# Key Points from IRC Log (December 25, 2015)

• Researchers shared an article about "Open Labware" that discusses 3D printing lab equipment, including a link to instructions for building a simple venturi vacuum pump made from pipettes.

• A new study revealed that tardigrades (water bears) survive desiccation by turning their cellular contents into glass, a process that could have implications for preservation technologies.

• Materials scientists at Pennsylvania State University developed a new transparent, electrically conductive "correlated metal" that could replace expensive indium tin oxide (ITO) in displays, potentially making screens more affordable and enabling new technologies like "smart windows."

• Archive.org was noted as preserving historical technology resources, including files from Xerox PARC's FTP server such as "tube.c," related to computational nanotechnology.

• The conversation referenced historical operating systems written in Pascal, including Oberon, with a side discussion about early MacOS development techniques.

• Jason Scott's "FUCK THE CLOUD" article was referenced, highlighting concerns about data preservation and ownership in cloud computing environments.