Notes From Neal

Randy Pausch, (October 23, 1960) is a Professor of Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, and Design at Carnegie Mellon University, where my son Joshua proudly attends. Professor Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2006, and in August, 2007, told he only had a few months left.

Since that time, he has become well known for the insight and inspiration in his “Last Lecture” to his students at Carnegie Mellon. Since that talk in the fall of 2007, he has appeared on several TV shows and written a positive and inspirational book about his path.

Here is the link to his web site, where you will find videos and commentary.

Recently Professor Pausch gave a speech at the Carnegie Mellon commencement that brought tears to my eyes. No words are necessary; take the 6 minutes to watch and hear this amazingly positive man.

Where has the time gone? It doesn’t seem so long since that chilly, rainy August day when we left our son, Josh, at Carnegie Mellon University for the first time. Five days from now, I’ll be bringing him home for the summer after a wonderful year.

Where has the time gone? My daughter, Sarah, is completing her Junior year of high school. At the high school academic awards breakfast, when she was on stage as one of the Top Ten students in her class, the speaker reminded us from that group of 10, will be the Valedictorian of the Class of 2009. Sarah will graduate and on to the rest of her life.

Where has the time gone? In 20 days, I’ll have been in business for 21 years, married for 28 in 6 months, and in August, taken 58 trips around the sun.

Where has the time gone?

Paula Reed is an articulate and energetic Colorado high school English teacher, romance novel author, and parent of two teens.  She recently posted an article on her blog called Clueless in America, discussing how mythology has replaced science and the scientific method in high school education.  If you’ve ever wondered why the young people of this nation lack the science,math, and other critical skills necessary to compete globally, I’d suggest you read her post, along with the accompanying editorial in The New York Times.

As I’m sure she says to her students, “and that is your reading assignment for today.”

Back in the day, (I can’t believe I used that phrase), Saturday Night Live used to do a sketch featuring Dan Akroyd, called Bad Opera, or Bad Shakespeare Plays or something like that. Akroyd played this rather snooty character, Leonard Pinth Garnell, who would review these rather poor works of art, interpreted and played by the talented cast of Saturday Night Live.

Each year, San Jose State University offers the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. “For the past 25 years, the contest out of San Jose State University has challenged writers to concoct the worst opening line of a novel.”

Jim Gleeson of Madison, WI offers up the 2007 winner with this opening:

Gerald began–but was interrupted by a piercing whistle which cost him ten percent of his hearing permanently, as it did everyone else in a ten-mile radius of the eruption, not that it mattered much because for them “permanently” meant the next ten minutes or so until buried by searing lava or suffocated by choking ash–to pee.

The runner-up, a Scott Palmer from Oregon, is second best with these words:

The Barents sea heaved and churned like a tortured animal in pain, the howling wind tearing packets of icy green water from the shuddering crests of the waves, atomizing it into mist that was again laid flat by the growing fury of the storm as Kevin Tucker switched off the bedside light in his Tuba City, Arizona, single-wide trailer and by the time the phone woke him at 7:38, had pretty much blown itself out with no damage.

There is much more to be found on this web page, showing “winners” in several categories.

As the aforementioned Leonard Pinth Garnell would have stated, having tossed these tomes into a waste basket, “Bad writing. Oh so bad.”

Enjoy!

On a chilly and damp December morning, a Monday at that, I received this electronic greeting from West Virginia University. I attended graduate school there, and the brief message was welcome this dreary day.

I took a few moments at lunch today to browse through this week’s (November 26, 2007) copy of Newsweek. Here are some of my observations about what I found contained in this magazine.

First off. On the cover is my shipping label. Encoded on that label is my renewal date, which now seems to be at August 3, 2009. My question is this: why in the world did I just receive a mailing to renew the magazine, when my subscription won’t expire for another year and a half?

Turn to page 16. A short interview with some big time chef who opened a restaurant in Las Vegas. High end place. Dinner costs $420 per person, but that does include wine. Sounds like a restaurant for those with more money than brains.

