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"Last Lecture" CMU Professor Randy Pausch Dies

Many readers are sending in word that Randy Pausch has died at 47. The charismatic young college professor celebrated life despite a death sentence from pancreatic cancer in a remarkable speech widely known as the "Last Lecture." The video went viral and has been downloaded by over 10 million people.

18 of 208 comments (clear)

  1. Worth the time by phasm42 · · Score: 5, Informative

    For those of you who haven't seen the video, take some time to watch it. Really, it's worth it.

    --
    "No one likes working in a hamster wheel, and your shop smells of cedar shavings from here." - TaleSpinner
    1. Re:Worth the time by dustice · · Score: 5, Informative

      His lecture has also been made into a book, which elaborates a bit more and contains a few extra stories.

  2. Transcription of "Last Lecture" by D+Ninja · · Score: 5, Informative

    Follow the link for the transcription of Randy Pausch's Last Lecture.

  3. Get the full story, sans ads and crap by oDDmON+oUT · · Score: 4, Informative
    --
    Some days it's just not worth
    chewing through my restraints.
  4. A sad day for everyone that watched his speech by garylian · · Score: 4, Informative

    Off all the viral videos I've seen over the years, I think his "Last Lecture" was the most moving and worthwhile I have ever seen.

    It's pretty hard to talk about something as scary as terminal cancer, yet while he kept reminding the listeners of his condition, his energy and charisma kept making you forget that the man was sick.

    It's too bad the article that Yahoo! had failed to mention that he got to spend a day with the Pittsburgh Steelers and their wide receiver, Hines Ward. While he didn't actually play in the NFL, I imagine he came as close as he was going to get. I think he managed to nail all of his "bucket list".

    People with such great vision are hard to come by. Having that vision while still having such a willingness to share it with others, with great entusiasm, is even more rare.

    May his family keep their memories of him always in their minds. R.I.P.

    1. Re:A sad day for everyone that watched his speech by hansraj · · Score: 2, Informative

      It's too bad the article that Yahoo! had failed to mention that he got to spend a day with the Pittsburgh Steelers and their wide receiver, Hines Ward. While he didn't actually play in the NFL, I imagine he came as close as he was going to get.

      Which article are you talking about? The linked article on abcnews.go.com does mention this on the last page. From TFA:

      But even though he had enabled the dreams of so many others, we couldn't help but notice that there was one dream Pausch had never been able to fulfill -- playing in the NFL.

      So ABC News made a couple of phone calls, and in October, Pausch took the field with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was wearing the jersey of his favorite player: wide receiver Heinz Ward.

      Moments later he was catching balls thrown by Ward.

      He caught every pass -- and even kicked a field goal, on his first attempt.

    2. Re:A sad day for everyone that watched his speech by garylian · · Score: 2, Informative

      This one, on Yahoo!, just as I said:

      http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080725/ap_en_ot/obit_pausch

  5. More than The Last Lecture by travisbean · · Score: 5, Informative

    While he recently became a household name with The Last Lecture, he was a longtime proponent of gaming as a vehicle for computer science education. His work at CMU, and partnerships with Disney and Electronic Arts, helped legitimize gaming and play in the university, and brought the university into the video game industry. Even before The Last Lecture anyone who had the chance to study with him or just chat with him for a few minutes knew they were talking with a man with a passion for play, technology and life, and a lifelong sense of wonder we can all emulate. Three cheers for Randy Pausch!

  6. Re:May his children come to fully understand by dedazo · · Score: 2, Informative

    Requiem in Pacet

    Requiescat in Pace, actually.

    --
    Web2.0: I love when people Flickr my cuil and digg my boingboing until my google is reddit and I start to yahoo
  7. Official CMU release by Rufus211 · · Score: 5, Informative
    1. Re:Official CMU release by Rufus211 · · Score: 4, Informative

      Hrm, better links:
      News release
      Homepage story

      He is survived by his wife, Jai, and three children: Chloe, Dylan and Logan. The family requests that donations on his behalf be directed to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 2141 Rosecrans Ave., Suite 7000, El Segundo, CA 90245, or to Carnegie Mellons Randy Pausch Memorial Fund, which the university will use primarily to support continued work on the Alice project.

  8. I'm glad people aren't making light of this. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    As so many /. posters are wont to do, it's nice to see that the normal sarcasm and wit aren't happening here.

    He was a remarkable man, and the memory of him should be honored.

  9. RIP = "Requiescat In Pace" by jamrock · · Score: 4, Informative

    Never thought I'd be a grammar Nazi in Latin. Professor Paush's lecture was truly heartwarming and inspiring. My thoughts are with his family and friends, and I hope they'll keep his memory alive for his young children. It's sad to think that they'll never truly know him.

  10. Re:RIP by zoogies · · Score: 4, Informative

    Rest into peace?

    Requiescat in pace. Learn your Latin.

  11. Download Alice... by MsGeek · · Score: 4, Informative

    Dr. Randy Pausch was part of the team that created Alice, a tool to teach programming masquerading as a game. Salute Dr. Pausch's memory by downloading Alice and playing with it. And if you can, help the effort to finish Alice v. 3!

    --
    Knowledge is power. Knowledge shared is power multiplied.
  12. You can do something for this great man. by blind+biker · · Score: 3, Informative

    I am sure that he'd appreciate a donation to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 2141 Rosecrans Ave., Suite 7000, El Segundo, CA 90245

    The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Mourns the Loss of Friend and Supporter, Dr. Randy Pausch

    Dear Friends,

    It is with great sadness that the staff and I mourn the passing of Dr. Randy Pausch.

    Dr. Pausch, the Carnegie-Mellon professor who delivered the now famous The Last Lecture speech about the importance of achieving your childhood dreams, became a friend and supporter of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. He was also a loving husband, a devoted father, and a mentor who not only influenced and inspired his students and colleagues, but went on to inspire thousands, if not millions of people to follow their hearts and their dreams. We will be forever grateful for his support and commitment.

    It is critically important to keep Dr. Pausch's message, "to make every day matter in the fight against pancreatic cancer," moving forward. He knew the importance and urgency of getting the message out to help drive the research funding needed to fight this disease. His philosophy of "every day matters" was a testament to his determination and strength despite the odds.

    The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network honors Dr. Randy Pausch for his humanity and bravery during his fight against this terrible disease. His commitment to our organization will never be forgotten. We will miss him.

    Sincerely,

    Julie Fleshman

    I will miss this man, even though I have never met him in person (I so wish I did), his lecture, like himself, is unforgettable. It was the most important lecture I have ever had the honour of participating - even though from a distance.

    --
    "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
  13. Re:Still not sure... by kg9ov · · Score: 3, Informative

    And if you watch the video you would know that the lecture wasn't for you... it was for his kids.

  14. Re:RIP by gerardolm · · Score: 2, Informative

    Oh, yay for being a douche. Informative? It doesn't have to be latin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.I.P.