# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Discussion

• Early augmented reality technology was discussed, specifically Steve Mann's work on glasses that enabled viewing different spectral bands like infrared, though users noted the prohibitive cost of passive IR receivers (approximately £1k for InGaAs sensors from Hamamatsu).

• Users shared a cost-effective method to access academic journals by registering as a non-degree student at Portland State University for $27, providing immediate access to IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, Nature Publishing Group, and other subscription services.

• A patented system for automatically generating thousands of books for Amazon was discussed, with users noting the unusually high pricing of these auto-generated publications (some priced at $400).

• The conversation included a technical comparison of data formats, with YAML being praised for human readability compared to XML, though concerns were raised about YAML's lack of canonical sort order making version control diffs more difficult.

• Users debated server performance metrics, noting that Windows Server 2003 could handle 70,000 active TCP connections, while Urban Airship achieved 37,000 connections using Python with eventlet.

• The group discussed alternative career paths in science, weighing the costs of formal academic education ($20k/year) against direct employment with self-directed research, particularly in fields like chemistry versus programming.