Google Chrome OS Devices

Taken from:
http://blogs.computerworld.com/20242/google_chrome_os_devices

Since 1982 my main computer has relied on a Microsoft Operating System - from MS-DOS - to Windows, to Windows NT to Vista to Windows 8.  BUT ... I have loved working with Google Chrome on the Internet - Chrome is favorite and default browser.

Now Google is coming out with new Chromebooks (laptops / notebooks).  The article suggested the price is too high - but ... that Google has a 'dirty little secret':

Here's the dirty little secret, though: Google isn't going after the individual consumer with its Chrome OS Chromebooks. Not at those prices. Sure, the G-Team will be delighted when an average consumer decides to pick up its product -- and for some of us, the value will be worth the cost -- but the true target here is almost certainly the world of business and education.
While the $450 to $550 cost may seem steep from a consumer perspective, for businesses and schools, the Chromebook is part of a bigger package. Full support -- both hardware warranty and 24-hour phone service -- and enterprise management tools are available for $150 per device for businesses and $30 apiece for schools. That's an eye-catching proposition: thirty dollars per system, with practically no training required and no need to worry about virus protection or labor-intensive software updates 

Now ... think about that ...full support - hardware, warranty, enterprise management - that could cut corporate support and corporate IT / help desk staffs down.  That is an attractive offer for education ($30 for full support - wow).  That can be a game changer for IT staffs.

Will it work - not immediately, but it can be attractive in the long run (and Google gets a larger foothold in the hardware area).

Threat to iPad?

Taken from:

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9227586/Asus_Transformer_Infinity_Pad_tablet_to_ship_in_a_month

The article notes:

IDG News Service - Asus' highly anticipated Transformer Pad Infinity TF700T tablet, a challenger to Apple's new iPad, will become available in late June or early July, a company spokeswoman said on Wednesday.
The tablet has a 10.1-inch display that shows images at 1920-by-1200 pixels, which is among the highest resolution screens offered on Android tablets today. The tablet will come with the Android 4.0 OS and optional 3G/4G mobile broadband connectivity.
With its powerful processor and high-resolution screen, the Infinity Pad is being pitched as a multimedia powerhouse. The tablet will come with a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 chip for models focused on gaming and multimedia or a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chip for models with 3G/4G LTE connectivity

It has a bigger display, a quad-core processor - focused on gaming and multimedia.

So, is it a threat to the Apple iPad?  Probably not.  Apple's marketing, Apple's brand name, the iTune / Apps Store are so established, that the word "iPad" is getting to be the generic for "Tablet".  The technologies can be superior, but buying an "Asus" is going to be hard in today's consumer world against buying an "Apple"!!!

Microsoft updates

Taken from:

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9227470/Microsoft_s_upgrade_avalanche_a_challenge_for_IT_pros

Software companies (like Microsoft in this article) need to update software products almost continually.  The first reason to update is to deliver better, faster, more robust products; the second reason to update is to fix mistakes and the third reason (okay, my opinion) is to make money!!!  Companies like Microsoft only make money when somebody buys the product - no new products, no new income!!!  

The article notes:

"IDG News Service - Microsoft is in the midst of an unprecedented, massive upgrade cycle for its enterprise software products, a refresh wave that represents a major challenge for CIOs and IT managers responsible for charting their companies' technology strategy.

Not only is Microsoft working on a major revamp of its flagship Windows operating system, but significant upgrades are coming to its Office products, the Explorer browser and a range of back-end enterprise products

BUT ... massive upgrades are tough on IT staffers.  Having to install, push out, tweak for the enterprise, set security and other parameters can be a challenge to IT staff.  Also IT mangers / CIO's need to see if the upgrade is really important - or can they still get by on the older versions?  Colleges seem to get the newest and fastest (sometimes at great prices in the Microsoft Academic Alliance) - but businesses may not want to spend their money for upgrades / updates unless they are convinced it is worth it.

Some of the features that the article mentions are:

• new operating systems - include a touch system (like for smartphones, tablets)
• new version of Microsoft Explorer Browser (to be able to use the touch tools)
• updated Microsoft Office programs - including the Office 360 - which can be used on the web as a cloud application
• and more (like Sharepoint, SQL Server and other backend products)

So ... if you were the CIO of a major company - when would you update software in a tough economy?

