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                        GENERAL ARTICLES
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REALLY ACHIEVING YOUR CHILDHOOD DREAMS - Randy Pausch
By Ward Dossche
        2:292/854

It seems every time I write a text for Fidonews, it's an obituary.

This time I need to announce to you the untimely death of Professor
Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist whose
"last lecture" about facing terminal cancer became an Internet
sensation and a best-selling book. He died on Friday July 25th at the
age of 47.

Was he a fidonet-sysop? Nope. He may have heard about it, maybe at one
time in the pre-internet days he may have been involved one way or the
other, but at this moment I simply don't know.

At Carnegie Mellon, Pausch was a professor of computer science,
human-computer interaction and design, and was recognized as a pioneer
of virtual reality research. On campus, he became known for his
flamboyance and showmanship as a teacher and mentor.

Pausch was diagnosed with a recurrence of near incurable pancreatic
cancer in August 2007, recovery is very rare. Randy Pausch knew that.
The doctors gave him 3 to 6 months -- he got 11.

Last fall on September 18 2007 he gave his "last lecture". This is not
really intended to be a last lecture, but is part of a series called
"The Last Lecture" where professors were asked to think about what
matters to them most and give a hypothetical final talk. The name of
the lecture series was changed to "Journeys" before Pausch spoke,
something he joked about in his lecture.

"I thought, damn, I finally nailed the venue and they renamed it," he
said.

Rather than being gloomy, it became a unique lecture, one that will be
shown again and again for years to come. There was a sense of
electricity in the air on campus and no seat remained empty.

The lecture in September 2007 garnered international attention and was
viewed by millions on the Internet. It is still viewed by many every
day.

In it, Pausch celebrated living the life he had always dreamed of
instead of concentrating on impending death. He told the packed
auditorium he fulfilled almost all his childhood dreams — being in
zero gravity, writing an article in the World Book Encyclopedia and
working with the Walt Disney Co. The one that eluded him? Playing in
the National Football League.

"If I don't seem as depressed or morose as I should be, sorry to
disappoint you," Pausch said.
"I'm dying and I'm having fun. And I'm going to keep having fun every
day I have left. Because there's no other way to play it." were his
words.

His lecture "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" and the resulting
book inspired parents to revisit their priorities, particularly their
relationships with their children. It sure inspired me in many ways
and although I have never met, nor will I now ever meet, Randy Pausch
I cannot help but experience a sadness that something good has now
gone forever.

To understand what I'm talking about, it is paramount to watch and
listen to this incredible "last lecture". It is available on the
internet at:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=362421849901825950&hl=en

A warning note.

The full lecture and the full video (shorter versions float around on
the internet) take 1hr25 minutes. It starts slow but once Randy Pausch
takes the floor it becomes haunting. You will not want to quit, so put
the phone off the receiver, switch-off the cell-phone, send the kids
to the movies and tell your 'significant other' to stay quiet for the
next 90 minutes -- because you don't want to miss this.

This is not one of those occasions where you will be bored by an
internet video after 3 minutes.

Please celebrate Randy Pausch's life with me, because he sure as hell
wouldn't want you to mourn him.

"If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of
itself," Pausch said. "The dreams will come to you."   So, he finally
got a small part in the yet to be released new Star Wars movie. To
understand the meaning of this, you need to watch the video however.

In May 2008, Pausch was listed by Time as one of the World's Top-100
Most Influential People.


      Randy Pausch  October 23 1960 – July 25 2008



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