http://www.the-scientist.com/?articl...ounterculture/

Opinion: Science Counterculture
On taking DIYbio to the next level

….Open-source software paved the way for a new, community-driven development model by providing a product that was free to use and modify. This in turn fostered a business culture that was driven by support-services. That open-source principles could also herald a new era in biology was demonstrated by the successful completion of the publicly funded Human Genome Project more than a decade ago. Today, that same open, community-driven mindset continues to drive much research in the life sciences….

Soon after the human genome sequence was published, biohackers and do-it-yourself biology (DIYbio) groups came onto the scene. Among the first to demonstrate the feasibility of garage biology was…. (here it should say Reverett123 but it does not….)

….Countercultural movements are evidence of a society’s diversity and vitality. Many of the biggest advances in science have come from people outside or on the fringes of the science establishment. The emerging DIYbio community could become the incubator that nurtures the next generation’s technologies and public scientists. For this to happen, DIY biologists will need to band together to gain the critical mass necessary to support the open-source development of biological techniques, equipment, and experimental methods.

We can do this.

Technological improvements/price reductions in everything from computers to microscopes means that we have or can get or can make the equipment to do proper science. In particular, it means we can improve our quality of life.

Things I'm looking at:
- hands off 24/7 measurement of Parkinson's symptoms.
- tremor reduction through negative feedback to electrical activity in the arm;
- measurement of levodopa content of foods.

What are other people working on?

If you're not involved in something, why not?

(In my opinion, the only good answers to this are that you're so debilitated by PD that you don't have the energy to do anything other than looking after yourself and your family and keeping your job; you're fully committed to support and advocacy work.)

John