# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Discussion

• Participants discussed GPCR (G protein-coupled receptor) reporters for pharmaceutical development and directed evolution feedback systems, exploring potential applications in mammalian cells.

• Genome sequencing tools were compared, with BWA alignment software being preferred over Bowtie (which struggles with insertions/deletions), and Velvet being identified as the standard assembler for short reads.

• A DrinkSavvy Indiegogo campaign was shared, showcasing technology designed to detect date rape drugs in beverages, though details about the detection mechanism weren't fully explained.

• Technical programming language limitations were debated, including Java's UTF-16 implementation issues and Python's Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) preventing true multithreading capabilities.

• A researcher described their work reverse engineering and creating open libraries for various devices, including the Emotiv EEG headset (emokit) and adult entertainment hardware (librealtouch).

• OpenMosix-derived Linux PMI technology for distributed computing was mentioned, with applications in image database processing and heat simulation.

• CAD software workflow challenges were discussed, with one participant running SolidWorks and other CAD programs (AutoCAD, CATIA, Pro/Engineer) in virtual machines to avoid Windows filesystem corruption.