FDA sends letters to 5 genetic testing companies

Posted on by

It appears that the FDA sent letters to several different direct to consumer genetic testing companies. They are 23andme, Navigenics, DeCode, Illumina, and Knome, which provides whole genome sequencing. The FDA is claiming the tests must undergo approval as a medical device, but did not say anything about removing them from the market. The article also mentions that Pathway Genomics, the company producing the genetics tests that Walgreens considered selling in its stores, also received a letter.

Having recently received my 23andme results, I’m a little concerned by this statement:

Concern about the tests was also raised this week when 23andMe said that because of a laboratory mix-up, up to 96 customers might have received genetic information belonging to someone else.

I certainly hoped that they notified these customers of the potential error…

Another Newbie Drawn in by The Planet’s Gravity

Posted on by

Subrata MukherjeeIn April, I became the newest product manager at The Planet. As you can see from other newbie Planeteer posts this year, we are hiring. :-) The combination of the people I met during the interview process, the job description and the benefits made it an easy choice. I knew this was the right opportunity … The Planet’s gravitational pull was strong.

In my short tenure, these are the things that stand out most so far:

  • There are a lot of people here with a TON of experience in hosting. As someone who has worked in roles in engineering and product management across various tech sectors, ranging from semiconductors (processors and memory) to network and cable test equipment, this is exactly the kind of environment I needed to learn about the industry. As I learn the subtle industry differences, I hope to provide value by applying product management concepts to our products and services to create solutions to meet our customers’ needs.
  • People here are passionate about their work. I see it in everyone from engineers who drop by my cubicle to make a case for various technologies and vendors to Kevin and Tomy engaging with customers in the wild world of social media.

So, about the move …

After spending all of my life as a Northerner and living mostly in cities known for being rainy – yes, the last city was Seattle – or cold, I packed my bags and ventured down to Houston. It’s amazing how huge this country is and how different life can be in other regions. It remains to be seen whether I’m fully prepared for a Texas summer.

The move wasn’t as simple as packing bags, and I reached Houston later than The Planet’s gravitational pull (g=9.8m/s2) would have predicted. I considered various movers with widely varying reputations to get my furniture and vehicle from one side of the country to the other. I also evaluated hundreds of possible places to live without really knowing the Houston neighborhoods yet. As you’d expect, I spent more than my fair share of time hunkered over a search engine to get reviews, and my soon-to-be-coworkers were happy to provide feedback.

We make a lot of choices and have a lot of options available in life that affect our future.

For me, my choices affected the security of my possessions and where I’d live in this city. For you as a hosting customer, we know your choices are around your site’s security and how your hosted environment can affect the success of your business. As a product manager here, one of my personal goals is to give you reasons to love your decision to host with The Planet – which you’ll have the ability to share with your peers.

As I continue learning the ins and outs of hosting, I’m looking forward to chatting with our customers and potential customers about the kinds of products we can provide to create a better hosting experience. If we’re missing a product or service you think we should have, drop it in a comment below!

-Subrata

StumbleUpon
Twitter
DZone
Digg
del.icio.us
Technorati

Various Works by Lui Ferreyra

Posted on by

Lui Ferreyra earned his BFA at the University of Colorado in Boulder, where he studied under notable artists Stan Brakhage and Chuck Forsman. Before graduating, his work was selected to be shown internationally at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City, and at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Santiago, Chile.

For the past ten years he has been exhibiting his work in some of Denver’s most prominent art spaces. During this time he has arrived at a signature style he calls ‘fragmentism’. The works of Chuck Close, Egon Schiele, Van Gogh, and Richard Diebenkorn have played a significant role in the development of his aesthetic. Digital means of imaging such as satellite photography, medical CAT scans, and vector graphics have had a pronounced impact as well. The central source of inspiration for his work, however, lies in the organic patterns of nature itself– poignantly observed in the Chinese ideogram Li as “the markings in jade, the fiber in muscle, the grain in wood…”

In recent years, Ferreyra’s work has been included in some of the region’s most prestigious invitationals and competitions such as, “Colorado Masters”, and “The Best of Colorado”. Recent commissions include a portrait for the Institute for Children’s Mental Disorders, two portraits for the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and two landscapes for The Foothills Art Center. He has garnered both regional and national attention with publications such as, New American Paintings, Art Papers, The Rocky Mountain News, and The Westword.

Lui Ferreyra’s work can be seen in person at Van Straaten Gallery (formerly Sandy Carson Gallery) where he is currently represented (760 Santa Fe Dr, Denver, CO).

You can learn about Lui Ferreyra and view additional work at http://www.luiferreyra.com

FCC Ramping Up Web Security After iPad Breach and Google Street View Wi-Fi Snooping [Security]

Posted on by

Unlike you guys, the FCC is taking the iPad security breach a little more seriously. The two high profile issues are causing the FCC to step up their scrutiny of online security and privacy issues. They're calling the iPad breach a "classic security breach" and have put cyber security on high priority through their Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. For Google's Wi-Fi snooping, the FCC says it serves as a reminder that unencrypted Wi-Fi networks are too vulnerable and recommend you read the FCC's guide to wireless safety. We say kudos to the FCC for caring about us more than we care about ourselves. [FCC] More »




FCC - Google Street View - United States - Security - Public Safety