Talk:Randy Pausch

Personal Life
Shouldn't there be a separate section in the article about Pausch's personal life, rather than just mentioning his wife and kids in the section on Cancer and Death? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.56.173.38 (talk) 20:19, 14 January 2024 (UTC)

Links
Not sure why there's a whole bunch of cs.virginia links in place of original links... In any case I really don't see the reason for them (eg. 'he's been on oprah so here's a cs.virginia link instead of the oprah link!) and I've removed the non-necessary/repetitive links. Please discuss on here before going back and replacing again. Thanks. --ImmortalGoddezz (talk) 19:34, 19 November 2007 (UTC)


 * Somebody is trying to give his career a boost, IMHO. -- DanielPenfield (talk) 20:44, 19 November 2007 (UTC)


 * Yeah it certainly looks like somebody is pushing the cs.virginia links.. haven't been watching the page long enough to see any trend but *shrug. Hopefully this link pushing won't become too much of a problem in the future. :/ --ImmortalGoddezz (talk) 01:46, 20 November 2007 (UTC)


 * Randy Pausch had many links to the UVA computer science department, as well as the UVA psychology department (via Dennis Proffitt, among others). It seems incredibly unlikely that the UVA links are malicious in any way.  CMU and UVA are two of the most likely legitimate sources of links that you should expect to find for Randy Pausch.  Whether it's appropriate for the entry or not is a question you can all decide, but don't question the motives... these people know and love Randy Pausch!76.199.1.207 (talk) 06:41, 11 February 2008 (UTC)

Last Lecture in public domain?
I saw on WSJ's feature on Pausch that his last lecture would be (or has been) released to the public domain. I was wondering about the status of this and maybe if there is some independent confirmation. Axem Titanium (talk) 05:04, 23 December 2007 (UTC)
 * No, definitely not under public domain. According to his website the video and transcript are licensed under Creative Commons non-commercial license. "[Y]ou may use them for non-commercial purposes, so long as you don't alter them, and you give attribution." I imagine that this was done to get the maximum amount of exposure, while preventing some guy from making money off of it.--Shizzy9989 (talk) 03:52, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Medical Condition Updates
I removed the most recent edit regarding the recent lung and lymph node metastasis because it doesn't seem relevant to randy Pausch's bio, which is what this entry is about. More detailed, recent information about the professor's medical condition can be found on his website. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.117.130.94 (talk) 03:25, 8 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Someone readded it and it is still there, and while it's possibly unencyclopedic and violating some Wiki policy, I'm going to leave it because it's relevant information that most people reading the article want to know. It's such relevant information, that if it is violating Wiki policy to leave it there, the Wiki policy must by wrong. For this kind of thing, the biography of a person with a terminal illness, it makes sense to have changing information about health. Kevin143 (talk) 03:01, 22 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Keep. It's his illness that created national notability, and it is a currently unfolding event, subject to change. Perhaps the logo should be put in that section if it hasn't already. MMetro (talk) 23:08, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Any more udates? His cancer journal hasn't been udated since Mar 13th. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.139.185.119 (talk) 15:08, 30 May 2008 (UTC)

Current life expectancy?
Anyone know? Morbidly curious, I guess. He's now lasted longer than the old 3 - 6 month estimate. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Porchcloth (talk • contribs) 04:38, 25 March 2008 (UTC) Does anyone know if he is still alive? I really hope he is. He is a positive great guy! Be Tigger not Eeyour. >


 * On the ABC special last night, they played a portion that had been filmed on 4/3/08. He was on camera and looked alert and mobile, but apparently his kidneys are shutting down and you could tell it was having an effect on him. He is still alive as of today's date, which is a great achievement as he's exceeded expectations. 64.73.35.238 (talk) 13:58, 10 April 2008 (UTC)


 * He's doing as good as could be hoped for... check http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/news/ for occasional updates. Kevin143 (talk) 06:55, 16 April 2008 (UTC)

No one knows his exact life expectancy. It could be anywhere from six months to a year at most. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 153.18.23.217 (talk) 21:18, 12 May 2008 (UTC)

Photos
We need to be sure that someone has secured permission from Randy to use these photos. Right now, they might be in danger of deletion for failure to have proper licensing. The licensing that he placed on the video (creative commons non-commercial) is incompatable with wikipedia, so maybe he doesn't want to release these photos. But we need to track that down.--Shizzy9989 (talk) 03:52, 9 April 2008 (UTC)

Semi-protection
I'm disturbed by the amount of vandalism on the page. I'm going to request semi-protection, so that the effort wasted in reversion can be put to better use. MMetro (talk) 23:15, 22 May 2008 (UTC)


 * Done. 1 month protection. If you have real info to edit and cannot do so, please detail the work needed here. Many registered editors are watching the page and will take legitimate concerns into consideration. MMetro (talk) 02:33, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Propose to Remove The Last Lecture Redirect and Create New Article
Seeing as The Last Lecture has been on the New York Times Best Seller list for 9 weeks and there is significant coverage about the book this month alone  I propose removing the re-direct and creating an article specifically about the book, as it passes WP:BK with flying colors. AtaruMoroboshi (talk) 16:20, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
 * Agree -- I can dig that. WP:BK #1 is clearly met. Jheiv (talk) 12:57, 25 June 2008 (UTC)
 * I've removed the re-direct, and begun a stub. Taking relevant information from this article and putting it there now. Help is appreciated. AtaruMoroboshi (talk) 15:16, 3 July 2008 (UTC)

"Lest We Forget" 25 July, 2008

Date of Death is July 25th
The Post-Gazette article, dated 7-25-08, says "[Randy Pausch] died early today in Virginia of pancreatic cancer." Apparently, there was also an email sent out to CMU Students. 67.85.243.235 (talk) 16:09, 25 July 2008 (UTC)

Early Life
We ought to put more information up on his childhood. The article doesn't seem full without it. GlobetrotterUltima (talk) 16:53, 25 July 2008 (UTC)

-In his book, "The Last Lecture", he talks about his entire life. We should use information from that. 76.182.133.40 (talk) 17:47, 25 July 2008 (UTC)

Protection and Suggestions
I've semi-protected again for a month. If full protection is necessary, I'm willing to do that on request. As for the article, I think work would best be directed at adding info in the career section, as it's dwarfed by the cancer/death part, which is unreasonable in every way. Superm401 - Talk 17:48, 25 July 2008 (UTC)

Google
It seems that Google put up a tribute to Randy Pausch at the bottom of their start page that says

In Memoriam: Randy Pausch (1960-2008)

To my knowledge, this is the first time they've done this. Their start page is sacred and hardly ever gets modified (with the exception of the logo). Might be interesting in case there's going to be a list of post-mortem tributes. —msikma (user, talk) 08:04, 26 July 2008 (UTC)
 * Well, they changed their background colour to black during Earth Hour (but for whole day) OhanaUnitedTalk page 23:31, 26 July 2008 (UTC)

do you have a screen shot or something?it will be good to add this to the article.ajoy (talk) 20:23, 26 July 2008 (UTC)


 * I don't know if this is of use for the article, but I uploaded a screenshot: Image:Pausch_google.png. You may need to edit the description of use a bit, depending on how and if you use.  --C S (talk) 05:28, 28 July 2008 (UTC)


 * thanks CS. i think we might include it. its a powerful demonstration of his appeal.although i have to look into the copyright issue first.give me a day.ajoy (talk) 19:05, 29 July 2008 (UTC)


 * Please get some fair use rationale listed for this picture. It would be a shame to lose it. August 5th is sooner than you think. MMetro (talk) 20:09, 2 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Uh, I did list the information, but the deletion will occur because the picture is not being used, ok? I can always upload it again if people want it, but it doesn't seem like there's a need for it.  --C S (talk) 23:44, 2 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Actually, I just noticed someone added it to the article, so I will remove the tag from the image. --C S (talk) 23:49, 2 August 2008 (UTC)


 * included in the article. thanks.ajoy (talk) 08:16, 3 August 2008 (UTC)

the photo has been removed. im trying to find out if this memorial on google's front page was in any way unique.hang in there folks...ajoy (talk) 15:23, 4 August 2008 (UTC)


 * What made you to remove it? Surely this section shows consensus to keep a picture of this. There are other similar examples such as Image:Google earth hour.PNG OhanaUnitedTalk page 17:30, 4 August 2008 (UTC)


 * : I didnt remove it.. but im looking into the uniqueness of the memorial... theres no need to start an edit war... lets me peaceful..ajoy (talk) 19:18, 4 August 2008 (UTC)


 * There's no edit war. It's just standard Wikipedia policy to make sure that pilfered pics and other copyright violations do not proliferate here. The bots err on the side of caution, since a legitimate source can always reload the image. I never saw the screen for myself, but given the high profile of Google, it is a highly notable tribute. MMetro (talk) 21:54, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

Sorry, but the image will be deleted. It's quite clearly replaceable with mere text, hence not eligible under our non-free content policy. Since the memorial consists of just a simple line of text, and nothing in the article depends on further details of its visual presentation, the reader gets all the information necessary for understanding by reading the simple textual description: "Google put up such-and-such a notice on its page." Fut.Perf. ☼ 16:42, 6 August 2008 (UTC)
 * I disagree -- there seems to be precedent here: Image:Google_earth_hour.PNG. Simply mentioning doesn't really have the same effect as the screenshot. I'll add a challenge tag on the image page. Jheiv (talk) 17:17, 6 August 2008 (UTC)


 * It appears that there is little dissent and consensus is to try to keep it. Really, the picture makes it easier to describe. MMetro (talk) 17:24, 6 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Nope, the matter is pretty clear. There's nothing in the image that couldn't easily be described in text, period. Compliance with the NFCC rules isn't optional, so I have no choice but to delete, no matter what the local spectrum of opinions on this page. The precedent isn't a very good one either (might have to take a hard look at that.) I remember a better case, in fact: the other day we kept Image:MarcChagallGoogleLogo.gif. But that had a whole different story to it with discussion in the article that was very much about the visual content. Fut.Perf. ☼ 18:09, 6 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Regarding the mediation request: I appreciate the effort, but I don't really see what's there to mediate. I'll just have to do my job here. I mean, if you feel strongly you want more input, we can of course take it to WP:IfD, rather than treat it as a speedy. Although it really does qualify as a speedy, and IfD will be a waste of time in my opinion. Fut.Perf. ☼ 18:56, 6 August 2008 (UTC)


 * I just want to see more input -- I understand your opinion -- and to be honest, the consensus here might be totally wrong, but I'd just like to see more input. I hope you don't take it personally...Jheiv (talk) 18:59, 6 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Okay then, in the interest of fair dispute resolution, let's take it to IfD. Fut.Perf. ☼ 19:02, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

The image is now listed under Images for Deletion -- . Jheiv (talk) 07:13, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

Religious beliefs?
I think we should put his religious beliefs cuz..the article doesn't seem to cover all areas of his life then. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Shark113 (talk • contribs) 16:48, 27 July 2008 (UTC)


 * Dr. Pausch deliberately kept his religious beliefs private, and they are not described in any interview or article that I am aware of, including his book. MVives (talk) 09:35, 28 July 2008 (UTC)


 * Apparently his beliefs were somewhat described in an interview (see below) that I was not previously aware of. MVives (talk) 05:34, 2 August 2008 (UTC)


 * I think what is notable was his choice to avoid discussing any such matters; if you absolutely wanted to add something, then that is the only thing that (I believe) could be referenced, and so stated in the article; but ideally find a reference first that he chose not to discuss such views rather than merely not getting around to it.  —Sladen (talk) 21:38, 29 July 2008 (UTC)


 * Anything publicly known about his religious life, e.g. the specific congregation to which he belonged, if any and if you know what it is, could be included in the article as long as it is stated plainly and factually. Because he never discussed his beliefs, any statements about his religious views would be speculative and should not be included in the article. However, you can certainly state that he kept his religious views private because Pausch stated this quite explicitly in his book. Vincent (talk) 01:44, 30 July 2008 (UTC)

Randy Pausch was "a Unitarian Universalist who first came to (the) faith as a member of the First Unitarian Church of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania". Source: http://www.uua.org/news/newssubmissions/117142.shtml —Preceding unsigned comment added by Susan bromirski (talk • contribs) 16:26, 31 July 2008 (UTC)

Randy Pausch was a Unitarian Universalist. It deserves mention and has been omitted from his biography. It is stated below that he kept his personal life private but it is inappropriate to omit it here since it is his beliefs that have defined his good character. I am confidant that this man would not have been a member of the Unitarian Universalist community if he were not proud of what it stands for and the meaning that it created in his life.

He did in fact have a public conversation in this regard:

UUA.org: What is your religious background, and what is it about being a Unitarian Universalist that attracted you to this faith?

Pausch: I was raised Presbyterian and attended church regularly until I was about 17. I like the fact that Unitarian Universalism appeals to reason and thought more than dogma.

UUA.org: How important has faith been in your life? And what role did your congregation in Pittsburgh play as you have moved through your illness?

