The original soundtrack to Space Channel 5, which was a sci-fi/dance themed game from 1999 for the Sega Dreamcast. Not what I expected (J-pop). It's more like a retro jazz-funk/movie score thing, which could easily have come from some early '70s Euro cult cinema action movie. Pretty cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7f4y8AQ294

"Just Because I'm Irish" by Jonathan Richman and Julia Sweeney


I just got my DNA test back and after my whole life thinking I was mostly French, I find that I'm more Irish than French! 

Quote from: Vegan Jughead on August 19, 2017, 08:51:51 AM
"Just Because I'm Irish" by Jonathan Richman and Julia Sweeney


I just got my DNA test back and after my whole life thinking I was mostly French, I find that I'm more Irish than French!

They can tell what nationality your ancestors were by a DNA test? How does that work, exactly?   
It's not like DNA testing has been around that long, so what's their basis for sorting genomes based on geographical residence? I mean, how many people ever even get a DNA test that's looking at region-specific factors? Especially when you consider that people do tend to move around, ever since things like horses, boats, and even feet became all the rage for the mobility thing.

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on August 19, 2017, 10:26:28 AM

Quote from: Vegan Jughead on August 19, 2017, 08:51:51 AM
"Just Because I'm Irish" by Jonathan Richman and Julia Sweeney


I just got my DNA test back and after my whole life thinking I was mostly French, I find that I'm more Irish than French!

They can tell what nationality your ancestors were by a DNA test? How does that work, exactly?   
It's not like DNA testing has been around that long, so what's their basis for sorting genomes based on geographical residence? I mean, how many people ever even get a DNA test that's looking at region-specific factors? Especially when you consider that people do tend to move around, ever since things like horses, boats, and even feet became all the rage for the mobility thing.

I know it's not an exact science, DCR, but yes, you can tell that from a DNA test.   My name is Rene Maurice Passarieu, which is about as French as you can get and my father was born in New Orleans in 1912 and his father was born in France in the 1800s.  I have always been told I was 80 percent French but my test came back 29 percent Irleand and 24 percent Iberian peninsula (south of France).  I'm actually relieved because I'm not a big fan of the French accent or language, and I love The Pogues. 

While my mom & I were cleaning the living room. We had Q 104.3 on the radio on.

Quote from: Vegan Jughead on August 19, 2017, 12:37:44 PM
I know it's not an exact science, DCR, but yes, you can tell that from a DNA test.

But HOW can they tell by your genes? Given that even a generation ago such tests didn't exist? Even now the sampling of people that ever take such a DNA test has to be a minuscule fractional percentage of the overall population. So how do they know some specific gene is traceable back in time over many generations to populations from a specific geographic locale?  Even if they are able to access every single DNA test result ever given, the sampling has to be far too small to be definitive, but more importantly, there's no data going back in time for decades for comparative purposes. I find the concept somewhat baffling. It almost sounds like "Well, it's pretty simple -- all French people have the French Gene, and all Irish people have the Irish Gene", which sounds like some nutty "racial science" kind of crap.

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on August 19, 2017, 12:59:04 PM

Quote from: Vegan Jughead on August 19, 2017, 12:37:44 PM
I know it's not an exact science, DCR, but yes, you can tell that from a DNA test.

But HOW can they tell by your genes? Given that even a generation ago such tests didn't exist? Even now the sampling of people that ever take such a DNA test has to be a minuscule fractional percentage of the overall population. So how do they know some specific gene is traceable back in time over many generations to populations from a specific geographic locale?  Even if they are able to access every single DNA test result ever given, the sampling has to be far too small to be definitive, but more importantly, there's no data going back in time for decades for comparative purposes. I find the concept somewhat baffling. It almost sounds like "Well, it's pretty simple -- all French people have the French Gene, and all Irish people have the Irish Gene", which sounds like some nutty "racial science" kind of crap.

I'm not a scientist.  I don't know how they can tell, but it's a huge business and if it was a total scam I'm pretty sure we'd know that by now.  This isn't Tarot card reading.  As I say, it's not an exact science, but it evidently can give you an idea. 

At 4 am. Frank Merano is on 970 The Answer.

Quote from: Vegan Jughead on August 19, 2017, 07:28:03 PM

I'm not a scientist.  I don't know how they can tell, but it's a huge business and if it was a total scam I'm pretty sure we'd know that by now.  This isn't Tarot card reading.  As I say, it's not an exact science, but it evidently can give you an idea.

I'm surprised you're not even curious about how it supposedly works, given that you felt it was important enough to be tested for. Or that no basic layman's information explaining how DNA testing works (for your purposes) was provided by the lab doing the testing. Blind faith?

Which raises questions about who and what we are to begin with... biological machines bound to our DNA "Operating Systems"? The sum of two merged sets of accumulated "program code" encoded over millennia (some lines of code of which are dominant, and some recessive), running a "Software Application" program (determined by the accumulated information, bit by bit, of our life experiences)?

