1. 去世 7月25日，美國Carnegie Mellon大學計算機系教授蘭迪·波許（Randy Pausch），因晚期癌症去世，享年47歲。在去世前的10個月，也就是2007年9月18日，他做過一個著名的演說《最後一課》（The Last Lecture），回顧了自己的一生。這篇演說反響極大，數百萬人觀看了網上的視頻，ABC電視網將他選為"2007年度人物"之一，《時代》雜誌將他列入了"世界上影響最大的100人"，同名書籍至今仍然排在"暢銷書（建議類）"的榜首。抄錄下來很多有價值的東西(當然還有更多)。
2. 在演說的第一部分，波許教授說，他童年的夢想是體驗失重狀態，但是一直無法實現。
他當上了教授以後，終於出現了一個機會。
當時，美國宇航局（NASA）組織了一次大學生競賽，優勝團隊將被送到高空，體驗25秒失重狀態。波許教授指導的參賽隊，獲得了第一名。但是，NASA告訴他，只有學生才能飛上天空，指導老師不行。
他就急了，要求將身份改為校報的隨隊記者，因為記者可以一起飛。NASA說："你這樣做，太明目張膽了吧。"
波許教授回應說，我們做個交易吧。我把自己的最新研究成果----"虛擬現實"頭盔----帶過來，讓學生向新聞界當場演示。這一定會讓你們的這次活動受到關注，登上各大媒體，獲得巨大的新聞效應。
NASA一聽，就同意讓他飛了。
所以，波許教授的第一個人生經驗就是：
Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome. 你必須要有一些真本領，這樣可以讓你更受歡迎。
3.接著，他又回憶了，他小時候最喜歡打橄欖球。
可是，第一次上橄欖球課，老師卻是空著手來的，沒有帶球。
其他小朋友問："老師，沒有球怎麼上課啊？"老師反問："橄欖球場上一共有幾個人？"小朋友們答道："每隊11人，一共22人。"老師又問："在比賽的任何一個時刻，有幾個人可以接觸到球？"小朋友們回答："只有1個人。"老師說："好的，我們今天就開始學習，那其他21個人要乾的事情。"
這件事，波許一直記住了，他的忠告是：
You've got to get the fundamentals down because otherwise the fancy stuff isn't going to work. 你必須練好基本功，否則後面的事情都不會發生。
4.整篇演說中，我最喜歡的是下面這段話
That was a bit of a setback. 你總會遇到挫折。
But remember, the brick walls are there for a reason. 但是記住，它們的出現不是沒有原因的。
The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. 磚牆並不是為了擋住我們。它在那裡，只是為了測試，我們的決心到底有多迫切。
Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough. They're there to stop the other people. 它在那裡擋住了那些沒有強烈決心的人。它不讓那些人通過。
Remember brick walls let us show our dedication.They are there to separate us from the people who don't really want to achieve their childhood dreams. 記住，磚牆的存在是為了顯示我們自己付出的決心。它使得我們，同那些並不真的想實現夢想的人得以區分。
5.在演說的最後一部分，波許教授為青年學生和他的三個沒有成年的孩子，總結了14條為人處世的建議：
Helping others. 幫助他人。
Never lose the childlike wonder. It's what drives us. 永遠不要失去好奇心，它是人類前進的動力。
Loyalty is a two way street. 誠以待人，這樣別人也會忠實地對待你。
Never give up. 永遠不要放棄。
You can't get there alone. People have to help you. You get people to help you by telling the truth. 你不能單打獨鬥，必須有人來幫你。只要你講真話，就會有人來幫你。
Apologize when you screw up and focus on other people, not on yourself. 當你把事情搞砸，首先要向別人道歉，首先關心他們的損失，而不是你自己的損失。
When you do the right thing, good stuff has a way of happening. 如果你做了正確的事，好的結果自然會發生。
Get a feedback loop and listen to it. 注意傾聽反饋。
Show gratitude. 感恩。
Don't complain. Just work harder. 不要抱怨，而要加倍努力。
Be good at something, it makes you valuable. 要有一技之長，它使你有價值。
Work hard. 努力再努力。
Find the best in everybody. 注意發現他人的優點。
Be prepared. Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity. 做好準備。所謂幸運，真的是機會和準備的結合。
6.在演說文稿之後，附有波許教授的病情自述，讀來令人心酸。他患的是生存率最低的"癌中之王"胰腺癌，只要得病，幾乎必死無疑。
Late in the summer of 2006, I started having some unusual symptoms, culminating with jaudice. Scans revealed it was pancreatic cancer. At this time, my wife Jai and I had a 4 year old, a 2 year old, and a three month old baby. 2006年夏末，我出現了一些異常症狀，後來發展為黃疸。掃描發現是胰腺癌。那時，我的三個孩子分別是 4 歲、2 歲和3個月大。
Pancreatic cancer is the most deadly of cancers, with only a 4% 5-year survival rate. The only hope is to be one of the 20% of patients (which I was) where surgery is possible. I had a Whipple surgery on Sept 19th, 2006; Dr. Herbert Zeh removed the (4.5cm) tumor, my gallbladder, 1/3rd of my pancreas, 1/3rd of my stomach, and several feet of my small intestine. I was in the hospital 11 days. Even with a successful Whipple surgery, only 15% of pancreatic cancer patients make it to 5 years, and there is no concensus about which chemotherapy and/or radiation after surgery helps. I found the Virginia Mason protocol, where early trials were claiming to get 45% of people to 5 years. However, it was an extremely toxic combination of chemotherapy and daily radiation: a nation-wide trial was shut down because several patients died from the treatment. There were two centers still offering the treatment: Virginia Mason in Seattle, and MD Anderson in Houston, and I was able to quality for the treatment in Houston. This happened in a whirlwind: the treatment needed to start within 6-8 weeks of the surgery. And Jai & I needed to figure out how to have somebody stay with me full time, and also take care of our 3 kids. 