# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Discussion

• Researchers developed an acoustic tractor beam (published in Physical Review Letters), complementing earlier work on laser-based tractor beams and optical tweezers for manipulating small objects.

• A major security incident occurred with TrueCrypt encryption software, whose developers abruptly discontinued it with a cryptic message recommending users migrate to BitLocker, sparking speculation about security vulnerabilities or government pressure.

• Participants discussed alternative approaches to antibiotics research, including targeting bacteria-specific protein kinases and phage therapy, as solutions to growing antibiotic resistance.

• The conversation highlighted significant barriers to scientific innovation, including the $400M cost for pharmaceutical development (patents, FDA licensing) and restricted access to academic journals, which has created what was described as a "black market for scholarly papers."

• Technical discussions covered cryptocurrency technologies (brainwallets, Stratum mining protocol, OpenTransactions), 3D modeling software limitations (BRL-CAD vs. commercial CAD programs), and digital archiving techniques using the WARC file format.

• The ISEE-3 Reboot Project successfully established two-way communication with the ISEE-3 spacecraft and began commanding it, with plans to potentially return it to Earth orbit.

• Participants noted the historical significance of the "extropians" mailing list (1980s-1990s) as a private forum where transhumanist ideas developed before being popularized by figures like Ray Kurzweil and Vernor Vinge.