Taken from:
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/05/google-glasses-patent-hints-at-speech-to-text-display-for-deaf-users/

Google is unveiling it's "Google Glasses" project.  This is definitely an interesting project - and potential a 'game-changing' technology (or ... 'disruptive technology').  As you approach somebody and think "Yes - I remember that person - what is his name" - Google glasses have used facial recognition and on the lens printed "John Doe" - so you can say "Hello John" when you get closer to him.  Theoretically it can have more on "John Doe" - "John is a financial officer at XYZ bank, you know him from a graduate class in summer 2008 where he got an "A" and wrote his final paper on RFID chips in bank notes")

The article referenced here goes in another direction - for the hard-of-hearing / deaf individuals - it can identify noises and obstacles that they wouldn't hear - "the phone is ringing" / "bang - crash - there was a car accident just to your right", etc.

The article notes:

Perhaps most interestingly, one patent shows Google is working on a system to help hard-of-hearing and deaf users detect and interpret nearby sounds. The glasses' heads-up display would show arrows and flashing lights to indicate the direction and intensity level of the sound, and even display the words nearby people are speaking. 

So, while the deaf won't quite 'hear', they can 'see sounds' - and that can be a very positive move for them!!! 

HP to cut 27,000 jobs

Taken from:

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9227417/HP_to_cut_27_000_jobs

The article states:

The computer field is constantly changing - 'stay current' is the keyword here.  With the growth of BYOD (bring your own device), HP laptops, notebooks - and the failed HP tablet are struggling against the Apple products

IDG News Service - Hewlett-Packard will trim 27,000 employees as part of its long-term restructuring plan, the company said Wednesday when it announced quarterly financial results.
The company will shed about 8% of its workforce through a combination of layoffs and retirement offers that started last Oct. 31 and will continue through the end of its 2014 fiscal year, HP said. Employee reduction plans vary by country.

The computer field is constantly changing - 'stay current' is the keyword here.  With the growth of BYOD (bring your own device), HP laptops, notebooks - and the failed HP tablet are struggling against the Apple products

Facebook IPO not getting good reviews

Taken from several sources.

So, Facebook finally did their 'initial public offering' (IPO) - at $38 a share and currently (Wednesday May 23rd) down 18%.  

The hype was significant - but ... not the follow through.  Even the speculators who jumped in thinking they would sell after a few hours at a big gain were (obviously) disappointed.  

Trying to double guess the stock market and particular stocks is a real challenge (and why we have many stock brokers and financial experts).  This one may have surprised the experts!!!

Helicopter cameras to watch for terrorists during Olympics

Taken from:
http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/23/11757294-terror-suspects-eye-color-flying-cameras-to-spy-during-olympics?lite

The article notes:

LONDON -- Helicopter-mounted cameras capable of identifying the color of a suspect's shoelaces on the ground from almost a mile away have been unveiled as a key weapon for security officials preparing of this summer's London Olympics.

I have followed the facial recognition technologies which, although not mentioned in this article are probably going to be a part of the security at the Olympics. If you can tell a suspect's eye color, shoelaces, and more from a mile away is pretty exciting technology.

With some artificial intelligence (like the person eyes are flicking back and forth and avoiding cops) - and other mannerisms - it might be that security can 'anticipate'

I have also talked of "Big Brother" is watching you over time.  What if similar cameras are watching campus or local streets - from a mile away.  Like Red Light Cameras - but farther away, could tell who ran a light or who made a right turn on red - when the signage says "no turns on red".  What if you jaywalk?  Or ... spit on the sidewalk or similar.

There is a trade-off between security and protection from terrorists.  There is a need for good balance!!

Big Brother knows a lot about you (or ... your credit bureau does)

Taken from:
http://www.cio.com/article/706457/Equifax_Eyes_Are_Watching_You_Big_Data_Means_Big_Brother

The article states:

Says Equifax CIO Dave Webb: "We know more about you than you would care for us to know."

This pile of more than 800 billion records is sliced, diced, analyzed and indexed into 26 petabytes of data. That's more data than the FBI's Investigative Data Warehouse, said to be the single biggest repository at the agency, with its relatively measly 1 billion unique documents. In all, Equifax has data on 500 million consumers and 81 million businesses worldwide. 

Credit bureaus do have a lot of data - and that data can be worth a lot of money to their customers.  They sell the data to customers who want to know how risky is granting an individual a loan.

