I want to thank Dr. Randy Pausch for recording his Last Lecture so that it can viewed by millions, or rather, so it can inspire millions. Dr. Pausch died yesterday, July 25th, with his pancreatic cancer having the final say. CrunchGear brought me the sad news while I was searching for something else. I don’t remember how I learned about the video of Dr. Pausch’s lecture, now called the Childhood Dreams lecture. I remember thinking that I didn’t have time to watch a video that was over an hour long. I was just going to look at the first few minutes…. An hour and a half later, I was forwarding that video link to friends. To say that the lecture is inspirational is an understatement. Carnegie-Mellon had the concept of a lecture series where professors gave a lecture as though it was the last one they would ever give. They…
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I think it is quite apt to say that Jill Bolte Taylor’s talk at this year’s TED conference is mind-blowing. View or read about her “Stroke of Insight”. Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another. I do look forward to hearing Richard Saul Wurman speak at the closing keynote of the STC 55th conference in Philadelphia. Wurman’s idea back in 1984 made many lectures like “My Stroke of Luck” possible. This particular presentation is an excellent example of his aim to make a complex idea clear to a…
4 CommentsA new day. A new year. This is like receiving a new notebook or a new pad of paper! Joy! I know there is lots of work waiting for me when I get back to my job tomorrow. Over the coming days, the quantity of grey hairs may increase, and choice, blog-unfriendly words may cross my lips, or at least, be uttered in my head as I face deadlines and dig through my tasks. Despite the occasional (well, maybe not so occasional) moment of Utter Grouchiness caused by these tasks, I am, at heart, an optimist, and I do look forward to the whatever challenges I encounter in 2008. My excitement is due to a recent addition to my writing toolkit. I found a wonderful muse! As an appetizer, look at how she bids farewell to 2007. Or read how she greets the new year. Next, dig in with the…
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