Randy Pausch是美国卡内基梅隆大学的计算机科学、人机交互及设计教授。2006年9月，他被诊断患有胰腺癌。2007年9月18日，他在卡内基梅隆大学做了一场风靡全美的“最后的演讲”，根据这次演讲，他出版的“The Last Lecture”一书则成为亚马逊网站上最为畅销的书籍之一。Randy教授所传达的讯息之所以如此震撼人心，是因为他以诚恳、幽默的态度去分享他独特的经验。他谈的不是死亡，而是人生中的重要议题，包括克服障碍、实现儿时梦想、帮助别人实现梦想、把握每一个时刻……

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escapade
My imagination was always pretty hard to contain, and halfway through high school, I felt this urge to splash some of the thoughts swirling in my head onto the walls of my childhood bedroom. I asked my parents for permission. "I want to paint things on my walls," I said. "Like what?" they asked. "Things that matter to me," I said. "Things I think will be cool. You'll see." That explanation was enough for my father. That's what was so great about him. He encouraged creativity just by smiling at you. He loved to watch the spark of enthusiasm turn into fireworks. And he understood me and my need to express myself in unconventional ways. So he thought my wall-painting adventure was a great idea. My mother wasn't so high on the whole escapade, but she relented pretty quickly when she saw how excited I was. She also knew Dad usually won out on these things. She might as well surrender peacefully.
我的想象力一直都很难控制，在高中上到一半的时候，我迫切的希望将我脑中盘旋的一些想法画到小时候卧室的墙上。 我征求了父母的同意。 “我想在我的墙上画画。”我说。 “类似什么的？”他们问。 “与我有关的，我认为很棒的的，你明白的”我说。 这个解释对我父亲来说足够了。这就是他的伟大之处。他只是通过对你微笑来鼓励创造力。他喜欢看到激情四射。而且他懂我，明白我需要用一种不平常的方式来表达自己。所以，他认为我的墙画是个极棒的注意。 我的妈妈对我的异常行为不是十分赞成。但是当她看到我多么兴奋时，她很快就答应了。她也知道爸爸经常在这些事情上胜出。她也和平的投降了 ——译文来自: 吕婷婷224