Genetic testing brings families together: And sometimes tears them apart
Thousands of people use 23andMe to seek out long-lost family members. They're not always prepared for what they find. And new changes to the service's settings could lead to even more of these revelations.
Hasnain says:
"As the market grows and more and more people log in, services like 23andMe may well become the Google of our personal genetics. Except instead of acting as the gatekeeper for a search query on how to cook a steak, they will be the guardians of our collective DNA. With quiet changes to their privacy settings, the company is already determining whether and how we have family secrets revealed and how we learn about our histories. It's already controlling the narrative of our genes"
Posted on 2014-09-10T01:46:38+0000
With genetic testing, I gave my parents the gift of divorce
One biologist's story of how genetic testing broke his family apart.
Hasnain says:
"At first, I was thinking this is the coolest genetics story, my own personal genetics story. I wasn't particularly upset about it initially, until the rest of the family found out. Their reaction was different. Years of repressed memories and emotions uncorked and resulted in tumultuous times that have torn my nuclear family apart. My parents divorced. No one is talking to my dad. We're not anywhere close to being healed yet and I don't know how long it will take to put the pieces back together. "
Posted on 2014-09-10T01:45:31+0000
Microsoft Near Deal to Buy Minecraft Maker Mojang
Microsoft is in serious discussions to buy Mojang, the Swedish company behind the popular "Minecraft" videogame, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
Steve Ballmer did not write the text for the blue screen of death - The Old New Thing - Site...
Somehow, it ended up widely reported that Steve Ballmer wrote the blue screen of death. And all of those articles cited my article titled "Who wrote the text for the Ctrl+Alt+Del dialog in Windows 3.1?" Somehow, everybody decided to ignore that I wrote "Ctrl+Alt+Del dialog" and replace it with what…
Hasnain says:
The amount of mis-reporting in news can be quite scary.
Posted on 2014-09-09T16:36:19+0000
Google's Perks Are So Amazing, Employees Have Found Ways To Secretly Live On Campus And Avoid...
Why bother paying rent when you can shower...
Hasnain says:
This takes the lazy/cheap software engineer thing to a whole next level.
Posted on 2014-09-09T16:05:40+0000
All About Circuits : Free Electric Circuits & Electronics Textbooks
Welcome to All About Circuits This site provides a series of online textbooks covering electricity and electronics. The information provided is great for both students and hobbyists who are looking to expand their knowledge in this field. These textbooks were written by Tony R. Kuphaldt and released…
Creddle
Creddle helps you make beautiful, modern, paper-friendly web résumés.
How Andreessen Horowitz is Disrupting Silicon Valley
Just over the crest of the highest point on Sand Hill Road, amid a cluster of relaxed buildings that could easily pass a…
How a 19th Century Math Genius Taught Us The Best Way To Hold a Pizza Slice | Science Blogs | WIRED
Why does bending a pizza slice help you eat it? How does a mantis shrimp's punch use a Pringles chip? A surprising geometrical link between curvature and strength.
So Bill Gates Has This Idea for a History Class ...
Should one of the world’s richest men get to dictate the future of how we learn about our past?
Hasnain says:
"‘Most kids experience school as one damn course after another; there’s nothing to build connections between the courses that they take.’"
Posted on 2014-09-07T03:29:30+0000