01 PM | 25 Dec

Are You Not Devo? You Are Mutato

How Mark Mothersbaugh, an Agent of De-Evolution, wormed his way into America’s subconscious By RANDALL ROBERTS

The Mutato Muzika building in West Hollywood is painted Day-Glo green and looks like a tipped-over hamster wheel, with mirrored windows as rungs that make the building seem like it’s constantly spinning. Beneath the main-floor recording studio is a big, cluttered circular room. To enter you pass a threshold guarded by a Speed Racer rug, and beyond this threshold is a sight that would give the Klaxons or Datarock a conniption: Korgs and Rolands are scattered on the floor. An Optigon, a rare 1970s-era console organ that uses flimsy discs to play odd, ghostly sounds, sits in a corner. Shelves hold computer monitors, cassette decks and DAT machines; tubular bells are ready to be struck; an EMS polysynthesizer and an electrocomp synthesizer await electricity. An Ondioline keyboard that once belonged to Pink Floyd. Boxes are strewn throughout, but look closer and they’re filled with more memorabilia: a hand-written score for the film Drop Dead Gorgeous; busts of Chairman Mao and JFK.

More

01 PM | 25 Dec

Siblings of severely ill children may struggle to cope

Brothers and sisters of children with a severe disability or chronic illness are more likely to have behavioural problems than their peers with well siblings.

Psychologist Meredith Rayner conducted a study of families with a chronically ill child as part of her PhD at Swinburne (Melbourne) “There hadn’t been much research in Australia into what was happening, and we wanted to see if we could help,” Rayner said.

 More...

01 PM | 25 Dec

KLANG UND RAUM:Electronic music nite

PRESENTED BY LIQUID ARCHITECTURE

KLANG UND RAUM – An evening of electronic music and projections at the Melburne Planetarium Scienceworks.

FEATURING: Robert Henke and guest artists Sonia Leber an David Chesworth, The Mutagen Server and Nat.

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 2nd 2008

PLANETARIUM SCIENCEWORKS 2 BOOKER ST SPOTSWOOD MELBOURNE

$27 full / $18 concession.

All tickets from Green Tix –

http://www.greentix.com.au/event.php?eventid=21282

On February 2nd 2008 there will be an evening of electronic music and projections presented at the Melbourne Planetarium. This will be a surround sound multi channel performance by local artists and an overseas guest, Robert Henke. Full dome projections will be presented by Robert as well as Sonia Leber and David Chesworth.

The concert will commence 8 pm sharp and conclude at about 10.30pm with a 20 minute interval. Robert Henke will play for about 60 minutes in the second part of the program.

The artists performing are: Robert Henke – performing Layering Buddha with full dome projections.

About the work:

You can read about Robert Henke here:

http://www.monolake.de

and you can read about Layering Buddha here:

http://www.monolake.de/downloads/layering_buddha_live.html

Sonia Leber and David Chesworth – presenting Almost Always Everywhere Apparent (fragments) ~ a special live performance of their recent installation work

http://www.waxsm.com.au

The Mutagen Server:

The Mutagen Server are Ollie Olsen and Steve Law.

Ollie and Steve have been collaborating in Melbourne since 1993 performing live at endless parties and experimental music events. Ollie and Steve are well known to those interested in experimental music in Melbourne.

http://www.solitary-sound.com http://www.myspace.com/zenparadox http://web.mac.com/ollie.olsen/iWeb/ http://www.myspace.com/iamtheserver

Nat.Nat Bates is a sound artist, festival director and a teacher in the field of media arts.

http://www.natstuff.com

01 PM | 25 Dec

New stem cell treatment for post-surgery

A small study done at Kyushu University and presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium revealed that Japanese doctors have successfully used stem cells to aid the transplantation of fat liposuctioned from patients legs or stomachs to regrow missing tissue in the breasts of women who have had lumpectomies. Surgery for breast cancer can leave disfiguring puckering or irregular shaped tissue that cannot easily be compensated for with implants. And there is controversy about whether implants are safe. The Japanese procedure is a breakthrough because the stem cells appear to promote the natural regrowth of internal tissue without the transplanted fat being reabsorbed by the body (defeating the objective of the operation) or dying in situ. Doctors say the method is still experimental.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5izbzI6E-kxFOcTu1iSLfN6P0fWXAD8TI1EB05