Plaque on the moon commemorating astronauts and cosmonauts who died in the line of duty (NASA)

If, in conformity to right reason, you transact whatever affairs you have in hand with attention, steadiness, and benevolence, and without suffering any thing foreign to your present purpose to interfere, you pay the same deference to the divine monitor within you, as if you were the next moment to part for ever; if you can thus persevere, inattentive to any thing further, and without shrinking from any difficulty, and act with simplicity and energy, according to the nature of the present business, with an heroic regard to truth in all your words; you will thus secure a happy life.

It is not in the power of any one to prevent your acting thus.

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Although you should live three thousand or three myriads of years, yet observe, that no man when he dies loses any more than that instant portion of time in which he then lived; and that he only lives that moment of life which he is constantly losing; so that the longest and the shortest life, in this view, come to the same thing. For the present time is equal to every one, though that which is past may have been unequal.
   But, as the portion of life which we lose at our death is a mere point or instant, it appears from hence, that no one can lose either what is past or what is future. For how can he lose what he does not possess?

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

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Disasterpeace – “Ensis”
Rise of the Obsidian Interstellar

Caution: chiptune. I decided to check this guy’s albums out after I saw he provided the interesting background music for the Fez trailer (and will score the game) – and it turns out he’s awesome. I don’t listen to a lot of chiptunes as a rule, but this and his previous album Level are just too awesome to pass up. They’ve got the slow-build and powerful instrumental payoff of post-rock and prog, all through this fantastic chiptune lens. “Ensis” follows a primer track (“Beta’s Brilliancy”) that sets up its massive seven-minute travels, which are equal parts Daft Punk and Mega Man. This is the original, pure product that winds up being cut with commercial productions and sold as pop music. I like mine unadulterated. (more info)