Bob McCarty Writes

Randy Pausch delivers "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." (Click Image)

When I saw a link to the phrase, last lecture, as a hot topic on Google Trends today, it crossed my mind that Barack Obama might have realized he doesn’t have what it takes to be president and decided to drop out of the race. Alas, I was wrong. The link lead me, instead, to news about the death of Randy Pausch.

Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist, gained fame after a video recording of his Sept. 18, 2007, presentation, “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams (a.k.a., “The Last Lecture”), became a viral YouTube sensation. Unlike Obama, Pausch’s ability to inspire others — as shown in the video above right — transcends politics and party lines. Take a look.