Or if not, then how important is it, given that you thought it was relevant in some way to who you are? It has to be admitted that we are limited in some ways by our DNA Operating System, which we can never change no matter what we do, but it does make me wonder, in this specific example, what is it about the "lines of code" (genes) in our DNA O/Ss that are specific to people historically inhabiting particular geographic locations on earth that is important in some way -- i.e., what sort of important code is conferred upon individuals with "Irish genes" as opposed to "French genes", or vice-versa, quantitatively or qualitatively speaking? I guess you can point to some observable physical characteristics endemic to either group, but what does it all mean to the individual?

Michelle Branch live in concert!

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on August 20, 2017, 12:26:51 AM

Quote from: Vegan Jughead on August 19, 2017, 07:28:03 PM

I'm not a scientist.  I don't know how they can tell, but it's a huge business and if it was a total scam I'm pretty sure we'd know that by now.  This isn't Tarot card reading.  As I say, it's not an exact science, but it evidently can give you an idea.

I'm surprised you're not even curious about how it supposedly works, given that you felt it was important enough to be tested for. Or that no basic layman's information explaining how DNA testing works (for your purposes) was provided by the lab doing the testing. Blind faith?

Which raises questions about who and what we are to begin with... biological machines bound to our DNA "Operating Systems"? The sum of two merged sets of accumulated "program code" encoded over millennia (some lines of code of which are dominant, and some recessive), running a "Software Application" program (determined by the accumulated information, bit by bit, of our life experiences)?

Or if not, then how important is it, given that you thought it was relevant in some way to who you are? It has to be admitted that we are limited in some ways by our DNA Operating System, which we can never change no matter what we do, but it does make me wonder, in this specific example, what is it about the "lines of code" (genes) in our DNA O/Ss that are specific to people historically inhabiting particular geographic locations on earth that is important in some way -- i.e., what sort of important code is conferred upon individuals with "Irish genes" as opposed to "French genes", or vice-versa, quantitatively or qualitatively speaking? I guess you can point to some observable physical characteristics endemic to either group, but what does it all mean to the individual?

DeCarlo, I doubt I'd understand how it works even if it was explained.  I'm not educated in science.  I'm not into genealogy but I have a friend who is way into her family tree and has been around this stuff for years.  She seems to think it's legit.  I'm not saying that means it is.  Have you not seen the commercials for ancestry.com, 23andme.com, or My Heritage just to name a few?  These companies have been around for awhile now and I'd think if it wasn't on the level, it would have been exposed. 


I'm really just doing this for fun.  I'm not a person who cares much about what my ancestors were.  I AM annoyed by French people (not all of course, again, I'm just having fun) so I thought it was funny that after 48 years of thinking I was 60-80 percent French that I came back as more Irish than French, especially since my name is Rene' Maurice Passarieu, which is about the most French name you'll see in the US.  Ha ha. 


Even if it's all BS and I really am more French than Irish, this just gave me something to kid around about with people at work.  My wife came back as 60 percent British.  We had no idea what she was.  So we went to a British pub to celebrate and had baked beans on toast, chips (fries), and Fullers ESB.  It's just something meaningless to celebrate.


Sorry if I came off as this all meaning something important! 

Quote from: Vegan Jughead on August 20, 2017, 07:16:03 AM
I'm really just doing this for fun.

Sure, there's nothing wrong with that. But isn't that what people say about tarot or psychic readings, palmistry, numerology, or astrology, which they also claim not to understand? Not saying it has to be important, just wondering if there's any real significance.

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on August 20, 2017, 07:24:39 AM

Quote from: Vegan Jughead on August 20, 2017, 07:16:03 AM
I'm really just doing this for fun.

Sure, there's nothing wrong with that. But isn't that what people say about tarot or psychic readings, palmistry, numerology, or astrology, which they also claim not to understand? Not saying it has to be important, just wondering if there's any real significance.

I don't know if there's any significance, but I would definitely put it above all those things you list.  At least this is based on science.  I don't think you can say that about those other things. 

Quote from: Vegan Jughead on August 20, 2017, 09:15:33 AM
I don't know if there's any significance, but I would definitely put it above all those things you list.  At least this is based on science.  I don't think you can say that about those other things.

All I'm saying is that your approach to it is no different than people who believe in those other things. Yours is a faith-based belief in science. It's kind of like when Arthur C. Clarke said "Any science sufficiently advanced beyond our understanding is indistinguishable from magic." I'm more of a "question everything, and believe only half of what they tell you" kind of guy. I don't believe in any science that I can't understand the basic underlying principles behind how it works, whether I fully grasp all the details or not. The exact connection between how biology relates to geography seems a little too vague to me. At what point when you're looking at the DNA test results does a bit of it jump up and wave its national flag? How does a complex carbohydrate protein molecule like Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid even have a claim to national origin? Do North Americans have different DNA than South Americans, and how can you tell the difference?

I'm sure that if I can suss out who random anonymous people are that visit this forum with new usernames that a DNA test must have way more substance and validity to determine someone's background than whatever I'm able to glean from some typed words on a screen.