Thursday, February 19, 2009

The Last Lecture

Quote: “I am dying and I am having fun.”

This lecture was delivered on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 by Professor Randy Pausch at Carnegie Mellon. It has also been penned into a book.
Here is the link to the site on which you can also see the video.
http://www.thelastlecture.com/

The first thing I want to say is that you can not stop loving this man. What does he make his students do? I do not have much of an idea, but some of them make video games of roller skating Ninjas! Wow! Now that is something! I am not much into videogames but I like animation and the short one shown during the presentation was great stuff.

For budding programmers, try Alice. Yes, this is also the one that will take you to Wonderland. (Professor Pausch used to treat his students and colleagues by taking them to Disneyland.)

If you have read the book Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom, let me remind you that this happened on a Tuesday too. There is no astrological connection in that. At least I do not believe it. But this speech or book is a must for all educators and those into education, that is, both teachers and students. It is about the miracle called life.
When a man says that he is having fun while dying, you are both laughing and crying. Have you figured out the third head fake? (Thanks Professor Pausch!) This is not the last lecture. It is a lecture that lasts!

2 comments:

  1. A very inspiring story. Randy may have lost his battle to pancreatic cancer on July 25th, 2008, but his legacy will continue to inspire us all, for generations to come, i.e., to say that he may have lost the "battle" but he will win the "war." Reminds me of a song from the 1978 Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna starrer - "Muqaddar Ka Sikandar" (Prince of Destiny) - "Rote Hue Aate Hai Sab, Haansta Hua Jo Jaayega, Wyo Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Jaanemaan Kehelayega....."

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