Randy Pausch, 1960-2008

July 25, 2008 7:56 AM

A sad follow-up to last year's post on the Last Lecture: Randy Pausch passed away this morning at the age of 47.
posted by I Said, I've Got A Big Stick to MetaFilter-related at 7:56 AM (40 comments total)

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Well that bites.
posted by cashman at 7:58 AM on July 25, 2008

Goddamn, that is a shame.
posted by msali at 8:01 AM on July 25, 2008

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posted by arimathea at 8:06 AM on July 25, 2008

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posted by elfgirl at 8:11 AM on July 25, 2008

I got the news this morning as well. While I never took Building Virtual Worlds, I attended all of the yearly presentations and enjoyed them greatly. After watching the lecture on youtube, like millions of others, I went and read the book. Deeply suspicious of anything sold in an airport in a size/format that looks more appropriate for Tuesdays with Morrie, I was stunned by how good and decent the book was. I gave it to my own father on Father's Day and it allowed us to talk more about what it was like for him to grow up without a father. While at SCS, I thought that Pausch's course would eat up far too much of my time to justify learning a skill I would never really use. The past few months have shown me that he must have taught students a hell of a lot more than Alice. Had I known that then, I would have certainly gone for it.

Thanks Randy, for indirectly teaching me and for making not only CMU a better place, but for making a lot of people better people.
posted by allen.spaulding at 8:11 AM on July 25, 2008 [1 favorite]

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posted by snsranch at 8:41 AM on July 25, 2008

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posted by vytae at 8:46 AM on July 25, 2008

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I didn't know Dr. Pausch when I was at CMU but I know quite a few people who did or knew him socially. I hope that I'll be able to face my impending demise with half the grace and humor that he did.
posted by octothorpe at 8:49 AM on July 25, 2008

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posted by pearlybob at 8:53 AM on July 25, 2008

The news is on the blue now, and more appropriate there, I think.
posted by carsonb at 8:53 AM on July 25, 2008

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posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:54 AM on July 25, 2008 [1 favorite]

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posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:55 AM on July 25, 2008

On the blue too, even.
posted by carsonb at 8:57 AM on July 25, 2008

Now I have a perverse desire to go to AskMe and ask if Randy Pausch has died yet.
posted by yhbc at 9:10 AM on July 25, 2008 [1 favorite]

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posted by saturnine at 9:10 AM on July 25, 2008

More proof that celebs die in three.

Or, alternately, that we will post thrice about the same person.
posted by ORthey at 9:11 AM on July 25, 2008

OK, I know this is touchy to bring up because ostensibly we're talking about a life well-lived and over, but is this really MetaFilter-related? I would argue no, just because it has been posted to MetaFilter in the past does not make it MetaFilter-related. It is Randy Pausch-related, life-and-death-related, Last Lecture-related, and news-related. Those are the tags that are attached to the two MeFi posts. MetaTalk doesn't have tags because really it's only for discussing MetaFilter and the other subsites, self-inclusive. This type of follow-up post never belongs on MetaTalk. (Which is not to say that no follow-up posts belong on MetaTalk...if it truly is MetaFilter-related and needs following up, then sure! Follow-up away!)
posted by carsonb at 9:19 AM on July 25, 2008

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posted by Badmichelle at 9:21 AM on July 25, 2008

Furthermore, I think the second MeFi thread should be re-opened for proper discussion.
posted by carsonb at 9:22 AM on July 25, 2008

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posted by youarenothere at 9:25 AM on July 25, 2008

Agree with carsonb. Let them put their dots out there in the blue.
posted by Burhanistan at 9:26 AM on July 25, 2008

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Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.
posted by littlelebowskiurbanachiever at 9:31 AM on July 25, 2008 [1 favorite]

How utterly revelatory about MeFi is it that thus far the majority of the non-one-character posts in this thread are all about bureaucratic classification of the story? I mean, Jesus.
posted by WCityMike at 9:33 AM on July 25, 2008

Furthermore, I think the second MeFi thread should be re-opened for proper discussion.

2nded.
posted by anazgnos at 9:34 AM on July 25, 2008

And it was closed in the Blue, so we can stop talking about that delightfully anal-retentive subject now.
posted by WCityMike at 9:35 AM on July 25, 2008

WCityMikeMe: "And it was closed in the Blue, so we can stop talking about that delightfully anal-retentive subject now."

carsonb: "Furthermore, I think the second MeFi thread should be re-opened for proper discussion."

Or not. CHRIST.
posted by WCityMike at 9:36 AM on July 25, 2008

Well, this is the bureaucratic classification section of the site, Mike. MetaTalk is here for all of us to discuss site policy and procedure, so while you're welcome to continue to ask us to stop talking I think it's wholly appropriate to discuss where on the site we should be discussing the death of Randy Pausch right here.
posted by carsonb at 9:38 AM on July 25, 2008

How utterly revelatory about MeFi is it that thus far the majority of the non-one-character posts in this thread are all about bureaucratic classification of the story? I mean, Jesus.

Jesus doesn't work here. Wait, Jesus H. Shatner does actually work here. But why expect people to just automatically be solemn and or nostalgic? Examining criteria is the meta and the filter in MetaFilter so posting about classification isn't particularly damnable here.
posted by Burhanistan at 9:39 AM on July 25, 2008

Our collective love of debating posts for their location/merits/badness/goodness/etc far outweighs our need to be solemn.
posted by ORthey at 9:42 AM on July 25, 2008

And the prompt response is three people defending bureaucratese. Yeah, I'm stickin' around this thread, sounds like a fun way to spend a Friday ...
posted by WCityMike at 9:51 AM on July 25, 2008

man, somebody should post this to the blue.
posted by shmegegge at 9:54 AM on July 25, 2008

Is this on the blue? Oh, axed twice. Third time is the charm?
posted by fixedgear at 9:58 AM on July 25, 2008

Obviously, someone needs to make a Project.

In this website, I discuss the intersection of administrative matters with substantive content, with an eye towards the proper classification of obituaries, particularly of recently-deceased computer science professors.
posted by yhbc at 10:00 AM on July 25, 2008

Oh God, that sounds hot.
posted by carsonb at 10:01 AM on July 25, 2008

WWRD?
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 10:02 AM on July 25, 2008

Wow, nastiness on here today, huh?
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 10:31 AM on July 25, 2008

if anyone ever deserved their dots in the blue, it's this guy.

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goodbye to an inspiration
posted by bashos_frog at 10:36 AM on July 25, 2008

Somebody should make a Meta post about this Meta post: Hey, I have a pea under my mattress--yeah, well, I have two peas under my mattress and the mattress sucks but what about the innate nobility of the peas !! Stop talking about the mattress, you unfeeling peas!!! Crybaby peas think you're the only peas in the pod!!!! Yeah, that's the ticket!
posted by y2karl at 10:37 AM on July 25, 2008

Goodnight, thread.
posted by Burhanistan at 10:51 AM on July 25, 2008

After doing some crazed running around this morning, I'm taking a breath and looking at the third (time is a charm) post on the blue, and I think I'll let it stand and just close this up.
posted by cortex at 10:52 AM on July 25, 2008