Matt Richtel

A roadside test called the Textalyzer, the digital equivalent of the Breathalyzer, is one proposal in the effort by policy makers and road safety experts to curb distracted driving.

Moms and dads, spouses and partners, children, even co-workers and neighbors are quick to wag a finger when they spot people squandering moisture, such as a faucet left running while they're brushing their teeth, or using too much water to clean dinner plates in the sink.

A subgenre of the fast-growing e-cigarette market is being shrewdly marketed to avoid the stigma associated with cigarettes of any kind. The products come in a rainbow of colors and candy-sweet flavors but, beneath the surface, are often virtually identical to e-cigarettes.

More and more, cats and dogs get the human treatment. There are pet spas, pet therapists, pet clothes. And as it goes in life, so it now goes in the twilight. The latest phenomenon: pet hospice.