To Catch a Criminal, It's All About Presentation

Dallas's police department changed the way it lines up its suspects for identification. Instead of the common "six pack" method where the victim looks at six photos at once, detectives (blind to who the suspect is) started showing the photos one at a time, reports the Associated Press. This small change, according to the AP, can lower misidentification rates by 39 percent. (HT: Daniel Lippman)

Conservation By Urination

According to the Brazilian environmental organization SOS Mata Atlantica, a household that flushes its toilet one less time per day saves more than 1,100 gallons of water per year. So the organization has launched a TV ad campaign encouraging Brazilians to avoid a flush by peeing in the shower. The ad shows cartoons of everyone -- from aliens to King Kong -- urinating in the shower and ends with the slogan:

The Paradox of Road Choice

Two physicists and a computer scientist used Google maps to study traffic in Boston, London, and New York, and found that when people use real-time driving maps to try to pick the fastest routes, traffic slows down. Their solution: close a few roads so drivers have fewer options. (HT: Kottke)