News & History: July 2008 Archives

I’m stealing this title a little from a Washington Post blog from a few months ago, calling attention to the phenomenon that Randy Pausch had become. By now, I’m guessing most of you have probably heard of him, as he’s been in and out of the news. He died today, but outlived his initial prognosis by 4 months.

I wouldn’t normally bring this up, but I found some of what he had to say to hit home. I’ve actually been trying to figure out how to work this one into the blog, but once they announced that he had died today, I figured it was time to pull it together.

There’s an interesting message in all of this. I actually first heard about him in a 10-minute abridged version that he had done on Oprah (which was on YouTube once, but obviously was pulled down because of it coming from the Oprah show). Someone had sent me a link to that 10-minute version, and it really hit home. The 76-minute official, extended version (which you can view here via YouTube) can be a bit tedious at times, but it does tie together. He’s a very good speaker and lecturer, with a good sense of humor. If you have the time, try to sit through all of it. But the last 20 minutes really pulls everything together.

So, I’m just offering this up as something to watch and give some introspection time to, if you want. Carnegie Mellon had set up a special site for things that came from his Last Lecture, and he also had a “blog” of sorts for catching his thoughts and activities.

Don’t forget to tell the ones you love how much they mean to you. And no matter what life throws at you, vow to be a Tigger.

*7/25 update: *Interestingly enough, I thought the 10-minute Oprah bit was gone. But someone else has wound up posting it, so you can always view this abbreviated version (until it gets pulled). This version gives the best highlights. I shed a few tears toward the end of this one.

I’m not sure what I’m going to do about this one, as I have 2 Hondas that meet the criteria, and I know some family members who also do. It turns out that odometers in 2002 to 2006 Hondas could be off by about 5% in measuring mileage. This is an issue if you have a warranty (regular or extended) or a lease. While it’s hard to know if you are exactly affected, a class action settlement has provided some relief to those who might be effected (or have had a repair just after the expiration of a warranty). Another site has an FAQ that spells things out a little better.

So it’s something I will be watching, although both extended warranties we got should be automatically adjusted for us. Just thought I’d pass it along for those who might be interested.

I found an amusing humor post on one of our presidential candidates recently and thought I’d share it with you: “McCain Makes Historic First Visit to Internet.” And spoofing on the weekly themes promised by both candidates, you get this sub-header: “Will Spend Five Days at Key Sites.”

The Borowitz Report also had a couple of other funny fake articles recently: “Liberal Bloggers Accuse Obama of Trying to Win Election” and “McCain Vows to Campaign in All Thirteen Colonies.” Enjoy the small break before the campaigns get really serious.