Pausch: That’s a hard question to answer; [but] I would say that the community of people who share our faith has been extremely important recently. The [Pittsburgh] congregation was very supportive; people brought meals, helped with our kids, and helped keep our spirits up. One member of the congregation has been just unbelievable: M.R. Kelsey has spent so much time with me when I’ve been sick, even after our move to Virginia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Susan bromirski (talk • contribs) 16:33, 31 July 2008 (UTC)

Kids' ages
At the moment his kids have their ages in the article instead of their dates/years of birth. From a read of his webpage, one was born in April 2006 and the other on December 31st 2001. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.74.241.106 (talk) 20:39, 27 July 2008 (UTC)

Move Cancer / Death Descriptions Into Relevant Sections?
The paragraphs in the introduction should be moved into the appropriate sections. Specifically, I would expect to see the 2nd and 3rd paragraphs moved to the Cancer section, and the 3rd and 4th paragraphs moved to the Death section. MVives (talk) 09:40, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

thanks for noticing. :-) ajoy (talk) 19:01, 29 July 2008 (UTC)

Can an established user please rewrite this sentence?
I am not permitted to simply edit this sentence as I am not an established user. But this is a very awkward sentence: "The lecture was conceived after, in summer 2007, Pausch had learned that his previously known pancreatic cancer was terminal." Thanks. Futurefriends (talk) 03:39, 12 August 2008 (UTC)


 * Done Gary King ( talk ) 03:42, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

Randy Pausch Subtitles/Captions
request editHi, I'm the creator of www.RandyPauschSubtitles.de and I wanted to link the page, but this doesn't seem to be too easy here.

The page contains subtitles/closed captions to many of Randy's videos, now in English, German, Spanish, and French, and will soon also include Portuguese. My project is supported by many kind people who also wanted to make Randy's talks more widely available to people who don't speak English well enough to understand them rightaway.

I want to point out that this page has proven to be a very helpful service to many people. However, it cannot be found easily on Google. I just want to enable more people to watch the lecture, so would you please allow the link? Adorenarin (talk) 07:34, 16 September 2008 (UTC)
 * I do not believe adding a ling is appropraite as your site is not one of the major sites on Randy and i do not belive it would add much to the article. Sorry, Anonymous101 (talk) 15:03, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
 * I Have a different suggestion: try adding your links to each of the non-English wikipedia's. It may not be the most convenient approach from your point of view, but I suspect that the information will be made more welcome there.--Spellage (talk) 08:45, 6 February 2009 (UTC)
 * I have to point out that I am a native French speaker. However I always read the english articles (because more people edit them, so they usually are of better quality, especially if the subject is not french-specific in which case i prefer usually the fr wikipedia versoin of the articles). But I was looking for a good site with translated versions so I can direct my fellow french friends to it (those who can't understand english well enough to follow the lecture in its original form) : I would have missed this site if I didn't read the chat page... Is there a way to put it there with some kind of "evaluation" on the link's quality? I find it usefull enough to be fit in the english page on Randy.Edhel-Dil (talk) 00:12, 6 March 2009 (UTC)--

The first year after diagnosis
I am inclined to suspect that, after Pausch's diagnosis became public knowledge, some of the recognition that he received had a significant non-merit basis to it. In particular, the extensive ACM recognition of 2007 is suspect. Pausch was a great guy and all that, but does anyone have any real NPOV data about this matter? Do we have a rational basis to suggest that, had the illness not become public knowledge, that the recognition might not have come at that time?--Spellage (talk) 08:59, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

This is not exactly NPOV data, but Randy did say himself that he felt that the ACM awards "[weren't] really deserved" and that he suspected that they were due to the "'give the dying guy an award' factor" in his news log on his webpage. My personal feeling is that he probably would have received these awards eventually, due to the merit and impact of his research in the field of CS, but that he probably would not have received them at that time had his illness not become public knowledge. (LMBM2012 (talk) 08:24, 19 February 2009 (UTC))

New section for The Last Lecture?
Hi there, I suggest that the current sub-section titled "The Last Lecture" be made into a section of its own. It is currently under the section "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams", which is the lecture given by Pausch. "The Last Lecture", while a sequel to the lecture, is a book (and a bestseller on The New York Times), and I believe should be in a section of its own. Thanks, and if you want a reply from me, ring me up at my talk page. Cheers, AngChenrui Talk 03:28, 25 July 2010 (UTC)

Link #22 is a dead link
Link #22 is a dead link :( 2605:A000:FFC0:4A:383D:BE5A:CDDE:801 (talk) 12:23, 21 April 2015 (UTC)

What sport was Randy a Letterman in HS?
In his Last Lecture, "Achieving Your Childhood Dreams", Randy put on his letterman's jacket. What sport was that for?

External links modified
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External links modified
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External links modified
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