# Key Transhumanist and Technical Discussions Summary

• SKDB (Software Knowledge Database) was discussed as a potential hardware package management system, though it was criticized for having "monolithic architecture issues," with suggestions that Debian's package infrastructure provides a better model for hardware management.

• Python-BRLCAD (https://github.com/kanzure/python-brlcad) was shared as a tool for representing and manipulating geometry for hardware packaging, alongside a Ruby gem for BRL-CAD available at http://www.roantrail.com/tovero/.

• DIYbio (do-it-yourself biology) resources were shared, including a FAQ at http://diyhpl.us/wiki/diybio/faq/ explaining biohacking as molecular biology experimentation outside traditional laboratory settings, and a collection of biology papers at http://diyhpl.us/~bryan/papers2/bio/.

• The technical limitations of luminescence in genetically modified plants were briefly discussed in the context of glowing plants as a biohacking project.

• A researcher expressed ethical concerns about pre-publication scientific papers being leaked without permission, highlighting tensions in academic publishing and information sharing within open science communities.

• Cryopreservation was mentioned as a practical technology being adopted despite financial barriers, with one user claiming to have taken out a loan to cryopreserve their mother.

• Cognitive enhancement was referenced with mention of a "Futurological Congress" and nootropics including "DHEA, racetams, and L-theanines," indicating ongoing interest in cognitive enhancement within the transhumanist community.