...to pluck the feathers off all the birds

Newborn Mice’s Hearts Can Heal Themselves
Taken from: The NY Times, March 1, 2011
By SINDYA N. BHANOO


An adult zebra fish can regenerate a damaged heart with no scar formation. This remarkable phenomenon has been seen in other fish and amphibians as well, but never before in a mammal. Now researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center report in the current issue of Science that the mammalian newborn heart can fully heal itself.

Dr. Hesham Sadek, a cardiologist at the medical center, and his colleagues worked with mice and found that if a portion of the heart was removed within the first week of life, the heart grew back completely. The researchers removed about 15 percent of the lowest portion of the heart, known as the apex, in laboratory mice. Within three weeks, the lost tissue regenerated itself and the hearts were healed.

“But by seven days this remarkable regenerative is lost and instead of regrowing that tissue back, there is heart failure,” said Dr. Sadek said. “In humans, it may be a few months after birth that this is lost.” The newborn’s uninjured beating heart cells, known as cardiomyocytes, may be the source of new cells. Or stem cells may be contributing to the process, according to the report.

The study offers hope that doctors will one day be able to cure heart disease. If newborn children are also able to regenerate their hearts, there may be a way to restart this ability in adults. “We’re looking at a few genes that could regulate this process, and then we can look for drugs that activate the genes,” Dr. Sadek said. “Maybe we can remind the heart how to do this.”

Read more here.

Stephen Farris

...he reminds me of FlyLo but more 80's cosmic rock rather than cosmic space opera hip-hop. Bottom line: the resulting music is swag. Better yet, Stephen Farris, a 20 year old who hails from Houston, Texas, will be releasing a new album, Cosmic Sound II. Check out the rest of his work here- and take note that I dig every single one of his tracks; this is an LP artist for sure.

   Indigo by Stephen Farris

   Orange Mellow by Stephen Farris

Upcoming Album Releases 2011

A non-comprehensive list of upcoming new releases that I'm looking forward to (and that you should be too!):

Aphex Twin- ???- March 12, Warp?
Falty DL- You Stand Uncertain, March 14, Planet Mu
FABRICLIVE 56: Ramadanman/Pearson Sound - March 21, Fabric
Moon Duo- Mazes- March 29, Sacred Bones
Bibio- Mind Bokeh- March 29, Warp
Prefuse 73- The Only She Chapters- April 25, Warp
Explosions in the Sky- Take Care, Take Care, Take Care- April 26, Temporary Residence Ltd.
Tyler the Creator- Goblin- April, XL
White Denim- D- May 24, Downtown
Shabazz Palaces- Black Up- May 31, Sub Pop
My Morning Jacket- Circuital, TBA, ATO

Of course, there are the ubiquitous rumours flying around as well: Burial, Portishead (Album 4), etc. So far, 2011 has been a good year for sounds, and I have a feeling it's only going to get better.

What if the DJ were the NGO?

For contributing $2000 to back this seemingly brilliant research and production project, I could go to Morocco and join the likes of DJ/Rupture, the photo editor of The Fader, and others explore, teach and develop digital music with Moroccan musicians and youth. In addition, I would be designated as a founding member of Beyond Digital once/if it becomes a non-profit organization.



See more info here. Let's just say I am very seriously considering this as a travelling option in 2011; I have 17 days to decide.

Oh Pariah!

My mind has been racing lately. So many ideas, not enough (read: NO) time to follow through with any of them. Music, business, creating, sewing, traveling, planning, decision making. A friend over at 283 has this to say:

...ultimately, isn't fear the most immediate yet overlooked obstacle to living the way we should? I came to the realization this morning that fear has become not only a hindrance, but a safehouse, a comfort for me. I fill every spare moment I have with work, fearing that free time will lead me to the daunting task of thinking about and making decisions about the direction of my future. At the same time, I am using this lack of free time as an excuse for why I have been unable to nurture any of the prospective seedlings that are bursting through my frontal lobes. In all my pragmatism, this cycle is completely illogical, and I recognize it as such, which makes me want to shout even louder, "FUCK YOU FEAR".

But please, don't be afraid of this:

Rouge

I want to eat with my hands, and be nude, and stand still while the rest of the world spins and spins around me. I want to feel the earth, every corner of it. I want to see the way that leaf falls, or that boundary changes, or how the pattern that water makes is one of the most beautiful chaotic messes ever created. I want to enjoy, and appreciate the movements of bodies, my own and those of others. I want to lay under the sun, or rain, or clouds- and soak in all the things that people can't enjoy because they're too busy earning a living to pay for mounds of unnecessary garbage and a week of false solitude and relaxation. I want to feel intrigued forever.

I don't want this life I'm starting

Shouldn't I be happy that I am starting my career? That I got a job in my field? I mean, in this economy and with little experience, I should be ecstatic for the opportunity that awaits me, right? But I want passion, I want my entire world to be full of things I love. Music, fashion, film, art, words, exploration, design, travel. We are given this life, this limited time, and the only one who dictates what we do with it is ourselves. I want a job with freedom, creativity and versatility that permits me to indulge in these passions and allows me to be myself, not a contrived version of myself. Oh life, you get me every time. What the fuck am I getting myself into?

This helped relieve some stress:

Thinking myself to Chicago...

Fingers crossed that I somehow manage to get a ticket for the Chicago show April 10 or 11 at the Aragon Ballroom. UPDATE: Dreams pulverized! Heartbreak ensues. Did I mention FlyLo is opening for Thom and his band Atoms For Peace throughout April? What are the chances that one of my favourite dubstep/bass producers is opening for my all time favourite musician? Thom is unstoppable. Possible future prediction: a tour featuring Thom Yorke and Burial?!

Here is a beautiful taste of his most recent solo performance in Cambridge: