What’s In Your DNA? #19

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted November 25, 2007 in In Your DNA

Lazy Iguana on Man DNA:

…somewhere, buried deep in my DNA, is a gene that creates a protein that compels me to break things, then try to fix them again.

Neptune Baby on shopping:

What the heck is wrong with me? It’s my mom’s fault. She’s a shop-o-holic too so I always blame her. I swear it’s in my DNA.

Social network site eSnips introduced “Social DNA” this month (via TechCrunch):

The fun way to discover who you are, how you compare to others and who’s just like you

How? By matching your ‘Social genes’ for lifestyle, music, movies and more… with others

Almost feels like everyone is in cahoots with the next gen personal genomics companies!

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, genomics, in my dna

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What’s in your DNA? #18

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted November 18, 2007 in In Your DNA

Scott Adams of The Dilbert Blog says it all for this week’s In Your DNA.

When you see people who are struggling in life, you probably feel an urge to help. You might talk yourself out it, because you have your own problems, or you don’t know how to help in any lasting way, or there are just too many people in need. But you have the urge to help those less fortunate. It’s in your DNA. You’re good people.

On the flip side, when you see people who are happier than you, your natural urge is to guide them back to the average. For example, if you have a coworker who breezes through his own workload and uses the spare time to enjoy himself, your natural impulse is to ruin his day by dumping some of your work on him. You call it “teamwork,” and there’s no denying it boosts productivity, but that’s not your motivation. At some fundamental human level, you want the people who are happier than you to dial it back a notch. It’s in your DNA. Sometimes you’re not good people.

Read more….

Tags: scott adams, dilbert, genetics, genes, dna, in your dna

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What’s in your DNA? #17

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted November 11, 2007 in In Your DNA

Bubblegeneration Strategy Lab on Facebook taking over the world:

Research Note: Evil is in the DNA, Special Facebook Edition

Like I said: evil is deeply embedded in Facebook’s corporate DNA.

Julianne and Derek Hough of Dancing with the Stars were born to dance (so I watch the show, wanna make something of it ):

Born into a Mormon family with three other siblings, Julianne and Derek had dancing in their DNA. Both sets of grandparents were dancers and their parents actually met on a ballroom dance team in college.

Graphic novel Hyperactive (not yet published) by Scott Christian Sava of Blue Dream Studios will be made into a movie:

The story is about Joey Caram, a teenager whose hyperactive metabolism enables him to move with incredible speed and agility. His skills catch the attention of a pharmaceutical company that wants to extract his DNA.

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, in your dna, dancing with the stars

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What’s in your DNA? #16

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted November 4, 2007 in In Your DNA

Tim Siebert, friend of former president Bill Clinton, on Hillary Clinton’s Senate campaign in Vanity Fair:

…the Senate race kept them in public life…. They grabbed the brass ring early in their lives, and running for elective office was in her DNA as much as his.

Activate your DNA with DNA Activation Music (HT: Sara):

DNA Activation soundscapes are the next evolution in sound healing/transformation that will provide a platform which illuminates the collective energy pool available for all who desire to drink of this nectar. Your DNA contains the blueprint for the potential of your unfolding divinity — the supervital state of our next evolutionary cycle of wo/mankind.

Reader’s Digest interviews Ben Stiller and says the joker gene runs in the family:

The couple’s two children, Ella, five, and Quinlin, two, seem to have inherited the showbiz gene as well. “Ella has a director’s personality,” according to her dad. “When she’s playing, she has a great imagination, and she likes to tell you what she wants you to be. She likes to get a laugh too.” As for Quinn: “He does everything Ella does.”

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, ben stiller, hillary clinton

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What’s in your DNA? #15

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted October 28, 2007 in In Your DNA

From Steve Duplessie at Steve’s IT Rants:

As a tortured Boston sports fan for life, I must first remind all of you that until about 5 years ago, if you remove the Larry Bird era, being a Boston sports fan has been like being Charlie Brown thinking that this time Lucy won’t pull the ball away. I was 9 in 1975 and woke up the house when Pudge Fiske hit that homerun, only to lose game 7. I was 22 in 1986 when Bill Buckner permanently implanted a fatalistic outlook in my DNA.

Maria at just eat your cupcake:

What inborn trait do you see in others that you wish you had for yourself?

Patience. The ability to forgive easily. It just isn’t in my DNA.

