# Key Technical and Conceptual Points from IRC Discussions

• An OpenSpectrometer project is being developed using a Propeller microcontroller with 8 cores, chosen for its accessibility compared to FPGA/CPLD programming, alongside work on microfluidics and DNA synthesis/manipulation.

• BRL-CAD was recommended as superior to OpenSCAD and OpenCascade (used by FreeCAD), with practical applications including designing a microfluidic cell sorter, though it lacks full NURBS geometry support.

• Multiple DIY PCR machine designs were cataloged, including OpenPCR, lightbulb PCR, Griessen PCR, AirCycler, laser droplet PCR, and Lava-Amp, providing options for biohackers and researchers.

• A DIY orbital shaker for laboratory use was shared, built for approximately $275 (versus commercial $3,000 versions), capable of holding up to 31 plates per layer and particularly suitable for tissue culture applications.

• Pdfparanoia, an open-source tool for removing watermarks from academic papers, was updated with support for SPIE documents, though with some technical limitations causing text deletion.

• Data serialization security in Python was discussed, with warnings about vulnerabilities in pickle and YAML, and recommendations for safer alternatives to cPickle.

• Genetic modification techniques for embryos were debated, including sperm-mediated gene transfer, viral vectors, and somatic nuclear transfer, with discussion of whether fertility clinics are performing such procedures.