Talk about data mining - it is lucrative for Equifax!!! 

New iPhone to have a larger screen

Taken from: http://www.technolog.msnbc.msn.com/technology/technolog/next-iphone-will-have-4-inch-screen-report-775519

The article states:

The new iPhone screens will measure 4 inches from corner to corner, one source said. That would represent a roughly 30 percent increase in viewing area, assuming Apple kept other dimensions proportional. Apple has used a 3.5-inch screen since introducing the iPhone in 2007. 

 It goes on to this:

Apple's decision to equip the next iPhone with a larger screen represents part of a competitive response to Samsung.

Samsung unveiled its top-of-the line Galaxy smartphone with a 4.8-inch touch-screen and a faster processor earlier this month.

With consumers becoming more and more comfortable using smartphones for tasks they once performed on laptops, like watching video, other smartphone manufacturers have also moved toward bigger displays. 

As a smartphone user, I think I would be excited to have a larger screen.  Since I rarely use my phone for phone calls - having a larger screen would be better for my apps!! 

Google Search reads your mind????

Taken from: 

http://www.gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com/technology/gadgetbox/google-search-basically-reads-your-mind-now-775019

Thanks to what's called Knowledge Graph, Google Search results will now include a little sidebar which allows you to choose from the various meanings of the term you searched for.

Some words have various (and diverse) meanings.  The article used "bears" - so ... do you want the animal; the Chicago football team; the investors who want to sell stocks; or the singular - bear left, bear with me, and more.  (When I searched for "bears", the seventh search result was for 'bears' - images - and the first three were my family - taken at "Three Bears Falls" - on Maui!!!)

So, Knowledge Graph will attempt to clarify what you are looking for.  It should be interesting.

While this article didn't go into "artificial intelligence", there is a wealth of knowledge that would suggest that if you have searched for football teams in the past, and have never looked for animals, then ... the Chicago Bears is probably the best search result.

GM dropping Facebook advertising

Taken from

http://marketday.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/15/11719848-gm-to-drop-all-advertising-on-facebook-report?lite

According to the report, the auto giant's marketing executives "determined their paid ads had little impact on consumers."
GM marketing chief Joel Ewanick told the Journal that the automaker "is definitely reassessing our advertising on Facebook, although the content is effective and important."
The automaker will continue to use free options on Facebook.
The largest American automaker spends about $40 million to maintain Facebook presence, the Journal reported, with about $10 million in paid ads.

This is interesting in that in a few days Facebook with have their IPO - initial public offering of stock - which is expected to raise a significant amount of money for Facebook.  But, Facebook's primary source of revenue is advertisements - and if GM pulls out - and others as well, it will make a big difference in the value of Facebook.  If "their paid ads have little impact on consumers" in GM's case, it may be true on other consumers as well!!

CIO mobile apps - part II

Taken from: 
http://www.cio.com/slideshow/detail/38602?source=ciointcpt_bizapps_ss#slide7


While I am taking these pretty much straight from the article, they do seem to be a great set of materials - and most are free!!!

AirWatch MDM Agent 

Developer: AirWatch LLC

Price: Free

Yes, it’s another mobile device management application, this one from AirWatch. In addition to all the usual MDM features (i.e., IT policy enforcement, over-the-air enrollment, remote lock and wipe, etc.), AirWatch also features GPS tracking and mapping, intelligent notifications, and centralized, over-the-air configurations management.

BoardVantage Collaborate 

Developer: BoardVantage

Price: Free

BoardVantage isn’t just any collaboration app: It’s a collaboration app for boards of directors. That means it has more extensive security policies to meet regulatory requirements, and is thus SAS70 Type II-certified. If you’re a CIO looking to buy iPads for other higher-ups in the company, this is an app you’ll definitely want to explore. Although the app is free to download, it does require a subscription to use.

Dropbox 

Developer: Dropbox

Price: Free

Ah, who doesn’t love Dropbox? Your employees will be happy to upload any documents, presentations, pictures and videos onto Dropbox where they’ll be able to access them from anywhere. The app automatically saves any documents you’ve created onto any device that has Dropbox installed, so when you change something at home it will appear that way when you go to work the next morning.

MicroStrategy Mobile for iPad 

Developer: MicroStrategy Inc.

