[Infowarrior] - RIP, Randy Pausch

[Richard Forno]

Top News July 25, 2008, 1:30PM EST text size: TT
Randy Pausch, Known for his "Last Lecture," Dies
Randy Pausch's final talk at Carnegie Mellon, in which he celebrates  
having fulfilled his childhood dreams, was an international sensation

http://www.businessweek.com/print/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jul2008/db20080725_243087.htm

By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI

Associated Press Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University  
computer scientist whose "last lecture" about facing terminal cancer  
became an Internet sensation and the basis of a best-selling book,  
died Friday. He was 47.

Pausch died at his home in Chesapeake, Va., said Jeffrey Zaslow, a  
Wall Street Journal writer who co-wrote Pausch's book. Pausch and his  
family had moved there last fall to be closer to his wife's relatives.

Pausch was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer in September  
2006. His popular last lecture at Carnegie Mellon in September 2007  
garnered international attention and was viewed by millions on the  
Internet.

In it, Pausch celebrated living the life he had always dreamed of  
instead of concentrating on his impending death.
Instant Best=Seller

"The lecture was for my kids, but if others are finding value in it,  
that is wonderful," Pausch wrote on his Web site. "But rest assured;  
I'm hardly unique."

The book The Last Lecture leaped to the top of the nonfiction best- 
seller lists after its publication in April and remains there this  
week. The book deal was reported to be worth more than $6 million.

Pausch said he dictated the book to Zaslow by cell phone, and Zaslow  
recalled Friday that he was "strong and funny" during their  
collaboration.

"It was the most fun 53 days of my life because it was like a  
performance," Zaslow told the Associated Press. "It was like getting  
53 extra lectures." He recalled that Pausch became emotional when they  
worked on the last chapter, though, because that to him was the "end  
of the lecture, the book, his life."
Flamboyance and Showmanship

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.

The speech last fall was part of a series Carnegie Mellon 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.

He told the packed auditorium he fulfilled almost all of his childhood  
dreams: being in zero gravity, writing an article in the World Book  
Encyclopedia, and working with 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.

He then joked about his quirky hobby of winning stuffed animals at  
amusement parks—another of his childhood dreams—and how his mother  
introduced him to people to keep him humble: "This is my son. He's a  
doctor, but not the kind that helps people."

Pausch said he was embarrassed and flattered by the popularity of his  
message. Millions viewed the complete or abridged version of the  
lecture, titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," online.

"I don't know how to not have fun," he said in the lecture. "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."
A Trekkie's Dream

Pausch lobbied Congress for more federal funding for pancreatic cancer  
research and appeared on Oprah and other TV shows. In what he called  
"a truly magical experience," he even appears as an extra in the  
upcoming Star Trek movie.

He had one line of dialogue, got to keep his costume, and donated his  
$217.06 paycheck to charity.

Pausch blogged regularly about his medical treatment. On Feb. 15,  
exactly six months after he was told he had three to six months of  
healthy living left, Pausch posted a photo of himself to show he was  
"still alive and healthy."

In May, Pausch spoke at Carnegie Mellon's commencement ceremonies,  
telling graduates that what mattered was he could look back and say,  
"pretty much any time I got a chance to do something cool, I tried to  
grab for it, and that's where my solace comes from."

"We don't beat the reaper by living longer; we beat the reaper by  
living well and living fully," he said.
Entertainment Technology

Born in 1960, Pausch received his bachelor's degree in computer  
science from Brown University and his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon.

He co-founded Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center, a  
master's program for bringing artists and engineers together. The  
university named a footbridge in his honor. He also created an  
animation-based teaching program for high school and college students  
to have fun while learning computer programming.

In February the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences in California  
announced the creation of the Dr. Randy Pausch Scholarship Fund for  
university students who pursue careers in game design, development,  
and production.

He is survived by his wife, Jai, and their three children, Dylan,  
Logan, and Chloe; his mother, Virginia Pausch of Columbia, Md.; and a  
sister, Tamara Mason of Lynchburg, Va.

In a statement Friday, his wife thanked those who sent messages of  
support and said her husband was proud that his lecture and book  
"inspired parents to revisit their priorities, particularly their  
relationships with their children."

Associated Press writer Ramesh Santanam contributed to this report.