My Review of Professor Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture
My background includes caring for those those who are facing the end of life. I have been in awe of the human spirit shown by those facing their final life challenge. I was amazed when I read Randy Pausch's inspirational story. He has shown amazing courage and an uncanny spirit in facing and coping with a terminal diagnosis. In the process this Computer Science Professor from Carinege Mellon University has taught millions about living.
The Last Lecture begins story begins soon after receiving a terminal diagnosis with Pancreatic Cancer, Dr. Randy Pausch gave his last lecture, the lecture that many professors dream about giving by never get a chance to do so--the lecture that imparts all of their wisdom.
The Last Lecture he delivered wasn't about Computer Science, his specialty, nor was it about the fact that he was dying. Instead the lecture was about "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." It was all about living. The lecture was all about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe.
The Last Lecture, the Video, has become a phenomenon downloaded more than a million times on the Internet. Dr. Randy Pausch has become an inspiration to everyone who has heard the story. The Last Lecture Book is an amazing tribute to one person's and one family's courage despite challenges and choosing to live each day of his life.
The Passing of an Inspirational Teacher and Spirit
Updates July 25, 2008: It is with great sadness that I have to report that Dr. Randy Pausch has lost his battle with Cancer. He died July 25, 2008.
In Lieu of Flowers: The family requests that donations on Randy's behalf be directed to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 2141 Rosecrans Ave., Suite 7000, El Segundo, CA 90245, or to Carnegie Mellon's Randy Pausch Memorial Fund (www.cmu.edu/giving/pausch), which primarily supports the university's continued work on the Alice project.
More information can be found at the Carnige Mellon Tribute page to the Enduring Legacy.
Dr. Randy Pausch is a living reminder of the courage of the human spirit, what one person can do, what a difference one person can make even when facing overwhelming odds and adversity.
Dr. Kirsti A. Dyer
The Last Lecture in the Amazon Spotlight
The Last Lecture
Amazon Price: $13.17 (as of 07/25/2008)
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.
This is a book that will be shared with those that you love--a gift on learning how to live each day.
Table of Contents for the Last Lecture Lens
- The Passing of an Inspirational Teacher and Spirit
- The Last Lecture in the Amazon Spotlight
- The Last Lecture Book Website
- The Last Lecture Book Sections
- The Lost Chapter of the Last Lecture
- Press Release for the Last Lecture Book
- Rate The Last Lecture Book
- More Reviews of the Last Lecture
- The Last Lecture on CD Amazon Spotlight
- The Last Lecture Large Print in the Amazon Spotlight
- Topping the Amazon List for Motivational Books
- Different Versions of The Last Lecture on Amazon
- Which is Your Favorite The Last Lecture?
- Reader Feedback on The Last Lecture
Your Comments on the Last Lecture
Add a comment, write a review or offer your thoughts on "The Last Lecture."
What did you think?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byLove it! So Inspirational.
Comfortdoc says:
I have been moved and inspired by The Last Lecture. It is an amazing final lesson from a gifted teacher on life for all of us.
Posted April 10, 2008
Sorry, not my thing.
The Last Lecture Book Website
- The Last Lecture | Randy Pausch
- The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch--the lecture that captivated the world is now a book to inspires millions.
Time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think.
The Last Lecture Book Sections
- The Last Lecture
- Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
- Adventures...and Lessons Learned
- Enabling the Dreams of Others
- It's About How to Live Your Life
- Final Remarks
The Lost Chapter of the Last Lecture
- The Lost Chapter: the Bridge
- A special online bonus available at the Last Lecture website, the lost chapter that Randy ended up cutting from the book.
Press Release for the Last Lecture Book
Doctors gave Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch three to six more months of "good health" when they diagnosed him with pancreatic cancer last August.A month later, Pausch delivered a heartfelt public talk full of inspirational life lessons and wisdom in front of a packed crowd of CMU students, colleagues, and friends. The lecture he gave-"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"-wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of reconsidering their own ambitions, of finding new ways to look at other people's flaws, talents and feelings, and of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have--and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). He offered prescriptions for dealing with life's most debilitating roadblocks, and celebrated mentors and protégés with an open heart.
The school shot video of Pausch's lecture-and soon the footage began spreading across the internet popping up in tens of thousands of web sites. (The talk, which has been viewed by more than 6 million people on the internet, can now be seen at www.TheLastLecture.com.) Pausch was soon receiving emails from all over the world. People took it upon themselves to translate his lecture into other languages (Italian, German, Chinese, Arabic and more) and to post their versions online. A university in India held a screening of the lecture. Hundreds of students attended, told their friends
how powerful it was, and hundreds more demanded a second screening a week later. Many Americans compared his talk to Lou Gehrig's "Luckiest Man" speech.
Pausch now shares his insights in a new book, offering straightforward wisdom on matters of love, gratitude, loyalty, seizing each moment, and surmounting the challenges he calls "brick walls."
Source: Hyperion Books. The Last Lecture.
The Last Lecture
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More Reviews of the Last Lecture
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- A review of the Last Lecture from Technology Dark Side.
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- Some people read Last Lecture by Randy Pausch to hear his message about achieving your childhood dreams. A review by Sandra Douglas for the Healthy Living & Wellness section of Helium
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- Book Launch Cafe: The Last Lecture
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- The Last Lecture: Carnegie Mellon Prof Tackles Life and Love
- Carnegie Mellon Computer Science Professor Randy Pausch's book, The Last Lecture, was released last week, just over six months from when he gave his heavily YouTube viewed lecture. From Wired Science, Wired.com
The Last Lecture on CD Amazon Spotlight
The Last Lecture CD
Amazon Price: $14.93 (as of 07/25/2008)
The audio version of Randy Pausches' Last Lecture Book lets you to listen to his inspiring view of life and of living.
