Reflection Of The Last Lecture By Randy Pausch

It was in the summer before my sophomore year when I read the book “The Last Lecture” by CMU professor Randy Pausch. The book was based on his famous “last lecture” that he gave while being terminally ill with few months to live. In that lecture, instead of talking about his tragedy, he spoke about the positivity of life, continuous learning, unconstrained imaginations, honesty and integrity, overcoming obstacles and choices that one can make to lead a good life. Two of his key experiences has stood out for me. The first is related to how his students achieved best results when they were unshackled to pursue limitless exploration. The second was his advice on facing obstacles or “brick walls” that stops someone from achieving a desired objective.

Pausch shares his experience of how students at the entertainment technology center at CMU when allowed to design their own perfect virtual world incorporating technology, arts and humanities with unlimited imaginations,
came up with some of the most mind boggling ideas. This felt very close to my heart. I had to make a decision to choose between music and computers for my high school elective course and I wanted both. I was always fascinated by computers and music - two of my most interesting subjects. I got into music at a very early age, but my interest in computers piqued when I was introduced to programming in middle school. It feels empowering to actually make lines of software codes come to life on computing devices in the same way I can create new melodies with musical notes. It is exciting to note how musical notation and software systems operate under the same principals. Both are highly structured, rules-based and provide endless creative possibilities. Both use some forms of physical devices to create mind-boggling sensory experiences. Both require logic, creativity, expressions and a good understanding of forms and functions. It amazes me to realize that while good music is all about conforming to regular pattern of tones, notes and scales, it is not bounded by them and can be extended with infinite possibilities. Perhaps a musically trained mind, applied to technology, can be better suited to design more ergonomic or more economical solutions. Professor Pausch experience, reinforced my belief that I should pursue both computers and music academically.

The second significant influence on me was professor Pausch’s discussion on the “brick wall” and how they are not there to not stop us but, to give us chance to show how badly we want something. I saw my school’s restrictive curriculum as a “brick wall”. This was an obstacle that I wanted to cross. I decided to continue with computers in high school and joined music program at another institution. It was a hard decision because the music program required me to commit at least 30 hours every week over and above my regular high school hours. But with a new perspective gained from professor Pausch, I became determined to take the plunge.

Reflecting back, now, I am happy about my decision.
In Junior year, while designing the website www.vibanote.com for upcoming music artists to get a broader exposure, I experienced the synergy between technology and music. Knowing music, it was relatively easy for me to learn computer languages like Java and Python and use the musical concepts of regularity, patterns, and structures in conceiving the software program for my website. I first coded the basic constructs, then developed extensibility patterns and assembled them to deliver desired functionalities. The designed website can dynamically extend to accommodate new requirements. I can only imagine, how a brain wired to understand music’s spatial and visual characteristics can be applied in designing solutions around AI, machine learning, natural language processing, unstructured data processing, and a host of other cognitive capabilities. I aspire to pursue life by permeating the boundaries between the two disciplines and learn from one
another.