# Summary of #hplusroadmap IRC Log (Jan 6, 2015)

* A discussion about programming languages took place, with kragen noting that TCL is powerful for metaprogramming but has "shitty semantics" and is "terrible at building abstractions" because lists are just parsed strings and arrays aren't first-class objects.

* Heath recommended Elm (http://elm-lang.org/) as a good starting language for learning functional programming concepts, noting it lacks many Haskell features but helps users become familiar with pure functions and recursion.

* A user mentioned wanting to create an Idris port of ImplicitCAD, with Heath sharing a relevant paper on effects in programming (http://eb.host.cs.st-andrews.ac.uk/drafts/effects.pdf).

* Heath shared a SynBioBeta year-in-review link for synthetic biology developments in 2014 (http://synbiobeta.com/year-review-2014/).

* Kanzure shared a detailed guide on securing SSH configurations (https://stribika.github.io/2015/01/04/secure-secure-shell.html), which prompted discussion about the need for better security defaults.

* A theoretical discussion occurred about information storage density, comparing DNA storage (approximately 5.6×10^15 bits per cubic centimeter) to the theoretical Bekenstein-bound storage (approximately 1.6×10^38 bits in the same volume).

* Kanzure shared a critique of modern biology research, arguing that biology has historically been theoretical but has recently become less focused on foundational questions and more driven by "glamour journals" and health science trends.

* Users discussed the Intel Compute Stick (http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/compute-stick/intel-compute-stick.html), a new small form-factor computing device.