Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams Randy Pausch Carnegie Mellon University Sept 18, 2007

The elephant in the room…

I’m not in denial… And I’m in good health now

Cancer Things more important than childhood dreams: my wife and kids Spirituality & Religion My deathbed conversion What we’re not talking about

Cancer

Things more important than childhood dreams: my wife and kids

Spirituality & Religion

My deathbed conversion

Today’s Talk My childhood dreams Enabling the dreams of others Lessons learned: how you can achieve your dreams or enable the dreams of others

My childhood dreams

Enabling the dreams of others

Lessons learned: how you can achieve your dreams or enable the dreams of others

My Childhood Dreams

My Childhood Dreams Being in zero gravity Playing in the NFL Authoring an article in the World Book encyclopedia Being Captain Kirk Winning stuffed animals Being a Disney Imagineer

Being in zero gravity

Playing in the NFL

Authoring an article in the World Book encyclopedia

Being Captain Kirk

Winning stuffed animals

Being a Disney Imagineer

Being in zero gravity

The “vomit comet”

Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things

Football Dream: play in the NFL Coach Graham practice with no football fundamentals him riding me all practice Coach Setliff Power of enthusiasm To this day, I am most comfortable on a football field

Dream: play in the NFL

Coach Graham

practice with no football

fundamentals

him riding me all practice

Coach Setliff

Power of enthusiasm

To this day, I am most comfortable on a football field

I Never Made it to the NFL But football got me where I am today Fundamentals & Hard Work “ Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted” Most of what we learn, we learn indirectly (or by “head fake”)

But football got me where I am today

Fundamentals & Hard Work

“ Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted”

Most of what we learn, we learn indirectly (or by “head fake”)

Being an author in the World Book Encyclopedia

Being like Captain Kirk Meeting

Dream Being Captain Kirk

Being Captain Kirk

It’s cool to meet your boyhood idol.

Winning Stuffed Animals

I can hear the cynics…

Being an Imagineer

Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things

1991: VR on Five Dollars a Day CHI ‘91, and Tom Furness asks a question…

Jon Snoddy I had to brief the Secretary of Defense Disney’s Aladdin project Lunch with Jon… “ But you're in the business of telling stuff, and we're in the business of keeping secrets” He taught me: “wait, and people will surprise you.”

I had to brief the Secretary of Defense

Disney’s Aladdin project

Lunch with Jon…

“ But you're in the business of telling stuff, and we're in the business of keeping secrets”

He taught me: “wait, and people will surprise you.”

Our Villain; but all’s well that ends well

Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things

Aladdin

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Working on Aladdin VR a once in five careers opportunity Forever changed me real people, real HCI issues how to put engineers & artists together

a once in five careers opportunity

Forever changed me

real people, real HCI issues

how to put engineers & artists together

Really being an Imagineer… and I said “no.”

Virtual Jungle Cruise

Enabling the Childhood Dreams of Others … or, “ Boy , am I glad I became a professor!”

Building Virtual Worlds 50 students from art, design, drama, and CS Randomly chosen teams, change per project Two weeks to design, implement, and test Five projects during the semester

50 students from art, design, drama, and CS

Randomly chosen teams, change per project

Two weeks to design, implement, and test

Five projects during the semester

The First Year Listed in Five Departments (I love CMU!) Content: Anything you want No shooting violence No pornography They blew me away w/first assignment I called Andy van Dam The first show In McConomy for its A/V President Cohon’s reaction

Listed in Five Departments (I love CMU!)

Content: Anything you want

No shooting violence

No pornography

They blew me away w/first assignment

I called Andy van Dam

The first show

In McConomy for its A/V

President Cohon’s reaction

Campus-wide Exhibition

BVW was a pioneering course And as they say…

And as they say…

Don Marinelli (Drama) Randy Pausch (CS) The Dream Fulfillment Factory

Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) Artists + Technologists working in small teams to make things 2 year professional degree : M asters of E ntertainment T echnology Two kindred spirits: try things a new way; we’re both a little uncomfortable in academia CMU is the only place I know where this could happen.

Artists + Technologists working in small teams to make things

2 year professional degree : M asters of E ntertainment T echnology

Two kindred spirits: try things a new way; we’re both a little uncomfortable in academia

CMU is the only place I know where this could happen.

Right Brain / Left Brain

Don & I shared an office for six years

Co-Director Credit for the ETC’s Success

The ETC is to “masters degrees” as Cirque Du Soleil is to “circus”

ETC Curriculum: First Draft Project Course First Year Fall Optional Internship First Year Spring Second Year Fall Second Year Spring Project Course Project Course Project Course

ETC Curriculum The Visual Story Improvisational Acting Intro to Entertainment Technology Building Virtual Worlds ETC Interdisciplinary Project Course II Elective First Year Fall Optional Internship First Year Spring ETC Interdisciplinary Project Course III Elective ETC Interdisciplinary Project Course IV Elective Second Year Fall Second Year Spring

Key to the ETC’s Success: Freedom No deans to report to License to “Break the mold” Project-based curriculum Intense, fun student experience Field trips!

