# Summary of IRC Log from January 9, 2014

• A discussion about microfluidics took place, with a user seeking simple on-chip pumping systems to improve reproducibility, noting that external syringe pumps make replication difficult, while user-operated depressable areas on chips could be a simpler solution.

• Detailed technical conversation about ADC/DAC specifications occurred, with users discussing a 12-bit high-speed ADC with 80 MSamples/s capability versus a 16-bit 100 MSamples/s ADC from TI, including considerations about oversampling to achieve more effective bits.

• A user shared their work on spectrometers, machine vision and lithography projects, discussing FPGA options (specifically Cyclone IV) for processing signals in real-time at 100MHz sampling rate for 2MHz pulses.

• There was a brief discussion about synthesizing etanercept (a fusion protein used for arthritis treatment), noting it could be produced using standard CHO mammalian cell lines without requiring specialized techniques.

• Users discussed Retroshare as a secure communication tool, with one user mentioning they've successfully convinced peers and family to use it, particularly after the Snowden leaks, as it provides an accessible way to implement public key encryption.

• A reference was made to a story about clothing causing electronic equipment failures, specifically mentioning David Agans's "Debugging" book which describes a plaid shirt causing a video encoding hardware system to crash.