# Key Points from Transhumanist IRC Discussions

• Participants analyzed space exploration challenges, calculating that a 10kg cubesat would require approximately 1800 m/s exhaust velocity to achieve 2500 m/s delta-v with 7.5kg of propellant, highlighting the technical constraints of small satellite deep space missions.

• The group examined cerebellar agenesis research and discussed computational approaches to biological systems, including Microsoft Research projects on stem cell decision-making and the OpenWorm project's progress on complete organism simulation of C. elegans.

• Historical technologies like Roman concrete (using volcanic ash and seawater for durability at lower production temperatures than modern cement) were analyzed alongside modern innovations like optical heterodyning for creating more affordable infrared cameras.

• Participants debated philosophical thought experiments including "Roko's Basilisk" (comparing it to Pascal's Wager) and discussed whether cognitive control loops as described in academic literature could produce general intelligence given sufficient resources.

• The conversation explored cryptocurrency history, noting Wei Dai and Nick Szabo's contributions and debating Satoshi's technical design choices in early Bitcoin code, such as the selection of Wei Dai's SHA256 implementation from Crypto++ despite already requiring OpenSSL.

• Discussions covered robotics development including ESA's exoskeleton telemanipulation systems and PAL Robotics' REEM humanoid robot, with arguments for robot personification (similar to R2D2) to increase public engagement with space exploration missions.