# Key Points from IRC Log (Nov 28, 2012)

• A discussion about Cory Doctorow's talk "The Coming War on General Purpose Computing" was shared, examining the implications of restrictions on computing freedom and general-purpose technology.

• Participants discussed pharmaceutical pricing disparities, noting that some prescription medications in the US cost 200x more than their over-the-counter equivalents in other countries.

• Technical discussion about 3D printed metal parts focused on manufacturing methods like laser sintering, with debate about their structural properties, crystal structure issues, and potential applications in aeronautical parts.

• An article about why GNU grep is fast was shared (http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-current/2010-August/019310.html), along with another analysis of grep performance optimization (http://ridiculousfish.com/blog/posts/old-age-and-treachery.html).

• A controversial telomerase study was referenced (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v469/n7328/full/nature09603.html), criticized for its methodology of disabling telomerase and then reintroducing it while claiming miraculous results.

• A link to an analysis of James Bond villain plans was shared (http://www.vulture.com/2012/11/which-james-bond-villain-plan-would-have-worked.html), examining their potential feasibility.