Online commerce and social networks: Is Facebook the storefront of the future?

Online shopping has been with us for many years. The World Wide Web opened up to the commercial world back in the mid-1990s. However, the web itself has been displaced to a large degree by social networking and online life for many exists almost exclusively on these apps and sites rather than the broader internet. As such, commercial concerns hoping to keep pace with constant change must adapt to take advantage of social networking in the same way that bricks-and-mortar shops had to adapt to the emergence of web rivals. Could the social network be the new shopping mall?

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-online-commerce-social-networks-facebook.html

Researcher's new book explores history of cheap stuff in America

For many Americans, time stuck in quarantine has been an opportunity to reassess and reorganize the space around them. Chances are, the arduous task began with a familiar refrain: Why do I have so much crap?

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-explores-history-cheap-america.html

New microcomb could help discover exoplanets and detect diseases

Tiny photonic devices could be used to find new exoplanets, monitor health, and make the internet more energy efficient. Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, now present a game-changing microcomb that could bring advanced applications closer to reality.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-microcomb-exoplanets-diseases.html

Air pollution fell sharply during lockdown

The far-reaching mobility restrictions at the beginning of the COVID pandemic in March 2020 created a unique situation for atmospheric sciences: "During the 2020 lockdown, we were able to directly investigate the actual effects of drastic traffic restrictions on the distribution of air pollutants and on the emission of climate gases," says Innsbruck atmospheric scientist Thomas Karl. With his team, he has now published a detailed analysis of air quality during the first lockdown in the city of Innsbruck, Austria, in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-air-pollution-fell-sharply-lockdown.html

PowerPoint Live helps Microsoft Teams users present remotely

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations across the globe have had to implement remote work policies, creating the need to address new challenges like virtual presentations and meetings.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2021-03-powerpoint-microsoft-teams-users-remotely.html

What managers and employees need to know about returning to work after quarantine

As COVID-19 lockdowns and quarantines are lifted, businesses are now faced with the challenge of how to keep their employees who are returning to work motivated and engaged.

source https://phys.org/news/2021-03-employees-quarantine.html