# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Discussions

• Hal Finney's significant role in Bitcoin development was highlighted, including being the recipient of the first Bitcoin transaction and his continued contributions despite his ALS diagnosis, with one developer noting the remarkable situation of "a decentralized cryptocurrency, and one of its developers exists in brain-in-a-jar state."

• Concerns were raised about human gene patents ahead of a Supreme Court case (Association of Molecular Pathologists v. Myriad Genetics), with discussion about the ACLU's claim that "more than 40 percent of genes are now patented" and potential contingency plans for mirroring NCBI genetic databases.

• Participants identified how proprietary medical coding systems like CPT (Current Procedural Terminology) create significant barriers for open-source electronic medical record systems, undermining healthcare information interoperability efforts.

• Technical discussions about NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational Basis Splines) surface-surface intersection algorithms included sharing of implementations and resources like "The NURBS Book," reflecting ongoing work to improve open-source CAD software capabilities.

• Amazon's service-oriented architecture was examined, highlighting Bezos's mandate that all teams communicate exclusively via network services, requiring a universal service registry system for programmatic discovery of services, APIs, and status information.

• The channel showed interest in DIY biology and open science events, including "DIY Bio: Open hardware meets open science" by London BioHackers and discussions about alternative metrics for scientific impact assessment.