Several of our readers might know who Randy Pausch is. For those who don’t, he was a Carnegie Mellon professor of computer design and a pioneer in the development of simulations and virtual worlds who passed away on July 25 due to pancreatic cancer. Outside of the universities he served at, Pausch also worked on various projects at Walt Disney Imagineering and video-game maker Electronic Arts.
Most of those who are familiar with Pausch may have become acquainted with this fascinating man in the days since his death. His “Last Lecture” video has caught on like wildfire on the Web, with more than 5 million views on YouTube as of this blog posting. Pausch actually gave this speech in September of last year shortly after he found out about his illness, but it’s really gained widespread attention since this weekend.
For those of you who haven’t seen it yet, go here for his interesting commentary on technology, human relationships and life in general. It’s long (about an hour and 15 minutes) but definitely worth it.
