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A well-liked computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University who specialized in virtual reality, Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. A tradition at CMU was for profs to deliver a "last lecture" as if it were the last one they could give before they died. Since he knew he really was going to die, a month after his diagnosis he gave a last lecture so compelling, so full of life, that it attracted millions of views online -- and a book deal. Thanks to otherwise extraordinary health, Pausch lived long enough not only to complete the book, but also to see it published in 29 languages -- and achieve New York Times Bestseller status. His goal was for his lecture to be a time capsule of advice for his three young children. He succeeded beyond his wildest dreams before he died on July 25 from his cancer. He was 47. The video is here: To get a copy of the video on DVD (just $7 for duplication and shipping, direct from Carnegie Mellon): click here. From This is True for 19 July 2008 Suggestions for further reading:
 By: Randy PauschJeffrey Zaslow List Price: $21.95 Amazon Price: $13.17 Editorial Review: "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." --Randy Pausch A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy? When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave--"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"--wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living. In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come."We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy? When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave--"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"--wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living. In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come. Questions for Randy Pausch We were shy about barging in on Randy Pausch's valuable time to ask him a few questions about his expansion of his famous Last Lecture into the book by the same name, but he was gracious enough to take a moment to answer. (See Randy to the right with his kids, Dylan, Logan, and Chloe.) As anyone who has watched the lecture or read the book will understand, the really crucial question is the last one, and we weren't surprised to learn that the "secret" to winning giant stuffed animals on the midway, like most anything else, is sheer persistence. Amazon.com: I apologize for asking a question you must get far more often than you'd like, but how are you feeling? Pausch: The tumors are not yet large enough to affect my health, so all the problems are related to the chemotherapy. I have neuropathy (numbness in fingers and toes), and varying degrees of GI discomfort, mild nausea, and fatigue. Occasionally I have an unusually bad reaction to a chemo infusion (last week, I spiked a 103 fever), but all of this is a small price to pay for walkin' around. Amazon.com: Your lecture at Carnegie Mellon has reached millions of people, but even with the short time you apparently have, you wanted to write a book. What did you want to say in a book that you weren't able to say in the lecture? Pausch: Well, the lecture was written quickly--in under a week. And it was time-limited. I had a great six-hour lecture I could give, but I suspect it would have been less popular at that length ;-). A book allows me to cover many, many more stories from my life and the attendant lessons I hope my kids can take from them. Also, much of my lecture at Carnegie Mellon focused on the professional side of my life--my students, colleagues and career. The book is a far more personal look at my childhood dreams and all the lessons I've learned. Putting words on paper, I've found, was a better way for me to share all the yearnings I have regarding my wife, children and other loved ones. I knew I couldn't have gone into those subjects on stage without getting emotional. Amazon.com: You talk about the importance--and the possibility!--of following your childhood dreams, and of keeping that childlike sense of wonder. But are there things you didn't learn until you were a grownup that helped you do that? Pausch: That's a great question. I think the most important thing I learned as I grew older was that you can't get anywhere without help. That means people have to want to help you, and that begs the question: What kind of person do other people seem to want to help? That strikes me as a pretty good operational answer to the existential question: "What kind of person should you try to be?" Amazon.com: One of the things that struck me most about your talk was how many other people you talked about. You made me want to meet them and work with them--and believe me, I wouldn't make much of a computer scientist. Do you think the people you've brought together will be your legacy as well? Pausch: Like any teacher, my students are my biggest professional legacy. I'd like to think that the people I've crossed paths with have learned something from me, and I know I learned a great deal from them, for which I am very grateful. Certainly, I've dedicated a lot of my teaching to helping young folks realize how they need to be able to work with other people--especially other people who are very different from themselves. Amazon.com: And last, the most important question: What's the secret for knocking down those milk bottles on the midway? Pausch: Two-part answer: Actually, I was never good at the milk bottles. I'm more of a ring toss and softball-in-milk-can guy, myself. More seriously, though, most people try these games once, don't win immediately, and then give up. I've won *lots* of midway stuffed animals, but I don't ever recall winning one on the very first try. Nor did I expect to. That's why I think midway games are a great metaphor for life.  