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Mass. begins work on tracing app, but will it matter?

In the states where such apps are available, relatively few people bother to use them. And flaws in the design of the apps make them prone to false positive results, according to Ryan Calo, codirector of the Tech Policy Lab at the University of Washington.

Twitter, Facebook transferring @POTUS accounts to Biden on inauguration day

Twitter and Facebook will hand over the digital keys to @POTUS, as well as other official social media accounts, to Joe Biden on Inauguration Day even as President Donald Trump continues to reject his election defeat.

Berkshire Grey packs Thanksgiving boxes using robots

Berkshire Grey partnered with The Greater Boston Food Bank to pack boxes containing Thanksgiving meals for those in need.

Study suggests video games can help mental health

Sales of video games have soared during the pandemic and now researchers at the Oxford Internet Institute say they found that the actual amount of time spent playing was a small but significant positive factor in people’s well-being.

Hiawatha Bray | Tech Lab
How to gear up for a year of long-distance remote learning
The challenge ahead for parents was underlined by Boston’s decision on Friday to begin the delayed school year with all classes conducted remotely.

INNOVATION ECONOMY
Could COVID-19 split apart the cluster of innovators that gives Boston an edge?
The cluster is at risk of crumbling. And COVID-19 is the cause.

Latest Headlines in Technology

Facebook to label all voting-related posts, not just President Trump’s

Facebook Inc. will begin labeling all posts that include information about voting with a link encouraging users to get facts from the company’s new voting hub, and expanded its prohibition on hate speech in advertising.

INNOVATION ECONOMY

Speaking coaches offer tips for sprucing up Zoom meetings

Zoom is an unnatural state for many people, full of opportunities to look shadowy or shifty or distracted, or simply to feel like your message isn’t getting through as you stare into your webcam.

SHIRLEY LEUNG

The way MIT’s chairman tells it, saying no to Epstein’s tainted money wasn’t his job

MIT chairman Robert Millard could be the most powerful man on campus. Yet he did not think it was his job to “interfere or say no” to donations from a controversial figure.

In ‘Guppy Tank,’ students immerse themselves in app making

The Guppy Tank aims to be a middle-school version of ABC’s “Shark Tank,” but this time 35 rising high school freshmen attending Phillips Brooks House Association summer camp worked with Facebook interns to prototype and build mobile apps.

Meet Marty, Stop & Shop's new autonomous robot

It detects spills and garbage in the aisles of the supermarket.

We tried out the new Gillette heated razor

The new heated razor from Gillette costs $200.

We tested out ClearMotion's system that keeps cars level over potholes

Emoji gods approve skin-tone options for couples of color

Interracial couples have a small victory to celebrate: The approval of 71 new variations of emoji for couples of color.