Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/5039
48 winter 2009 hoW To geT InVolVeD Join the DIYbio mailing list (see Resources). Anyone can join and it's the best way to begin your involvement with DIYbio. You'll want to check out their DIYbio forums, which are growing rapidly. You can also find a local group there and connect with like-minded DIYers. Have a look around the DIYbio.org site, which lists some of the current projects: BioWeatherMaps: "Self-Assembly Required" Flash mobs meet consumer-generated science in the new DIYbio initiative Flashlabs, where they'll be pulling-off a new large-scale collaborative science project annually for amateurs and enthusiasts worldwide. Case in point — the BioWeatherMap initiative is a "global, grassroots, distributed environmental sensing effort aimed at answering some very basic questions about the geographic and temporal distribution patterns of microbial life." SKDB: "Apt-Get for Real Stuff (Hardware)" Skdb is a free and open source hardware package management system. The idea is to let the user "make" a project by using all of the packaged hardware out on the web, so that the wheel isn't reinvented every time a new project is started. The package includes milling machines, gel boxes, semiconductor manufacturing processes, fabratories, robot armies, wetlab protocols... everything. At the moment, they're working on OpenCASCADE integration. Package maintainers from the DIYbio and open manufacturing communities assist others in bringing in projects into the system. Smartlab: "Taking the Work out of Benchwork" Project Smartlab is aiming to build hardware to augment the benchtop science experience. This includes automatic data logging instruments with painless electronic lab book integration, video streaming with "instant replay" features for those "did-I-just-pipette-that-into-the-wrong-tube" moments, and interactive protocol libraries that guide new scientists and the scientifically enthusiastic alike through tricky protocols. The Pearl gel Box: "A Built-In Transilluminator and Casting Box for $199!" Want to get a jump start in DIYbio? The gel electrophoresis box is a basic tool for any DIYbiologist — and they're making kits so you can build your own. The Pearl Gel Box is cutting edge, open-source, and cheap. The participants in this project have created a professional grade gel box, available fully assembled or as free design documents. Plus, they want you to design new features like a built-in light filter or a mount for your digital cam. Make Magazine www.makezine.com Red Hat Appeals to Supreme Court in Bilski Case http://www.linux-magazine.com/Online/News/Bilski-II- Red-Hat-Appeals-to-Supreme-Court-over-Software-Non- Patentabilitys Red Hat Amicus Brief (pdf) http://www.redhat.com/f/pdf/rh-supreme-court-brief.pdf SENS Foundation http://www.sens.org/ MIT's Standard Registry of Biological Parts http://partsregistry.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page DIYbio mailing list http://diybio.org/contact/ DIYbio Forums http://diybio.org/forums/categories.php DIYBio local Groups http://diybio.org/local/ resources