BAM files

Great news from FTDNA for those of us exploring the finer branching of the Y-DNA trees.
This received today:

Dear Group Administrators:

Great news! As we promised in late January, we’re now able to begin to make Big Y BAM files available again.

Those testers who had BAM files prior to the interruption will have immediate access to them. Page functionality has been restored, along with the ability to download the zipped file or to get a randomly generated “share” link. Each time you click the button to get a link, a new one is generated. As before, those links expire in 14 days.

We will work through the waiting list of requests in the order in which they were received. Testers who requested BAM files but have not yet received them should receive notification that their file is available within the next 2-3 weeks.

Those who have ordered Big Y in the interim can request their file when their results are complete.

We have added an important statement to the download page:

Read before you download: We are committed to protecting the privacy of our customers. By downloading any raw data or reports, you hereby indicate that you are the owner of that data or have permission to download the data, and you further indicate your understanding that Family Tree DNA cannot in any way guarantee the security or privacy of your downloaded data. Furthermore, you understand that by uploading your raw data to a third party application and linking it to your name, Family Tree DNA kit number, email address, or any other identifying information, the security of your raw data and record is further put at risk and may lead to the violation of Family Tree DNA Privacy Policy. By downloading your raw data, you assume the liability for any breach of privacy and release Family Tree DNA from any privacy violation that results either directly or indirectly from the downloaded raw data and/or upload to a third party application.

FTDNA/GEDMatch update

GEDmatch.com now has this notice on the home page:
Note that existing 'F' (FTDNA) kit numbers on GEDmatch will be changed to 'T' followed by a random kit number. This will probably happen in the next few days. This change does not affect Ancestry or 23andMe kit numbers. If you need to make copies of your results with the old kit numbers, please do so now. Name and email information for matches will stay the same, and can be used to retain continuity in your records. 
Thank you for your support. 

Raw DNA file Uploads

We are ready to receive FTDNA raw DNA files as soon as the new file format becomes available for download from the FTDNA site.

Great news that this is nearly resolved, even if we do have to change our kit numbers there.

FamilyTreeDNA/GedMatch

Yes you've probably seen the volume of posts about the current suspension by GEDMatch of FTDNA autosomal DNA uploads.
Roberta Estes' DNAeXplained post says it all.

Give the parties space to resolve an issue important to all of us who care about our genetic genealogy and cousins, known or as yet unknown.

Republished

DNASurnames has been refreshed.

Main changes:
- any place names mentioned in a person's page should now have a dinky little icon after the place to take you to either Google Maps (all places) or OpenStreetView (those with lat/long only).
How accurate such links may be is open to exploration!

- a few additions to/refinements to placings on the Haplogroup Trees as people get results back from SNP or  BigY testing, including subsequent YFull analysis

- another RUNCIMAN BigY result in (exact match to our first result, sharing 245 novel variants with his GD4 Y-STR match). One day the I-Z60* section will be analyzed further and have sub branches.

- ROWE pages revamped a tad to remove data more aptly viewed (and more easily updated) on the Summary WorldFamilyNetwork pages and to remove analyses done back in 2007/8 that are no longer relevant

- HENDERSON FamilyFinder data updated to include (some of) the results from the known descendants of Archibald & Margaret (McEWAN) HENDERSON using the wonderful new tool on GEDMatch.com - Shared Segment Traceability *.
If you haven't yet uploaded your atDNA raw data file(s) to GEDMatch.com, please consider doing so. It's a great site.

Ancestry test takers in particular may find this cartoon instructive:

https://web.archive.org/web/20140803031735/http://bitstrips.com/r/S1J61

And anyone concerned about privacy may be reassured by reading this:

http://blog.kittycooper.com/2014/09/the-worry-about-dna-privacy-and-gedmatch/ 

* sneak preview, see the HENDERSON page for the key, I just felt like sharing the pretty picture here :)