Although I don’t own a television, I am suggesting you watch “The Last Lecture” on Wednesday on ABC. First written about by Wall Street Journal columnist Jeffrey Zaslow, it is the story of the man who created what was probably the world’s first entertainment technology degree which helped students make Star Wars magic, the virtual reality of dreams. Randy Pausch, was a Brown graduate who went on to become a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon. Through his course he brought together technologists and artists and assigned them to rotating teams. No books, no curriculum — their only mandate — design, create, soar within the world of virtual reality. Through a computer program called Alice a software project that enables easy creation of 3-D animations, Professor Pausch sees his legacy.
Dr. Pausch gave the last lecture on September 20, 2007 knowing that at 46, he would not be able to survive pancreatic cancer. “Like Moses, I get to see the Promised Land, but I don’t get to step foot in it,” he said. “That’s OK. I will live on in Alice.”
What are the decisions here? Listen to this man talk about love, and life, and family. He speaks of his wife with absolute devotion. He says that she really knows him and because of their incredible marriage, will help their children come to learn even more about who he is once he is gone.
These segments on the ABC website show how a man of dreams, who found creative ways to walk through or over or around brick walls, lives each day filled with fun and laughter. TheLastLecture It will be televised on a TV special this Wednesday.
copyright 2008 ritawatson