Comments on: Randy Pausch, 1960-2008

Randy Pausch, 1960-2008

I Said, I've Got A Big Stick — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:56:39 -0800

A sad follow-up to last year's post on the Last Lecture: Randy Pausch passed away this morning at the age of 47.

By: cashman

cashman — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:58:21 -0800

.

Well that bites.

By: msali

msali — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:01:13 -0800

Goddamn, that is a shame.

By: arimathea

arimathea — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:06:46 -0800

By: elfgirl

elfgirl — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:11:15 -0800

By: allen.spaulding

allen.spaulding — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:11:25 -0800

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.

By: snsranch

snsranch — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:41:58 -0800

By: vytae

vytae — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:46:39 -0800

By: octothorpe

octothorpe — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:49:40 -0800

.

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.

By: pearlybob

pearlybob — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:53:13 -0800

By: carsonb

carsonb — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:53:23 -0800

The news is on the blue now, and more appropriate there, I think.

By: ThePinkSuperhero

ThePinkSuperhero — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:54:46 -0800

By: roomthreeseventeen

roomthreeseventeen — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:55:38 -0800

By: carsonb

carsonb — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:57:50 -0800

On the blue too, even.

By: yhbc

yhbc — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:10:04 -0800

Now I have a perverse desire to go to AskMe and ask if Randy Pausch has died yet.

By: saturnine

saturnine — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:10:20 -0800

By: ORthey

ORthey — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:11:57 -0800

More proof that celebs die in three.

Or, alternately, that we will post thrice about the same person.

By: carsonb

carsonb — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:19:16 -0800

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!)

By: Badmichelle

Badmichelle — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:21:10 -0800

By: carsonb

carsonb — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:22:56 -0800

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

By: youarenothere

youarenothere — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:25:34 -0800

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:26:50 -0800

Agree with carsonb. Let them put their dots out there in the blue.

By: littlelebowskiurbanachiever

littlelebowskiurbanachiever — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:31:12 -0800

.

Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.

By: WCityMike

WCityMike — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:33:54 -0800

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.

By: anazgnos

anazgnos — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:34:42 -0800

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

2nded.

By: WCityMike

WCityMike — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:35:18 -0800

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

By: WCityMike

WCityMike — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:36:05 -0800

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.

By: carsonb

carsonb — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:38:17 -0800

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.

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:39:02 -0800

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.

By: ORthey

ORthey — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:42:31 -0800

Our collective love of debating posts for their location/merits/badness/goodness/etc far outweighs our need to be solemn.

By: WCityMike

WCityMike — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:51:23 -0800

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 ...

By: shmegegge

shmegegge — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:54:02 -0800

man, somebody should post this to the blue.

By: fixedgear

fixedgear — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:58:10 -0800

Is this on the blue? Oh, axed twice. Third time is the charm?

By: yhbc

yhbc — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:00:35 -0800

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.

By: carsonb

carsonb — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:01:43 -0800

Oh God, that sounds hot.

By: stupidsexyFlanders

stupidsexyFlanders — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:02:41 -0800

WWRD?

By: roomthreeseventeen

roomthreeseventeen — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:31:27 -0800

Wow, nastiness on here today, huh?

By: bashos_frog

bashos_frog — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:36:45 -0800

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

.

goodbye to an inspiration

By: y2karl

y2karl — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:37:38 -0800

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!

By: Burhanistan

Burhanistan — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:51:55 -0800

Goodnight, thread.

By: cortex

cortex — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:52:13 -0800

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.