Lifehacker first reported that the personal genetics company 23andMe is offering a one day sale for its genetic testing. The deal is they’ll analyze your DNA for free after you buy a 1-year subscription to the company’s $9 per month Personal Genome Service, totaling $108, which is a serious discount from the normal price of $399 (Limit 5 per person).

I signed up for 23andMe just before the holidays, paying $99.99, plus $5.00 per month for their subscription, so this is actually an even better deal. It’s easy to use, just spit in a tube and mail it off and about 6 weeks later the test results arrive via e-mail and in an easy to download PDF format.

The test provides insight into your ancestral origins; traits, from hair quality to muscle performance; risk factors for 93 diseases; and your predicted response to drugs, from blood thinners to coffee. You are then given a log-in where you can explore new genetic data as it comes in and how it relates to you.

The data is fascinating.  The amazing technology confirms so many facts I already knew about myself as standard as “I have brown hair,” to as random, yet still true as “I have moderately higher odds of smelling asparagus in my urine.” It then told me things I didn’t know about myself, like “I have about an 80% chance of not being able to taste certain bitter flavors.” This is not a good evolutionary sign.

One user even met a 3rd cousin on 23andMe through DNA analysis then confirmed with their family trees. It maps out your lineage (for female, only the maternal line is available and vice versa for males, so get your brother a test too).

The company, 23andMe was co-founded by Anne Wojcicki, the wife of Google’s Sergey Brin and is based in Mountain View, California. The more people who submit their DNA, the better the overall results will be for everyone. Let the DNA data collection begin.

N.B. This is not a gift to give to someone you’ve just started dating.

If you have an iPad, iPhone 4, or MobileMe subscription you know that one of the best features is Find My iPhone. If you misplace your phone, it’s stolen, or even if you want to find your spouse in a busy mall (I did this on Boxing Day myself), Find My iPhone is just a damn handy tool. The problem is that it can be easily defeated if you don’t have a passcode on your device (or have a really lame passcode on your device). Over at Mac OS X Hints they have a simple, simple tip for making that much harder for thieves to disable Find My iPhone and giving you time to lock it, wipe it, or locate it.

Here’s all you have to do: enable Restrictions on your device to prevent changes to accounts or locations. Here’s how you do it…

1. Go to Settings -> General -> Restrictions
2. Enable Restrictions. You’ll need to provide a passcode for restrictions. Yes, it’s just another four digital code, but it’s another barrier to making the change and it might not be something that thieves will know to look for.
3. Set both Accounts and Locations to “Off”.

That’s it, now in order to remove MobileMe or change the location settings for Find My iPhone (as in don’t let the location be updated automatically), you’ll have to know the passcode.

I’d like to just remind you that having a passcode on your devices is a really good idea. I know, it can be annoying at times, but I’ve known several folks to later regretted not having a passcode for their protection. I set a delay between clicking the lock button and needing a passcode…it seemed that every time I clicked lock an email or text came in, so this little nod to convenience is the best I can do while keeping a little security.

Protect your device with passcodes, Find My iPhone, and enabling Restrictions. Simple stuff, just do it.