• Tag Archives carnegie mellon
  • Randy Pausch 1960 – 2008


    Randy Pausch photo from the site of his colleague Dr. Gabriel Robins

    The double edged sword of heroism is that, while it is an honourable trait to have, one of its hard prerequisites tends to be death.

    Randy Pausch, Carnegie Mellon Professor, and author of the most inspiring lecture of all time has succumbed to pancreatic cancer.

    Dr. Pausch, and all those who followed him, knew that this day would come. Though many had hoped it would be much further in the future, the outcome was no less inevitable. While it is sad to see him slough this mortal coil, it is more important to remember how he lived and the lessons that he taught us along the way. Dr. Pausch may be gone, but he has left his mark in history, and shown us all the importance of living a good life, and following our passions.

    “…we don’t beat the Reaper by living longer. We beat the Reaper by living well.” – Randy Pausch

    For those who haven’t yet seen his work, I recommend seeing his final lecture; either in its short form, or the original, longer version.

    R.I.P. Dr. Pausch

    ~ Jura


  • Dr. Randy Pausch October 1960 – …

    Awhile back I wrote a post about the importance of being a dream chaser. Now, I admit that the timing of the post did coincide with a part of the year that I find personally repulsive. As such, the tone came out rather dreary and whiny. I try not to bitch about things like this because every time I do, I seem to get reminded of people in far worse situations than I.

    I like to think that these “lessons in humility” help to keep me in my place.

    I have since come across a lecture that gives a message very similar to what I wrote, but in a far more articulate and powerful manner.

    Judging from the amount of diggs this lecture has gotten, I’m thinking that I’m really just joining the choir. Nonetheless, if you are one of the few folks (like myself) who hadn’t yet seen this, I recommend watching the final lecture by professor Randy Pausch Ph.D.

    Dr. Pausch is dying of pancreatic cancer. At the time of his final lecture, he had six months left to live. We’re on month six now, and Dr. Pausch is still with us. One can keep track on how well he is doing by heading to his official site.

    In his final lecture, Dr. Pausch went over what it takes to achieve one’s dreams, and the importance of living an honourable life. His speech has been so moving and inspirational that it has been watched by over 6 million people across the world. Dr. Pausch really shows how perseverance, determination, and honour, can result in one achieving the dreams of childhood.

    If one hasn’t seen it yet, I highly recommend watching his final lecture. There are two main versions to choose from.

    1.) The original Carnegie Mellon lecture (runtime: 76:26)

    2.) The abridged, but no less powerful version for Oprah (runtime: 11:32)

    I recommend the longer one, simply because it is the most in-depth, and is (of course) the original. When it comes to things like these, I always feel that the first time is always the best time.

    I would have been proud to have him as a teacher.

    Randy Pausch is one of my heroes.

    Please watch his lecture and see for yourself.

    ~Jura