In August 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance set sail for the South Atlantic. The object of the expedition was to cross the Antarctic overland. In October 1915, still half a continent away from their intended base, the ship was first trapped, and then crushed, in ice. For five months, Shackleton and his men, drifting on ice packs, were castaways in one of the most savage regions of the world.
"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."---Randy Pausch A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow...