# Key Points from #hplusroadmap IRC Discussion (August 19, 2014)

• Ultra Wide Band (UWB) RF technology development may have been limited by NSA involvement, according to a shared article discussing how this promising wireless technology was potentially suppressed.

• Silicon-based and fluorinated surfactants were discussed for their exceptional properties, including chemical inertia, mechanical resistance, and ability to reduce surface tension to extremely low levels (15 mN/m).

• Transcriptic's lab automation platform documentation was released, featuring DNA assembly APIs and liquid handling capabilities, though some participants criticized aspects of their API design.

• The conversation highlighted ongoing challenges with codec patent pools (particularly MPEG-2), which continue to require licensing fees even after most patents expire, creating barriers for open-source development.

• Bikanta, a startup using nanodiamonds as "miniature flashlights" for medical imaging and cancer detection, was mentioned as targeting the $12 billion imaging probe market.

• Participants debated whether biologists should learn programming or whether systems should be designed to accommodate biologists without requiring technical expertise, highlighting the interdisciplinary challenges in computational biology.

• Several open-source bioinformatics resources were discussed, with commentary on the outdated state of many bioinformatics interfaces that still rely on Java applets and Perl/CGI scripts.

• The economics of shipping was explored, with the insight that interest rates affect ship engine design decisions—lower rates enable smaller engines or more fuel-efficient operation as cargo interest costs become less significant relative to fuel costs.