Cartoon Network’s Ben 10 features Ben who has a watch-like alien device called the Omnitrix that binds alien DNA to Ben’s DNA so that he’s able to morph into 10 different kinds of superheroes. Enjoy the video!

Tags: ben 10, genetics, genes, dna

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What’s in your DNA? #14

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted October 14, 2007 in In Your DNA

Steve Rosen of The Kansas City Star’s Kids & Money asks:

Is there a better way to deal with your children’s designer genes?

The best way I know of is to put them on a clothing allowance. That way, their own money — and their own choices — will be on the line when shopping for clothes.

Actress Hilary Swank on physical fitness:

I try and get out as much as I can, but I think in the end I really have to give it up to my genes.

The NBA Live 08 video game features Gil Arenas – “My moves are my DNA.” Watch the ad. (Thanks, Yvette!)

Tags: genetics, genes, dna, nba 08, gil arenas

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What’s in your DNA? #13

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted October 7, 2007 in In Your DNA

Boing Boing features the Mutating Pictures project:

We all go through it, ranking each one for the degree to which it resembles a human. The most human-like are used to spawn 1000 new offspring, mutated from their genome….

Glen Stansberry writes about blogging DNA for ProBlogger:

Whatever your posting style, there is usually an optimum “routine” for posting to your blog. I’ve broken these types of bloggers into two (very) generic categories: Musers and Reporters. These two broad categories loosely describe our blogging “DNA”.

Tony Woodlief’s little boy Isaac turned three last Friday:

When I finally put him to bed that night, he was sweaty and frosting-flecked and sleepy. I think he knows he’s loved. And yet he is, sometimes, for just a whisper of a moment, the wistful cowboy. It’s in our genes.

Tags: genetics, genes, dna

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What’s in your DNA? #12

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted September 30, 2007 in In Your DNA

Today we’ve got DNA for cheapness, editing, and Googling. DNA is on everyone’s mind.

Mahalo.com’s Jason Calacanis on going cheap:

I’m still really cheap. I have a hard time paying over $200 for a hotel room, I always try to take the low-level car, and I refuse to buy Starbucks coffee based on price. I wonder sometimes if I’m doing this to try to “keep it real” or if it’s a DNA thing.

Job description for a medicine and life science sub-editor at Cactus Communications:

The DNA of Cactus’ medicine and life sciences editing team comprises editors with master’s degrees or a PhD in microbiology, biotechnology, life sciences, biochemistry, etc.

Cory Doctorow of Boing Boing on Google turning evil:

…one of the things that I think is in Google’s DNA is a real tension about, on the one hand, being good to people, but on the other hand, acquiring as much information about them as they can, under the rubric that it allows them to be better to people.

Tags: genetics, genes, dna

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What’s in your DNA? #11

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted September 23, 2007 in In Your DNA

Is it my imagination or do references to DNA and genetics seem to be more frequent than ever?

In an article about the science of postcodes, Jasper Gerard writes:

It’s in the DNA of the British to keep up appearances. Even the Queen patches her carpets.

Firefighter Pat McElroy responding to another firefighter’s complaints (via I Speak of Dreams):

Like soldiers, firefighters are known for a number of traits, but one that is genetically implanted is b*tching.

Rick LePage writing at Macworld on Adobe and Apple:

Yes, 25 years after its founding, Adobe’s DNA is still part of Apple.

Xun at Emma and Annya:

I am a parent frugal by nature (inherited the genes); by upbringing (born and raised with a scarcity in everything, food, books, no toys to speak of) and by reality (two little kids, a meager income, and burning desire for the kids to become something).

Holland Cotter of the New York Times (HT: Kristina):

“Bridging East and West: The Chinese Diaspora and Lin Yutang” weaves like a DNA strand through the Metropolitan Museum’s Chinese galleries. Focused on a single-family art collection, the show has the casual logic of a household photo album, with evidence of shared habits, tastes and temperaments, and of rapport between generations.

Tags: genetics, genes, dna

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TV In Your DNA

by Dr. Hsien-Hsien Lei
Posted September 16, 2007 in In Your DNA

TechCrunch says DNAstream.tv is a copycat of Joost, a video on demand service. I have no idea if that’s the case but if it’s got DNA in the name, I’ll mention it!

DNAstream wants you to create your own “TV DNA” that will help them suggest programs that “correspond to your DNA.” From the few minutes I spent there, it looks as if I have ancestors in Spain because many of the programs suggested to me were in Spanish!

Tags: dnastream, dna, genetics, genes, tv, joost

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