Price: Free

MicroStrategy Mobile is a business intelligence app that comes with all the usual fixings, including access to business reports, KPIs, documents and dashboards. This particular version has been customized for the iPad’s multitouch screen, thus giving users the ability to use multitouch when editing graphs, charts, maps and other key visual aids.

Spotfire 

Developer: TIBCO Software

Price: Free

Spotfire specializes in helping users visualize large and complex volumes of data by letting them aggregate and plug it into a filter to create bar charts, scatter plots, tree maps, box plots, map charts and any number of different visuals depending on your needs. The app can directly access corporate data sources such as spread sheets, meaning you won’t have to manually enter in data for all the nice charts you’re designing.

Twenty business apps for every CIO (part I)

Taken from: http://www.cio.com/slideshow/detail/38602?source=ciointcpt_bizapps_ss
Thinking that the new iPad for your employees means they will be playing Angry Bird, Words with Friends or other games - 
"Well fear not!!  While the iPad gets all sorts of attention for its consumer applications it also has a rich selection of productivity apps that deliver a multitude of key functions, including sales force support, cloud storage, business intelligence and more."

• Salesforce.com - Salesforce is a popular mobile app that helps company salespeople create and keep track of their records and transactions. The app also acts as personal organizer with its calendar and contact list features. (free)
• BIRT - BIRT, which stands for “Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools,” is a business intelligence app that gives workers access to business reports, KPIs, documents and dashboards that they’d typically access through their desktop computers (free)

• Salesforce.com - Salesforce is a popular mobile app that helps company salespeople create and keep track of their records and transactions. The app also acts as personal organizer with its calendar and contact list features. (free)

• BIRT - BIRT, which stands for “Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools,” is a business intelligence app that gives workers access to business reports, KPIs, documents and dashboards that they’d typically access through their desktop computers (free)

• MobileIron MyPhone@work - 
This app gives users access to MobileIron’s Virtual Smartphone Platform, which lets them quickly connect to their corporate network, test local connection speeds and report connectivity problems to IT. From an IT department’s perspective, the Virtual Smartphone Platform lets them enforce enterprise mobile data policies such as encryption and remote wipe, and also to screen third-party applications by publishing a list of recommended apps while simultaneously blocking known malicious apps via a blacklist. (free)

• ZP MDM
 Zenprise specializes in developing mobile device management platforms that give users secure access to corporate email, contacts and calendars while giving IT departments an efficient way to manage mobile devices. The ZP MDM also lets users access corporate intranet services by utilizing VPN capabilities and lets users remotely lock and track any lost devices.(free)

• VMWare View for iPad - gives you access to the local desktop 

So ... the iPad can be a business platform device!!!!

BYOD Policies out-of-date?

Taken from:  http://www.cio.com/article/706338/Is_Your_BYOD_Policy_Out_of_Date_

This blog has posted on BYOD - bring your own device for some time now.  But, companies may need to think their way through the policies on BYOD.

The article points out that during the first few days of NCAA's Men's Basketball Tournament (aka "March Madness"), with streaming live games to Android devices.  Some companies had 74% more bandwidth usage during those times than during normal operation.  

So, you are trying to run a business and <suck> your bandwidth has dropped significantly between the first round game between a local favorite team - that is tapped into the corporate WiFi system.  Routine transactions are taking longer (with the decreased bandwidth ), employee productivity is decreased as well as they are listening to the game.  

Maybe a policy on blocking streaming media might keep some productivity going in the company.  (Or ... continue to allow for a few days of limited bandwidth and limited productivity.)

A tool every techie needs!! (??)

Taken from:
http://blogs.cio.com/peripherals/17075/digital-swiss-army-knife-every-techie-should-own



Now, the Swiss Army Knife is famous for being - a compact knife with many blades - but with "a USB flash drive with biometric fingerprint sensor, a Bluetooth presenter for the occasional PowerPoint presentation and a laser pointer" it is quite a bit more!!  


So, ... .a tool that every technie would love!!!  (Even McGyver would like it!!)

New Intel Chips to ship

Taken from: 

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9226893/First_Ivy_Bridge_Chips_Emerge?source=CTWNLE_nlt_pm_2012-05-07

Computerworld - The first batch of Intel processors based on the company's Ivy Bridge microarchitecture -- 13 quad-core chips designed to run high-end desktop and laptop PCs -- were finally unveiled late last month.

