Peeking inside Mr. Brin
Last week Google co-founder Sergey Brin launched too.blogspot.com, a personal blog whose name, "too," is a play on the number two.
"It also means 'in addition', as this blog reflects my life outside of work," Brin wrote in his first entry.
The blog generated press late last week because Brin used it to reveal he carries a legacy gene, LRRK2, that makes him more likely to be struck with Parkinson's Disease.
23andMe, a DNA-testing company co-founded by Brin's wife Anne Wojcicki, made the discovery. The firm makes it possible for users to search their genes — to find long-lost family members, or in Sergey's case, to learn early on about hypothetical health risks.
Last year Google expressed interest in one day enabling people to "Google" their genetic code. In May 2007 it invested $3.9 million in 23andMe, with Brin adding $2.6 million in debt financing out of his own pocket.
Speculations why Brin would disclose information about his risk for Parkinson's (Brin declined attempts to interview him), The New York Times reports the co-founder felt this may ultimately pose a benefit to users seeking preventative measures against health problems they are likely to have.
"I figure if I put it out there, people would look at it and I'd learn something I need to know sooner than if I hadn't put it out there," Brin stated to Times colleague Allen Salkin, who spoke with Brin at a party on September 9.
At the time, Brin also divulged plans to start blogging about his DNA.
But while learning about — and publicly disclosing — future diseases may prove beneficial to someone like Brin, the so-called "average person" is more skeptical. One New York Times commenter, G Stauffer, wrote:
For a zillionaire, who cares what you tell people - it won't really impact your wealth in any significant way. For the average person, telling people publicly facts about yourself that suggest a health risk is a sure fire way to limit your economic future either by discouraging potential employers from hiring you or by leading insurers to charge you more for medical or life insurance.
Some of these reservations were reflected in a 1997 film called Gattaca, in which in which genetic risks are pinpointed at birth and ultimately limit carriers' professional opportunities.
