In September 2007, a lecture from Randy Pausch came up on Digg.com; and somehow, I had the two hours to watch his lecture and be inspired.  Since then, I bought the DVD (the best $ 7 I have spent), watched the lecture another two times, and stayed up to date on how he was doing.  Today, July 25, 2008, marks the day that I can stop checking, for Professor Randy Pausch has passed away from pancreatic cancer.  Although his doctors estimated that he had three to six months left at the time of the lecture, he beat it by a nontrivial bit.

I watched the lecture when I needed some inspiration, and there were a few things I took to heart, particularly his view on brick walls:

“The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough.”

… and there were other little bits like apologizing when you screw up, listening to critics, and showing gratitude.  Despite facing death, he defines living life to its fullest in my view by using his strength to continue to inspire others and raise awareness of pancreatic cancer.

Thank you, Professor Pausch, for your contributions to virtual reality and for inspiring many worldwide.  May you rest in peace and may God bless your family.  If you haven’t watched the lecture yet, you should watch it on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

Resources:

• Information about Randy’s Lecture: http://www.cmu.edu/randyslecture/
• News article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25848017/