The new quad-core chips are the first products in the long-awaited third generation of the Intel Core processor family to ship.

We have talked about Moore's Law frequently - here is Moore's Law in action - by the company (Intel) that Moore helped found!!!


Also, in the past, Intel has been criticized for not getting into tablet computers faster.  This article didn't address that, but Intel is working on it (see below):


(related - from another article: - October 2011)
http://venturebeat.com/2011/04/11/can-intel-atomize-arm-with-new-tablet-chips/

Intel is taking on arch rival ARM today with the launch of new Intel Atom chips for tablet computers.

The Atom is a low-power version of Intel’s computer chips, and it is aimed squarely at tablets, netbooks, and smartphones. It represents the chip giant’s best chance to catch up with ARM, which dominates the mobile space with its power-efficient chip architecture and dozens of chip design partners.

Cloud Storage

Taken from:

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/microsoft-skydrive-vs-apple-icloud-and-the-folly-of-cloud-poaching/76411

Okay, we have Apple iCloud, Google Drive, DropBox, Amazon Cloud Storage - and now Microsoft Sky Drive (with more free space - see chart - from the article):

Competition is great!!!  I have used DropBox - and like it - But ... 7 gigabytes is more than 2.  Or I could confuse myself and have space on all of these services - and also on Amazon Cloud (with 5 gigabytes free) - or ... I could purchase space.  Who needs a hard drive - I have 24 gigabytes on five services free.

I'm writing this as I'm doing my backup to my external harddrive - (I think it is a 200 GB drive) - this is mostly in case my laptop does bad.  If I want something (files) from the hard drive when I'm away from my office - I can't get to them.  The campus has FileSpace (I'm not sure what amount of space I have there).

So ... space is getting cheaper - and more available 

Addicted to your cell phone???

Taken from: http://digitallife.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/08/11591538-addicted-to-your-cellphone-nomophobia-on-the-rise?chromedomain=usnews

According to a study by SecurEnvoy, a company that deals in mobile phone technology, the fear of being apart from your cellphone is on the rise.
It's called Nomophobia, as in "No mobile phone phobia," and 66 percent of the people surveyed said they have it. That number is up from a similar study four years ago, where 53 percent admitted to fear of losing their cell phones

So .. how about you?  Are you addicted to your cell phone?  How about to your tablet, e-mail, laptop, etc.

A friend from a different university has students goes 24 hours without technology (or ... with limited technology) - no phone, no email, no computer, no microwave, no television, no mp3 players, no technology!!!  I don't think we can totally avoid technology - if we drive our cars, they have computer control modules; street lights have some computer controls / timers.

For me, yes, I'm an addict to technology, but not to my phone.  I check my email the last thing in the evening, and the first thing in the morning.

Self Driving Cars???

Taken from: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9226976/Google_gets_first_license_for_self_driving_cars

The article says Google has a license from the state of Nevada to have self driving cars.  It notes:

It was the first step toward getting autonomous cars, which are designed to use artificial intelligence, computer sensors and GPS instead of human drivers, on the state's roadways.

What a concept!!!  While the prototypes have to be expensive - the processing power to take thousands of inputs - where are the cars on this street - are they too close - should "I" speed up - slow down - swerve to avoid a pedestrian or other.  


Can you picture the streets in ten to twenty years - all with self driving cars - no accidents (or much fewer), no road rage, no drunk drivers, no distracted drivers (go ahead and text or use your phone - since you are not driving!!!). 

Ease off email (you'll live longer!!!)

Taken from:
http://blogs.cio.com/e-mail/17050/ease-email-youll-live-longer

This is from a blogger at CIO.com.  He / she notes:

Higher heart rates, shorter attention spans and more stress are just some of the downsides of email addiction. A new study shows that unplugging now and then may save your life.

I'm probably an email addict (okay ... I AM an email addict).  I check email first thing in the morning and last thing at night.  Maybe one of my students has a question; maybe one of our children sent some information; maybe I have a committee or some other things I need to be doing.

Again, the author noted:

Interestingly, the paper cites earlier research showing that that 70 percent of emails sent to information workers were attended to within six seconds of arriving. Think about that. No wonder the researchers at Irvine found that when deprived of email, workers were better able to focus on the task at hand. Frankly, I've looked at half a dozen emails while writing this post. Wouldn't I be done already if I hadn’t kept switching from window to window? And maybe I'd be doing a better job. 