The Latest News on The Last Lecture Book
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byThe Last Lecture Large Print in the Amazon Spotlight
The Last Lecture (Thorndike Press Large Print Nonfiction Series)
Amazon Price: $27.37 (as of 07/25/2008)
Read the Last Lecture in Large Print version.
Topping the Amazon List for Motivational Books
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Different Versions of The Last Lecture on Amazon
The Last Lecture (Thorndike Press Large Print Nonfiction Series)
The large print version.
Amazon Price: $27.37 (as of 07/25/2008)
Dr. Randy Pausch on Wikipedia
Randy Pausch (October 23, 1960 to July 24,2008) is a Professor of Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, and Design at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States and a best-selling author, who achieved worldwide fame for his "The Last Lecture" speech on September 18, 2007 at Carnegie Mellon University.
In August 2006, Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He pursued a very aggressive cancer treatment that included Whipple procedure [http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/shortsummary.html Randy Pausch's short summary] surgery and experimental chemotherapy; however, in August 2007, he was told the cancer had metastasized to his liver and spleen, which meant it was terminal. He then started palliative chemotherapy, intended to extend his life as long as possible. At that time, doctors estimated he would remain healthy for another three to six months. On May 2, 2008, a PET scan showed that his cancer had spread to his lungs, some lymph nodes in his chest and that he had some metastases in his peritoneum and retroperitoneum.
On June 26, 2008, Pausch indicated that he was considering stopping further chemotherapy because of the potential adverse side effects. He is, however, considering some immunuo-therapy based approaches.
On July 24, 2008, on behalf of Pausch, his friend(anonymous) posted a message on Pausch's webpage indicating cancer progression further than what was expected from recent PET scans and Pausch becoming more sick than ever. It was announced that his family had sent him into a hospice program - palliative care to those at the end of life.
On July 25, 2008, it was announced by Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America that Randy Pausch had passed away the night before.
A SquidWho Lens on Dr. Randy Pausch
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Randy Pausch
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It is highly likely that Dr. Randy Pausch lasting legacy may not come for his work in Computer Science, his field of expertise. His lasting legacy is likely to come from a lecture that has become know as "The Last Lecture" teaching people about "Real...
Dr. Randy Pausch - SuperHero
Dr. Randy Pausch was one of the featured "SuperHeros" in the Squidoo SuperHero Challenge, making lenses about the people who have inspired me or changed the way I look at the world.He truly was a SuperHero.
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Dr. Randy Pausch - A Superhero
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Dr. Randy Pausch is a living inspiration. Diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer in 2006, he has gone on to show people how to continue *living* even after getting the diagnosis of a terminal illness. For his head-on, straight-forward, entertai...
Dr. Randy Pausch's Official Site
For More information about the Last Lecture
- Randy Pausch's Web Site
- Dr. Randy Pausch's Web Site at Carnegie Mellon University.
- Randy Pausch's Update page
- Dr. Randy Pausch's Day-to-Day Update Page at Carnegie Mellon University.
If I don't seem as depressed or morose as I should be, sorry to disappoint you...
The Official Last Lecture Video by Dr. Randy Pausch on YouTube
Randy Pausch Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams
Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving talk, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals. For more, visit www.cmu.edu/randyslecture. "Journeys" are special University Lectures in which Carnegie Mellon faculty members share their reflections on their journeys -- the everyday actions, decisions, challenges and joys that make a life.
Runtime: 16:26
3205027 views
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Dr. Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
- Randy Pausch Last Lecture - Carnegie Mellon University
- View Randy Pausch's Last Lecture at the Carnegie Mellon University Website.
- Professor Randy Pausch's Last Lecture - On Oprah
- In September 2007, a university professor who is dying of cancer gave a final lecture to his students that has since been downloaded more than a million times on the Internet.
Order the Video of the Last Lecture
- Randy Pausch DVD
- Order the DVD of Dr. Randy Pausch's lecture, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," delivered on September 18, 2007 at Carnegie Mellon University.
We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.
Professor Randy Pausch
Which is Your Favorite The Last Lecture?
The Last Lecture started as a live lecture. It has now been turned into a new inspirational book by the same title.
Learning to Program with Alice on Amazon
Learning to Program with Alice, Brief Edition
Amazon Price: $30.60 (as of 07/25/2008)
This book takes an innovative approach to fundamental programming concepts using 3D animation.
It is written for anyone interested in programming using the Alice environment.
In a while my family is going to be pushed off of a cliff...and that's not fair. I won't be there to catch them.
I can sit and be sad about it, or I can work on building the nets.
Professor Randy Pausch Honorary Fund
The Pausch Fund will enable the university to continue and complete Randy's work, including his most important academic project: the Alice 3D authoring system.
- Professor Randy Pausch Honorary Fund - Carnegie Mellon University
- Information on the Professor Randy Pausch Honorary Fund.
Information on Pancreatic Cancer Research
- The Lustgarten Foundation
- Pancreatic Cancer Research, Pancreatic Cancer Treatment, Help & Information from The Lustgarten Foundation. The mission of The Lustgarten Foundation is to advance the scientific and medical research related to the diagnosis, treatment, cure and prevention of pancreatic cancer.
- Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
- The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the first national patient advocacy organization for the pancreatic cancer community. PanCAN works to focus national attention on the need to find a cure for pancreatic cancer.
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Benefitting Cancer Research
If you buy any of the books or products recommended on this page, a donation is automatically made to Prevent Cancer Foundation (formerly Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation), working to prevent cancer through research, education and community outreach to all populations, including children and the underserved. 
