A Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne (1948-2025)

A great heartfelt tribute to Ozzy Osbourne by Sea of Tranquility's Pete Pardo; well worth watching. 

Osbourne (and Black Sabbath) were one of the great British metal bands of all-time (alongside Deep Purple & Iron Maiden) and Ozzy was one of the great frontmen of all-time, having a presence that just drew you in and made you want to listen. Not many can do; the closest still-living example that comes to mind is Purple's Ian Gillan, who even now in his mid-70's can still rock out and put shame to younger musicians (hell, that whole band can put shame to younger bands, but that's neither here nor there).

Now, I will say I was fortunate to see him perform during OzzFest 97' when they performed at the now-PNC Music Pavillion (then Blockbuster Pavillion) and while it wasn't their best performance by any stretch the man could still rock even years removed from his top-work back in the 70's.

Its' also a reminder of our individual mortalities; I just turned 50 a week ago and the number of musicians from rock's golden age is steadily declining. Not only does it remind you that time marches onward but it also reminds you that one day your number will come up and you'll be crossing the proverbial Rainbow Bridge.

Rest in peace, John Michael Osbourne.

Putting Space Things In A CAT Scanner

Simply amazing, you know....seeing how x-ray and CT scanners have evolved over the past few decades; puts the work performed on older scanners (looking at you, Terminal Man!) to shame. That said, math skills and scientific work still matter; there's an anecdote from the early 90's about a join US-Russian team that was working on electromagnetic simulations.

The U.S. team brought in their equipment (which was top of the line for its' time) while the Russians used their own equipment (which wasn't)...however the Russians were able to match the Americans on their results; how? By simplifying the underlying math via. writing their own code for their equipment; the technical stuff would go over my head in an instant but the Russians' got to within 5-19% of the Americans' results.

Watch The FIRST EVER Human Polar Mission

Watched the launch via. SpaceX's live feed and it was awesome; this marks the first crewed polar orbital flight in history and as things stand (roughly 10:02pm US EDT) things are going alright. Good luck and Godspeed to them!

Founders Quote, 18-19 March 2025

(1) History by apprising [citizens] of the past will enable them to judge of the future; it will avail them of the experience of other times and other nations; it will qualify them as judges of the actions and designs of men; it will enable them to know ambition under every disguise it may assume; and knowing it, to defeat its views. - Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, Query 18, 1781

(2) The house of representatives...can make no law which will not have its full operation on themselves and their friends, as well as the great mass of society. This has always been deemed one of the strongest bonds by which human policy can connect the rulers and the people together. It creates between them that communion of interest, and sympathy of sentiments, of which few governments have furnished examples; but without which every government degenerates into tyranny. - James Madison, Federalist #57, 1788

On the first point, another sign of a civil society is that society's knowing of history and its' effects, both for the good and for the bad. A country ignorant of its' history is a country doomed to repeat the past, warts and all. 

On the second point? James Madison would be fuming (as would most political leaders of the period he lived in) over how Congress and America's elites in general have insulated themselves from the laws they enforce on the rest of us. Another sign of the two-tiered I hope Trump eliminates once and for all.