# Key Points from IRC Discussions on Transhumanist and Technology Topics

• Neural interface technologies were discussed in depth, including techniques where nerve endings from damaged limbs are re-implanted into muscle tissue to enable EMG reading, and recent breakthroughs in restoring limb control to paralyzed patients through electrical stimulation.

• Participants explored historical connections between early electrical experiments and neuroscience, noting how Galvani and Volta's disagreement about electricity in animal tissue led to the invention of the first battery, and how Helmholtz's measurements of nerve signal speed (24.6-38.4 meters/second) in 1849 influenced later technological developments.

• A detailed technical conversation covered building open-source laboratory equipment, including a motorized microscope with laser capabilities that combines Raspberry Pi control with a blue laser for exposing photoresist, with references to the OpenLabTools GitHub repository containing STL files for DIY lab equipment.

• Microcontroller and development board options were compared (AVR chips, ARM-based boards, NXP LPC series), alongside discussions of test equipment like oscilloscopes and logic analyzers, with emphasis on their applications for electronics education and prototyping.

• Quantum physics concepts were debated, particularly regarding virtual particles and pilot wave theory, with participants sharing a paper on "Macroscopic violation of special relativity" demonstrating apparent faster-than-light phenomena through zero phase shift of evanescent modes.

• Participants proposed FDA reform ideas, including separating efficacy and safety requirements, relaxing efficacy standards to reduce trial costs for startups, and implementing a proportional safety testing system based on number of users rather than intended use category.