My outlook email (campus email) has a feature that displays the information on the screen for a few seconds.  So, if I'm in Word, Excel, on the Internet, etc. - I see that message - actually reading and pre-processing that message.  If I don't turn off email in class, it pops up the message and interrupts class.  It also interrupts my thoughts.

Maybe an email vacation is a good thing!!!

Microsoft and Barnes and Nobel agree on Nook

Taken from: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9226816/Nook_deal_lets_Microsoft_integrate_e_bookstore_with_its_software_services
And
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303916904577375502392129654.html

Microsoft Corp. is pledging $605 million to help bolster Barnes and Noble Inc.'s Nook digital-book business, as the software giant wages another bet on an industry where it has lagged behind rivals.The deal catapults Microsoft into a high-stakes battleground whose combatants include Amazon.com; Apple, and Google, and also gives Barnes & Noble a lifeline to continue investing in its fast-growing digital-book business. As part of its investment, Microsoft is taking a 17.6% stake in a new subsidiary that will include the e-book division and Barnes & Noble's college bookstores unit, which operates 641 stores.

And

Barnes & Noble will distribute its free Nook Metro app through Microsoft's Windows Store, putting to rest talk of Microsoft embedding the program in Windows 8.But Microsoft and Barnes & Noble will work on ways to integrate digital content purchased through the Nook app with other Microsoft products and services. 

From previous blog postings, the feeling is that the world is going mobile (be it smartphones or the growing interest in tablet computing).  Microsoft has lagged behind in the mobile market 


Microsoft is working on Windows 8 - including a smartphone version of Windows 8 - out later this year.  To be able to release the operating system - and to have apps (like the Nook e-reader) available is essential.  


With iBooks on Apple, Kindle app (on iPad and others), the Nook app is almost a necessity for Microsoft to compete.  


While it might be 'too-little' and 'too-late', that is yet to be seen.  Microsoft is still a big presence in the computing field and this alliance might work!!

Why Google and Facebook might completely disappear in the next five years!!!

Taken from:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericjackson/2012/04/30/heres-why-google-and-facebook-might-completely-disappear-in-the-next-5-years/2/

Interesting speculations.  (most of which I don't agree with).  The article emphasizes 'mobile' - and suggests that Google and Facebook didn't jump fast enough or hard enough on the mobile platform.  The authors suggests that 'mobile' is the new 'hot item'.

The article notes:

Web 1.0 and 2.0 companies still seem unsure how to adapt to this new paradigm. Facebook is the triumphant winner of social companies. It will go public in a few weeks and probably hit $140 billion in market capitalization. Yet, it loses money in mobile and has rather simple iPhone and iPad versions of its desktop experience. It is just trying to figure out how to make money on the web – as it only had $3.7 billion in revenues in 2011 and its revenues actually decelerated in Q1 of this year relative to Q4 of last year. It has no idea how it will make money in mobile.

So ... Facebook doesn't know how to make money -and doesn't know how to do mobile apps.
Interesting concept - I think they (Facebook and Google) will figure out 'why' soon enough!!! 

Need an organ transplant - want to donate? Use Facebook

Taken from:

http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/01/11486607-for-organ-donation-facebook-beats-the-dmv-bioethicist-says?lite

The article has this:

Right now, nearly 114,000 people in the United States are waiting for organ transplants to save their lives. Tens of thousands more are in need of tissue, bone and cornea transplants to restore their mobility or sight. Facebook has decided to do something about the constant shortage of donors.
The company has announced that members can now declare their desire to be an organ donor on their Facebook page. According to a press release signed by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg, "…by simply telling people that you're an organ donor, the power of sharing and connection can play an important role." 

 The author (an M.D.) thinks that is a great idea - DMV is not the place to get people to sign up to donate - and maybe Facebook isn't the ideal place - but it is THE PLACE for almost anything social - and signup - and getting your friends to say "yes - I'm willing to donate" can be powerful.

The article also notes:

Since most Americans say they do want to donate when they die -- a Gallup study found 95 percent support organ donation -- and since most families, when asked, do consent to donation by a loved one, why the poor donor card rates?

So ... put you want to be an organ donor on Facebook (and ... on your driver's license)