[Author's note. For some reason, this entry can't be published using ECTO, so I'm recreating the post on the Moveable Type interface which is a horror to use. I can't use color, upload the wonderful image I have, see the entire entry or make easy corrections. No wonder so many people are moving over to WordPress. All I can say is Thank God for Ecto]
As a child, whenever I was scrambling around, asking my mother ‘where is my whatever, trying to find all the things I was supposed to take, my mother would ask us, “How are you fixed for spit?”
If I take that spit and send it in a small vial to 23andMe, the first “personal genome service”, they will unlock the secrets of my own DNA.
For $1000, 23andme will run a sample through their gene-reading microchip and identify nearly 600,000 data points on my genome.
Amy Harmon gave her spit and found she became addicted to googling her own DNA using 23andMe’s “Genome Explorer.”
My Genome, Myself, Seeking Clues in DNA

I had spent hours every day doing just that as new studies linking bits of DNA to diseases and aspects of appearance, temperament and behavior came out on an almost daily basis. At times, surfing my genome induced the same shock of recognition that comes when accidentally catching a glimpse of oneself in the mirror.

Nick Carr at the Guardian looks at 23andMe and another genemapping company in Iceland. Google gives new gene mapping service a bit of spit and polish.
He’s a little leery of the fact Google owns a big stake of 23andMe and what’s more co-founder Sergey Brin is married to 23andMe co-founder Anne Wojciki.
As people spit into the vial and sign up to have their genome read, Google

could end up with a database of extraordinary value to pharmaceutical firms, medical researchers and insurance companies.

.
The privacy statement acknowledges that they will grant outside groups access to their database and allow them to search for correlations between genetic variations and health conditions “without knowing the identities of the individuals involved.”
You, however, will be able to connect with others who share your genetic traits in a social network, a sort of DNA Facebook.
Give up your spit and genetically-targeted advertising will follow you all the days of your life.