The Last Lecture
It’s common for professors to give talks titled “The Last Lecture”. A lecture that they give as if it were their last. To ponder their demise and talk about what they feel matters most. But for Randy Pausch, a Computer Science Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, he didn’t have to imagine the end of his life. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, one of the most deadly, Randy’s days are quite numbered.
On September 18, 2007, Randy Pausch delivered that lecture. And now it can be watched online, downloaded. And now there’s a book:
I heard about “The Last Lecture” from my sister, who had seen a piece on TV. I watched the first 30 minutes of the video (when I should have been working) and was mesmerized. I went to Randy’s web site to find the video. But, it’s on YouTube and available for download as well. I also watched his video on Time Management, also available from his web site.
The book has proven a bit hard to find. When I first asked at our local bookstore, they had none and had a long list of people wanting a copy. My first check at Amazon said they expected it to be in stock in early May. Friday I was at another bookstore asking about something else when I spyed a copy. And grabbed it. A few minutes later, I heard someone else asking about it. But I had grabbed the last one. I had one on order at the first store, but had no idea when that one would come in. Turns out, it came in yesterday so there’s hope if you’re looking for it. I let them know that they could sell the copy I reserved.
I suspect the printer is now working overtime as this book that was released on April 8 is already a Number 1 Bestseller!
Go ahead - take a peek at the video. It’s amazing the vitality this man, who knows he is dying, has! We could all learn from him!
“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”
–Randy Pausch
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