On page 29, we read a variety of quotes, including on form Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich, explaining why he voted against the USA Patriot Act. “That’s because I read it.”

Now we turn to page 42 for an excellent op-ed piece by Fareed Zakaria called America the Unwelcoming. Mr. Zakaria discusses why tourism to the US from other countries is way down. He states it’s because of all the harassment and down right hassles that travelers experience moving through our country. I mean, think about it, why in the world do we have to remove our shoes, including my flip-flops, before boarding a plane? Read the article which is linked above.

And finally, this little article in the second column on page 12, In Trouble for Show and Tell. This article tells how some four and five year old children are being suspended from school for “sexual harassment”. One four year-old was suspended “when a female school aide reported that the child buried his face in her chest when she hugged him.”

“You have got to be kidding me,” if I might quote tennis great John McEnroe. What has happened to sensibility?

Last weekend was Family Weekend at Carnegie Mellon University, where son Josh is a first year student. We spent a great Saturday in Pittsburgh visiting with him in his new home at CMU.

To say that he is happy there is an understatement; he is soaring, both as a student and as a growing up young man. Josh is enjoying his classes, although challenged, he’s learning and doing well on the tests and papers. More importantly he’s living a quality life in this rich environment. Unlike the typical college student who spends his or her weekend partying and sleeping, he and his group of friends spend theirs playing dodgeball or tag variants throughout the campus building or exploring the maize of crevices, basements, and dark corners of the campuses. And sleeping.

Much of our day was spent touring the campus with Josh as our highly active and animated tour guide. We visited several computer clusters, once of which he frequents daily, and is a regular meeting place for his diverse group of friends. Josh guided us up and down stairways and elevators, showing off classrooms and lecture halls. In several lecture halls he demonstrated their full featured audio-visual systems, raising and lowering screens, displaying computer displays, digital whiteboards, and pointed out to us which locations were the best of viewing movies in the evenings, when they could get in.

Josh told us story after story of both fact and myth of the pranks and other activities of CMU students, including tales of dropping computer monitors and desks down nine stories. But more importantly, he shared his happiness and comfort in being part of a diverse, exciting, intellectual community where he fits in.

The college search was certainly a challenge for both Josh and myself, as I’ve shared in previous posts. I am so happy that Josh has made the right choice on selecting Carnegie Mellon, and glad he has found a place he now calls his home.

My son, Josh, reports that the campus of Carnegie Mellon University is mostly clean and free of graffiti. When it is found, here is what is likely to look like…

Last Sunday, we took my son Josh, over to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA to begin his first year of college there. What a place! After spending the day there for Parents Orientation, we are all convinced this is the right place for Josh to study. Josh is in his element amidst a highly studious and intelligent group of students, and institution that highly values learning, hard work, and passion. That boy will soar in such an environment. I am so excited for him, and a little envious of what his future holds.

Today we were talking on the cell phone when he mentioned that he had to get off because his laundry was done. Soon after, I received the following email:

Why does the washer email you when it’s done? Why do you get an email when a package arrives? Because we’re CMU.

——– Original Message ——–

Subject: eSuds.net Cycle Complete
Date: 24 Aug 2007 10:46:02 -0400
From: eSuds.net Administrator
To: JOSHUA

Hi JOSHUA,

Your laundry is finished. Please pick up your laundry from Washer 3 in XXXXX House Laundry Room.

Thank you!

Amazing!

And what’s even more amazing is that my son is doing his laundry a mere five days after his arrival on campus.

Awhile back, I posted an article about Julie Amero, a Norwich, CT substitute school teacher who was convicted of “endangering students by exposing them to pornographic material displayed on a classroom computer.” Feel free to read the article for more details.

According to Elizabeth Wood’s excellent blog Sex in the Public Square, Ms. Amero will get a new trial because an examination of a computer hard drive apparently contradicted evidence in court.

This is very good news, as the teacher faced up to 40 years in prison for something she did not do. Click here for an additional post.