No deans to report to

License to “Break the mold”

Project-based curriculum

Intense, fun student experience

Field trips!

Edutainment Developed with FDNY Networked simulation to train 1 st responders to chemical spills and terrorist attacks

Developed with FDNY

Networked simulation to train 1 st responders to chemical spills and terrorist attacks

Companies guaranteed hiring our students Don has taken the ETC global: Australia, Korea, Singapore

Keys to the ETC’s Success: Focus on People and Learning to work in Groups

Alice The Infinitely Scalable Dream Factory And I guess this makes me the mad hatter…

Alice Novel way to teach Computer Programming Kids make movies and games; the “head fake” is that they are learning to program Over 1 million downloads, 8 textbooks, 10% of US colleges using right now

Novel way to teach Computer Programming

Kids make movies and games; the “head fake” is that they are learning to program

Over 1 million downloads, 8 textbooks, 10% of US colleges using right now

Alice is my Professional Legacy Helping millions of kids have fun while learning something hard v3.0 will release in 2008, in Java, with characters from the best-selling PC game in history: The Sims Can’t mention everyone, but… Dennis Cosgrove is building it Wanda Dann, Steve Cooper, Don Slater are developing the pedagogy Caitlin Kelleher is going to hit the home run with middle schoolers

Helping millions of kids have fun while learning something hard

v3.0 will release in 2008, in Java, with characters from the best-selling PC game in history: The Sims

Can’t mention everyone, but…

Dennis Cosgrove is building it

Wanda Dann, Steve Cooper, Don Slater are developing the pedagogy

Caitlin Kelleher is going to hit the home run with middle schoolers

Lessons Learned

The Roles of Parents, Mentors, and Students

My Dad, age 80

My Mom The theory qualifier My son, the doctor…

The theory qualifier

My son, the doctor…

Other people who help us Teachers Mentors Friends Colleagues

Teachers

Mentors

Friends

Colleagues

Andy van Dam Mythical creature Dutch uncle-d me my sophomore year Made me go to graduate school

Mythical creature

Dutch uncle-d me my sophomore year

Made me go to graduate school

My “Bosses”: Respect authority while questioning it

We learn from our students The best “head fake” of all time – Caitlin’s idea about storytelling in Alice

The best “head fake” of all time – Caitlin’s idea about storytelling in Alice

More Lessons Learned

President Cohon’s Advice Tell them about having FUN Like a fish giving a talk about the importance of water

Tell them about having FUN

Like a fish giving a talk about the importance of water

Decide if you’re Tigger or Eeyore

Never Lose the Child-like Wonder

Help others Jessica Hodgins: The best gift ever Denny Proffitt: Forgotten more than I’ll ever know MK Haley: Limit case of my large family theory “ It’s kind of fun to do the impossible” “ Professor boy”

Loyalty is a two-way street

Never Give Up Brown University – didn’t get in. Carnegie Mellon for Graduate School – didn’t get in. Meeting with Nico

Brown University – didn’t get in.

Carnegie Mellon for Graduate School – didn’t get in.

Meeting with Nico

How to Get People to Help You You can’t get there alone, and I believe in Karma Tell the truth Be earnest Apologize when you screw up Focus on others, not yourself (an example…)

You can’t get there alone, and I believe in Karma

Tell the truth

Be earnest

Apologize when you screw up

Focus on others, not yourself (an example…)

Brick walls let us show our dedication

Don’t bail; the best gold is at the bottom of barrels of crap

Get a feedback loop; and listen to it!

Show Gratitude ETC admissions… How can you do this?

Don’t complain; just work harder.

Important Advice Be good at something: it makes you valuable Work hard … “what’s your secret ?” Find the best in everybody; no matter how you have to wait for them to show it Be prepared: “luck” is where preparation meets opportunity

Be good at something: it makes you valuable

Work hard … “what’s your secret ?”

Find the best in everybody; no matter how you have to wait for them to show it

Be prepared: “luck” is where preparation meets opportunity

Today’s Talk My childhood dreams Enabling the dreams of others Lessons learned: how you can achieve your dreams or enable the dreams of others

My childhood dreams

Enabling the dreams of others

Lessons learned: how you can achieve your dreams or enable the dreams of others

How to achieve your dreams Have you figured out the head fake?

Have you figured out the head fake?

How to achieve your dreams Have you figured out the head fake? How to lead your life

Have you figured out the head fake?

Have you figured out the second head fake?

Have you figured out the second head fake?

Have you figured out the second head fake? This talk wasn’t for you guys. It was for Dylan, Logan, and Chloe.

Have you figured out the second head fake?

Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams Randy Pausch Carnegie Mellon University Sept 18, 2007