Sunday Newsletter — 4/5/2020

Originally published on my primary website: sundaynewsletter.com

23andMe Screenshots

A little over a year ago, I got a 23andMe genetic report. The ancestry breakdown was pretty interesting, and the health section was reasonably impressive as well (though it did make several errors). I’m including some screenshots of my report below, along with some notes.

• In addition to 23andMe’s official report, the company givse you a copy of your raw genetic data that you can send to other websites for more in depth analysis. If you’d like to read about a detailed health report I got by sending in my raw genetic data to one such site, click here.

Ancestry Report:

Traits:

Accuracy:

• I do have brown eyes — Correctly guessed by 23andMe
• I am very unafraid of heights — Correct
• I am very scared of public speaking — Incorrect
• My ring finger is not longer than my middle finger — Incorrect

More traits:

• I have dark hair — Correct
• I do hate the sound of chewing — Half correct
• I do get seem to get bitten by mosquitos more frequently than others — Correct

Fact of the Week

Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, kohlrabi, and Brussels sprouts, were all derived from a single common ancestor via artificial selection.

• The consumption of these plants has been linked to a massive number of health benefits, many of which are borderline miraculous. If you’d like to read about some of them, click here.
• If you’d like to read more about the creation of the following species, click here. (Note, I strongly agree with the author’s statement about GMOs, and feel there are some incredibly important differences between artificial selection as it has been practiced for thousands of years by farmers, and directly altering an organism’s genome through genetic engineering.)

Journaling Practice to End the Day

At the end of every day, I’ve started writing down a couple nice things happened since I woke up. It always elevates my mood, and is a great way to cap off the night. They can be anything from big victories to nice phone conversations. Examples include:

• Submitted an article I had been working on for a while
• Finished a book I had been reading for the past few weeks
• Won a game of poker
• Had a nice conversation with an old friend
• Figured out why my bow wasn’t shooting properly, and figured out how to fix it

YouTube Channel I’ve Been Enjoying: Tash Wolf

Journal Excerpts

I disagree with anyone who is entirely against judging books by their covers. Same goes for websites. Aesthetics speak volumes. The are not the only factor a person can use as an indicator of quality, but they’re often a useful one.

The quality of my state of mind is largely a function of my most recent interaction with another person. If the interaction was awkward and or negative for some other reason, I usually feel pretty off for at least an hour afterward. If the interaction went well, I usually feel pretty good for at least an hour afterward.

“I’ve never told anyone that before,” is quite a thing to hear.

Life changes significantly when you start making your ideas and creations public. That’s when things get real.

The ability to re-articulate the information that you have read, either by speaking or writing, is absolutely critical. Reading a lot of books is of little use if you can’t explain their ideas and concepts to others in a coherent way.

You are like a song that is always changing. New notes are always being played, and old notes are fading into silence. The quality of your state of mind is a direct reflection of the amount of harmony or discord between the notes in the song of you. The quality of your relationships is a direct reflection of the amount of harmony or discord between the notes in your song and the notes in the songs of those you spend time with.

If you spend all your time pulling out weeds and never water the plants in your garden, you will go hungry. Something similar will result if you spend all your time criticizing that which you disapprove of and never put any effort into supporting that which you feel is good and true.

Photo of the Week