I just got the Google Home Assistant yesterday and will be blogging about my experiences with it in the next little while. This won’t be a review as much as a discussion of some of its features, challenges and other issues that can arise from interacting with it. The last will be the most interesting, in my opinion, like if one will start talking to others like that, or change psychologically in constantly barking orders, or even gentle requests, to something that responds in a female voice. I’ll leave all the tech stuff to tech reviewers. I care more about humanity… at least at the moment. LOL
impact
This Skinny Asian’s Chance for Obesity? 0.85X the Average Caucasian
23andMe’s genotyping results has provided scientific support for something I’ve been telling people over the years without many believing me… that I can become fat. At 5’2″ and 108 lbs. of a marathon runner’s body, I can’t say I blame them. I don’t look like much at this weight, never mind the 90 lbs. I used to be at before I started distance running 16 years ago. Yet, I can eat a lot, with consequences almost like any over typical person if I don’t run it all off.
The Anecdotal Case
A Privacy Impact Assessment Before Blogging About My 23andMe Genotyping Results
In July, I submitted a saliva sample for genotyping with 23andMe. I saw an opportunity to learn a lot about myself to improve my life, and motivation to finally learn genetics. I also saw getting genotyped as a life changing event of a rare kind. It offered a peek into the future with odds of potential life changing events like on set of major diseases, a look into the past through ancestry information, and a lot of things to deal with in the present like drug profiles. Besides science, there would also be opportunities to write about life, spirituality, humour and all kinds of issues from economics to politics. I’d also have to write it simply enough that most people could understand as the average adult reading level is only about grade nine or ten.
Facebook Needs to Better Align its Timeline Cover Photo
Facebook has been rolling out its new Timeline profile. At what should be the top of this profile is a really widely proportioned photo (850 x 315 pixels) that could be, in Facebook’s words: “a unique image that represents you best. It’s the first thing people see when they visit your timeline”. Unfortunately, the way Facebook displays this image, a good portion of it is chopped off, and there is no good reason for it.
Should I Use Cash or Plastic to Pay for This?
This post is optional supporting material for users of the Free Advanced Finances Tracking and Analysis Spreadsheet I have for free downloading on this site. However, it should be useful for anyone who wants to think a bit more about their personal expenditures to get a new perspective on it.
Digital Citizen 