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From This Collection

QR codes are finally having a moment in the pandemic

Oct 23, 2020
They've been around for over 25 years, so why now?
People scan a QR code with their smartphones to check their health status to enter an area on a Beijing street. As Rivero notes, QR codes are already widely integrated into life in China.
Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images

Smaller gatherings. Smaller Thanksgiving. Smaller turkeys?

Oct 23, 2020
Making last-minute pivots in farming isn't too easy. "We only have so much control over their rate of growth," one farmer says.
John Peterson, a third-generation turkey farmer, is slaughtering birds earlier to meet consumer demand for smaller turkeys.
Courtesy John Peterson

Local food banks see increased need with federal assistance program set to end

Oct 23, 2020
More than 22 million people in the U.S. say they sometimes or often don't have enough to eat, according to the latest census data.
City of Opa-locka employees and volunteers place groceries provided by the food bank Feeding South Florida into the vehicles of patrons at a drive-thru distribution site on April 14, 2020 in Opa-locka, Florida.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Colder weather is driving diners indoors. But not that many can safely fit.

Oct 23, 2020
It’s been about three weeks since New York City restaurants got approval to serve diners indoors, but only at 25% capacity.
A waiter delivers food to a table at Chelsea Square Restaurant as New York City restaurants open for limited capacity indoor dining on Oct. 1, 2020.
Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images

What if working from home becomes permanent?

Oct 22, 2020
The longer the pandemic lasts, the likelier it seems that many of us will be working from home forever.
A real estate agent works from home in Orlando, Florida, on Oct. 1.
Gianrigo Marletta/AFP via Getty Images

When your true-crime pod teaches you Spanish

Oct 22, 2020
Duolingo saw a 100% increase in new users in March. With growing competition, it's using bilingual stories in a bid for more ears.
People stuck at home during the pandemic are using their time on productive projects, like learning a new language.
Fizkes/Getty Images

New jobless claims are down, but unemployment benefits are, too

Oct 22, 2020
Expiring federal and state relief benefits are taking billions of dollars a week out of the economy.
Tens of millions of Americans are still out of work, and their unemployment benefits are running out.
Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Unemployment claims drop to 787,000, but layoffs remain high

Oct 22, 2020
The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to 787,000, a sign that job losses may have eased slightly but are still running at historically high levels. With confirmed infections having neared 60,000 in the past week, the highest level since July, many consumers have been unable or reluctant to shop, travel, dine […]
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Customers want it now, and some apps are catering to those desires

Oct 21, 2020
Customers want their stuff on the same day they buy it. Instacart can make that happen for some smaller retailers.
An Instacart shopper selects an item at a Wegmans grocery store in Woodbridge, New Jersey, in August.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Are businesses automating at a faster rate thanks to COVID-19?

Oct 21, 2020
A forced digitization is taking place, as is a rethinking of how business should get done.
A bartender makes drinks at an event promoting AI in London last year.
Leon Neal/Getty Images