Must Read Book

I've been aware of this book for some time and finally got around to reading it recently. As you may know, the book came about as a follow up to a lecture given by Randy Pausch at Carnegie Mellon University. Of special incidental interest to me is the fact that he is a distinguished computer scientist. You can hear the lecture, which I strongly urge you to do, by going to this web site. Pausch is in the final months of his life as a result of cancer. He had been asked to give a "last lecture" at CMU, which is something faculty are often asked to do at their respective universities as a way of setting them up to think about what wisdom they would impart if it really was their last lecture. This particular lecture is so touching simply because it truly is a last one. This had not been anticipated at the original time of the invitation. I urge anyone reading this to read the book first and then hear the lecture, although spending time with either one is time well spent. His advice (really intended mostly for his children), the love he shows his wife, and the dedication and feelings he clearly has for family, friends, students, his university, and life in general are very touching and worthy of personal consideration. I very much wish I could have listened to this advice when I was still working and especially while I was still teaching.

It turns out that I was once invited to give a last lecture, I think back in the middle 1990s. The experience really does make one pause to think about so many things, both past and present. My lecture pales in comparison to the one that Pausch gave. Perhaps unfortunately for them, my children all have a recording of it.