By now you’ve probably heard of “The Last Lecture”. Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist, gave the lecture as part of a series where speakers were asked to give a lecture as if it were their last lecture of their life.

For Randy, this was significant. Because he was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer in September, 2006. Doctors told him he would live 3 - 6 months. A year later he delivered “The Last Lecture”:

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.

Randy died at his home in Virginia today. Below is the full lecture. It’s a little over an hour long, but I promise you won’t be disappointed. Be sure to stick around until the end for what Randy calls, “the head fake”. A word of caution, you might want to grab the kleenex.

R.I.P. Randy Pausch (October 23, 1960 - July 25, 2008)

1. He clearly renounces any faith in God. He says this is not about spirituality or religion, etc., even makes fun of conversion. And his philosophy is empty. Why did you post this? he leaves us with nothing! He went to a godless eternity. I don’t understand your purpose here. there is no need for kleenex here. Nothing is touching or provokes tears.

   Comment by gabrielle eden — 12:19 pm
   

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