By: Randy Pausch List Price: $19.99 Amazon Price: $13.59 Editorial Review: One of the best talks ever given on time management. In this lecture you will learn to: -Clarify your goals and achieve them -Handle people and projects that waste your time -Be involved in better delegation -Work more efficiently with your boss/advisor -Learn specific skills and tools to save you time -Overcome stress and procrastination This is the "Time Management" lecture, given by Randy Pausch at the University of Virginia in October 1998.  By: Randy Pausch List Price: $21.95 Amazon Price: $14.93 Editorial Review: ¡Incluye un DVD de la presentación de Randy Pausch subtitulado en español! Después de recibir la noticia que padece un cáncer terminal, el autor da una última conferencia en la que reflexiona sobre las cosas importantes que ha aprendido en la vida. El 18 de septiembre de 2007 Randy Pausch, profesor de informática, se levantó delante de 400 personas de la Universidad de Carnegie Mellon para dar su última conferencia titulada, Como realizar los sueños de tu infancia. Cincuenta días después, más de 25 millones de personas conocían al profesor Randy Pausch y se inspiraban en sus palabras. La conferencia se enmarcó en el ciclo titulado Journeys (Viajes), una serie de charlas en las cuales los conferenciantes comparten sus pensamientos y percepciones personales y profesionales a lo largo del viaje de su vida. Randy fue el primer invitado del ciclo y decidió compartir con su audiencia la sabiduría que quería legar al mundo. En su caso no fue una situación hipotética: para Randy era de verdad su último discurso, ya que a sus 46 años se le acababa de descubrir un cáncer terminal que, según sus médicos, acabará con él en pocos meses. Randy Pausch es un gran orador y su discurso se ha comparado con el último de Martín Luther King y con varios discursos memorables de John F Kennedy. Ilustró la charla con 140 diapositivas, fotos de familia, de sus héroes, de sus trabajos, hasta imágenes escaneadas de sus tumores. La conferencia entera de setenta minutos está en YouTube y recibe unos 80.000 hits diarios ¿ Porqué sus palabras han inspirando a tantos millones de personas? Quizás la respuesta es dual: 1) Nos recuerda que incluso de adultos nuestro placer máximo se encuentra en la realización de nuestros sueños y que lo mejor que podemos hacer es trabajar para lograrlos y para que otros logren los suyos 2) Randy tiene un cáncer de hígado que le matará en pocos meses. Sin embargo, rechaza totalmente la autocompasión y la compasión de los demás. Va a vivir sus días con humor, con energía, con confianza, con alegría. Su vida será corta, y la nuestra también. Su destino es igual que el nuestro, pero el suyo se ha acelerado. ......................................................................................................................................... ?No sé cómo no divertirme. Me estoy muriendo y me voy a seguir divirtiendo hasta el último día? ?Las paredes de ladrillos se interponen en nuestro camino por una razón, para demostrarnos con qué determinación podemos hacer algo? ?No se pueden cambiar las cartas que nos dieron, pero sí como jugarlas? Estás son algunas frases que forman parte de la conferencia de Randy Pausch que ya ha dado la vuelta al mundo y se ha convertido en un fenómeno mediático. Esta charla ampliada por el autor formará la parte principal del libro que publicaremos y se estructurará en tres capítulos principales: ?Lo más importante en la vida es realizar tus sueños de infancia. El autor explica cuáles eran los suyos (jugar al fútbol americano, trabajar para Disney?) y cómo, poco a poco, con gran esfuerzo, los fue consiguiendo. ?Ayudar a los demás a realizar sus sueños de infancia: El autor explica su carrera profesional como consultor y profesor de universidad americana, y de cómo ha tenido la oportunidad de participar en muchos proyectos que han significado un desarrollo personal para muchos de sus amigos y colaboradores. Este es su mayor orgullo. ?Consejos varios: cosas que él ha aprendido en su vida, como la importancia del trabajo duro, de no desanimarse, de esforzarse en sacar lo mejor de los demás. En el libro, también se incluirán temas que Randy no mencionó en su charla por temor a emocionarse demasiado delante de su público: Hablará de como conquistó a su mujer (siendo soltero y viviendo con sus padres a los 39) la educación de sus hijos (5, 2 y 1 año) y asegura que pueden ser más duros a aguantar que un cáncer. Las palabras de Pausch contagian la alegría de vivir y una actitud positiva ante la adversidad, nos ayudan a no quejarnos, a no compadecernos. Son un vendaval de optimismo y vida, son especiales, y por eso han dado la vuelta al mundo, porqué son lo que las personas queremos y necesitamos oír. Datos del autor: Randy Pausch es profesor universitario de informática, interacción humana con ordenadores y diseño tecnológico de la Universidad Carnegie Mellon. Ha colaborado con Disney, Google y Electronic Arts. Es autor y coautor de 5 libros y más de 70 artículos en su especialidad. Vive con su esposa Jai y tres niños en Virginia. Jeffrey Zaslow es periodista del Wall Street Journal y colaborará con Randy en la redacción del libro.  By: Wanda P. DannStephen CooperRandy Pausch List Price: $62.00 Amazon Price: $55.80 Editorial Review: This updated guide supports an innovative approach to fundamental programming concepts. The authors use program visualization to create an easy relationship between program construct and the animation action in a 3D world. For consistency with Java, C++, and other commonly used languages, "questions" are now "functions." Save and reload bugs have been fixed. Fonts can be scaled larger or smaller. High contrast mode is available for projection in the classroom. A useful how-to guide for programmers interested in learning Alice.  By: Ross Bolton List Price: $11.99 Amazon Price: $11.99 Editorial Review: The First Boy Scout Handbook was published in 1910 and work began almost immediately on a Scoutmaster Handbook. After several draft editions, this first official Scoutmaster Handbook was released in 1914. This is a complete reprint of the first official edition issued in 1914. A real treasury of fun for all those involved or interested in Scouts. |
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