Our history is like layers of an onion. Now the time machine takes us back farther and farther. History being like the DNA of our culture. Go here to read the whole story….

They call it potbelly hill, after the soft, round contour of this final lookout in southeastern Turkey. To the north are forested mountains. East of the hill lies the biblical plain of Harran, and to the south is the Syrian border, visible 20 miles away, pointing toward the ancient lands of Mesopotamia and the Fertile Crescent, the region that gave rise to human civilization. And under our feet, according to archeologist Klaus Schmidt, are the stones that mark the spot—the exact spot—where humans began that ascent.

Standing on the hill at dawn, overseeing a team of 40 Kurdish diggers, the German-born archeologist waves a hand over his discovery here, a revolution in the story of human origins. Schmidt has uncovered a vast and beautiful temple complex, a structure so ancient that it may be the very first thing human beings ever built. The site isn’t just old, it redefines old: the temple was built 11,500 years ago—a staggering 7,000 years before the Great Pyramid, and more than 6,000 years before Stonehenge first took shape. The ruins are so early that they predate villages, pottery, domesticated animals, and even agriculture—the first embers of civilization. In fact, Schmidt thinks the temple itself, built after the end of the last Ice Age by hunter-gatherers, became that ember—the spark that launched mankind toward farming, urban life, and all that followed.

Two Young (-ish, at the Time) Punks Attempt to Re-Write Schulberg

via Ben Stiller and Jerry Stahl: Two Young (-ish, at the Time) Punks Attempt to Re-Write Schulberg.

Who, dear reader, do you think you are? Do you think your mind is capable of independent judgment and largely directs the course of your life? Do you think that most of your decisions in life have been the product of your rational, conscious self? Do you believe you are in control of your life? Do you cherish ideas such as self-expression, a sense of autonomy and a distinct, self-authored identity? The chances are that, albeit with a few qualifications, most of your answers are yes. Indeed, given a pervasive culture which reinforces all these ideas, it would be a bit odd if you didn’t.

But the point about this new explosion of interest in research into our brains is that it exposes as illusions much of these guiding principles of what it is to be a mature adult. They are a profound misunderstanding of how we think, and how our brains work. They are fairytales, about as fanciful and as implausible as goblins.

via In control? Think again. Our ideas of brain and human nature are myths | Madeleine Bunting | Comment is free | The Guardian.

Yes, the capacity of the brain to change as a function of experience. And as a geneticist, I’m really interested in epigenetic phenomenon, that is, the capacity of our genes to change in their expression as a function of experience. Meditation seems to do that as well! There is one really great study where a set of about 15 genes were shown to differ in expression as function of a type of meditation. Those genes are ones involved in the stress response. And I’m sure there will be more studies like that.

via Dr. Patricia Fitzgerald: Can Meditation Change Your Brain And Affect Your Genes?.

“Last Day Dream” (2009) by Chris Milk | Design You Trust. World’s Most Provocative Social Inspiration..

Last Day Dream [HD] from Chris Milk on Vimeo.

Visual artist reality series open casting calls July 11-19

Just received this email from the production company that did Project Runway and Top Chef. They are casting a new show that will showcase emerging visual artists creating and competing on Bravo.

Full info on how to apply is available at www.BravoTV.com/casting.

Love or hate reality TV, this ought to be interesting. And don’t you think it’s high time that artists are given their due alongside dancers, musicians, chefs, worm-eaters, and show-all celebrities?

via Art Biz Blog.

YouTube – NAKED BAR REFAELI.