Jedis are fictional warriors who fight evil in the Star Wars movies. But they’re also thousands of real people who believe in the Force – even if they don’t use lightsabers.

Smartphones have become the first line of defense in combating invasive species, from kudzu to the Burmese python, a problem that costs the country about $138 billion annually.

Would you trust a bunch of strangers to tell you which dress to wear on your first date? With new decision-making apps, people are collecting instant feedback on such choices from hundreds of other users. Even professionals are jumping on board to collect consumer input.

Air Exodus is just one of a number of innovative programs serving disenfranchised youth, with the goal of helping them avoid a future filled with criminal charges. These programs sound more like extra-curricular college prep for the elite than probation: a summer at a wilderness lodge, a mock court training program to learn legal vernacular and lessons in creating art installations.

Many people have idiosyncratic rituals. Sufferers tend to repeatedly check car doors to ensure they’re locked, step on sidewalk cracks exactly the same amount of time with each foot, sanitize hands over and over to fend off germs. But rarely does it come down to … wait, did I turn off my flat iron?