胰腺癌是最致命的癌症，5年生存率僅 4% 。唯一有希望的是那些 20%可手術治療的患者（我是其中之一）。2006年 9月19日，我接受了胰十二指腸切除術（Whipple），赫伯特·澤醫生切除了我的腫瘤（4.5cm）、膽囊、1/3的胰腺、1/3的胃和幾英尺的小腸。我在醫院住了11 天。即使Whipple手術成功，也只有 15%的胰腺癌患者可以存活 5年，而且對於術後的放化療方案，醫界也無共識。我找到維吉尼亞梅森方案，初期臨床試驗表明它可以把5年生存率提高到 45%。但是，這是毒性很大的化療和每日放療的組合，因為有幾名患者死於該治療，所以全國性的臨床試驗被終止了。只有二個醫學中心仍提供該療法：西雅圖的維吉尼亞梅森醫療中心，以及休斯敦的德州大學安德生癌症中心。而我有資格在休斯敦接受治療。治療需在手術後 6-8周內開始。我的妻子潔和我，需要想辦法既能照顧我們的3個小孩，又要有人全時陪護我。
I spent November and December at MD Anderson receiving IV Cisplatin once a week, interferon injections three times a week, continuous infusion 5-FU, and daily radiation. Fortunately, Jai's brother and sister-in-law took in our three kids (on top of their 8 and 12 year old), in Norfolk Virginia, while Jai stayed with me in Houston. Every weekend, Jai flew to Norfolk to be with our kids, and my sister Ruby or one of my friends (thank God for Jessica Hodgins, Scott Sherman, and Jack Sheriff) would come stay with me. I was also blessed with my colleague Chris Hoffmann, a CS professor at Purdue who had been through this exact ordeal two years prior: his encouragment and practical tips were invaluable in getting through the treatment. The less I say about Houston the better, but by the end I was barely able to walk, and my weight (starting at 182) dropped to 138. 我在安德生癌症中心度過了11月和 12月，靜脈注射順鉑每週一次，干擾素注射每週三次，5-氟尿嘧啶持續滴注，還有每日放療。幸運的是，當潔和我一起在休斯敦時，她在弗吉尼亞州諾福克的兄嫂為我們照看三個小孩（再加上他們自己兩個8歲和12歲的孩子）。每個週末，潔飛到諾福克跟我們的孩子在一起，而我姐姐或我的朋友（非常感謝傑西卡·霍金斯、斯科特·謝爾曼和傑克·謝若夫）會來和我呆在一起。我的同事克里斯·霍夫曼（一位兩年前經歷過同樣磨難的普渡大學計算機學教授），給予了我無價的鼓勵和熬過治療的竅門。關於休斯敦，我還是少說一點，最後我幾乎不能走路，我的體重（原來 182磅）掉到 138磅。
The next four months of chemo (continuous infusion 5-FU) was back in Pittsburgh, through May 2007. Now, I'm 168 pounds and look normal. (To answer everybody's first question, no, my hair never fell out). One additional treatment is a vaccine done at Johns Hopkins: I don't expect it will change my odds much, but it can't hurt. I still have digestive inconveniences from the Whipple surgery: I have to eat 5 small meals a day and take pills with each meal, and I have some abdominal cramping from time to time. A small price to pay for walking around. 接下來是四個月的化療（5-氟尿嘧啶持續滴注），回到匹茲堡做，直到 2007 年 5月。現在，我體重168磅，看起來正常。（回答每個人的第一個問題，沒有，我從未脫髮）。另外還有在約翰霍普金斯大學做的疫苗治療：我不期望它扭轉乾坤，但總是有益無害。我仍然有手術後的消化問題：我必須一天吃 5小頓飯，每頓飯都要吃藥，有時肚子還會抽筋。這是為了活著，而付出的一個小小代價。
In August of 2007, we learned that the cancer had returned, having metastasized to my liver and spleen, which is a death sentence. At that time, the doctors gave me an estimate of having 3-6 months of healthy living left. On Oct 1st, we learned that the first round of palliative chemotherapy was working, and that I would likely be "more like the 6 than like the 3 in that estimate." 2007年8月，我們獲悉，癌症已復發，而且轉移到肝和脾，這意味著必死無疑。那時，醫生估計我有 3-6個月的健康生存期。10月1日，我們獲悉第一輪姑息性化療有效，我的剩餘壽命可能是6個月，而不是3個月。
My wife Jai has been an incredible source of stability and courage through all this. We both agree that "you can't control the cards you're dealt, just how you play the hand." 在整個過程中，我的妻子潔一直以超乎尋常的能力，幫助我保持情緒穩定和鼓起勇氣。我們都同意，"你不能控制發給你的牌，只能控制如何打牌。"
Randy Pausch, October 2007
蘭迪·波許，2007年 10月
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