# Summary of #hplusroadmap IRC Discussion (Jan 20, 2017)

* A brief philosophical debate occurred about the role of propaganda in technological advancement, with some arguing that major technological achievements like the Apollo program were primarily motivated by propaganda and resource allocation, while others rejected this deterministic view.

* Discussion of self-replicating machine schematics and programmable polymerase was mentioned briefly, suggesting interest in synthetic biology applications.

* Kanzure shared links to research papers on cognitive neuroprostheses, specifically Theodore Berger's work on memory facilitation in primate hippocampus and restoration of cognitive function in prefrontal cortex.

* A technical discussion about dopamine transporters took place, referencing the membrane-spanning proteins that pump dopamine out of synapses back into cytosol.

* A link was shared to a Hacker News discussion about a timeline of organisms that have had their genomes sequenced, indicating interest in genomics progress.

* A technical Linux question was raised about creating shell aliases or path modifications to intercept program calls and add additional parameters.