# Key Points from IRC Log

• A paper on dendritic spines was shared, featuring detailed microscopy images of neural structures: http://biorxiv.org/content/biorxiv/early/2015/03/11/016329.full.pdf

• Nick Johnson announced an upcoming Kickstarter for an Arduino-compatible DDS signal generator and frequency counter, with discussion about temperature-compensated crystal oscillators (TCXO) versus oven-controlled crystal oscillators (OCXO) for frequency accuracy.

• Google announced the shutdown of Google Code, prompting discussion about code repository sustainability, with concerns about GitHub potentially becoming a monopoly and the problem of link rot for abandoned projects.

• A NASA report was mentioned indicating that 34% of gamma ray emission sources remain unidentified, according to their data.

• Research from the Burke Laboratories was shared about an automated chemical synthesis platform that uses MIDA boronate handles to enable iterative coupling and deprotection cycles for creating organic small molecules, described in a Science paper as a "chemistry 3D printer" for crafting rare medicinal molecules.

• Discussion about the importance of archiving digital content, with concerns that many people incorrectly assume cloud services will permanently preserve their data, while in reality important information and code can be lost when services shut down.