring tunneling current versus other electrical signals.

• A debate emerged on analog versus digital control systems for DIY STM, with arguments that while microcontrollers might be slower than analog circuits, they could still achieve 100kHz control loops on a 20MHz AVR controller, sufficient for many applications.

• A user successfully modified Nanoengineer-1 molecular design software to run in a virtual machine by disabling hardware acceleration and patching source files, noting the software has well-designed mechanical components but suffers from architectural complexity.

• Cognitive enhancement was discussed, with one user reporting interesting effects from combining yerba mate with noopept and Cognizin (citicoline) supplements.

• BGI-Shenzhen's acquisition of Complete Genomics for $117.6 million was analyzed, with context that Complete Genomics had previously raised approximately $91M in venture capital plus $74M in an IPO.

• The community discussed the FBI's collaboration with the DIYbio community, referencing annual meetings with transcripts available at diyhpl.us/wiki/transcripts/fbi-diybio-2012/.

• Philosophical aspects of transhumanism were debated, including cognitive materialism, the finite nature of possible thoughts, and concerns about transhumanism being portrayed as elitist in popular media.