Here's What's Awesome: Courthouse Confessions, Sustainable Photos

Time for the weekly roundup of great links we call "Here's What's Awesome."

Please hold while my browser transfers me
For those tired of pressing 1 for this option or 2 for that option, GetHuman and its lists of shortcuts to get a live customer service rep on the phone was a huge step forward. Fonolo is trying to go a step further. It gives you a web flowchart of a company's phone menu; you click on where you want to go and it presses the 1's for you, calling your phone when it's reached the destination. Beta testing is still going on, but we likely haven't heard the last here. [ReadWriteWeb]

"I just gotta clear my name"
As defendants walk out of the Manhattan criminal courthouse, photojournalist Steven Hirsch walks over with camera in hand and asks what brought them to court that day. Their responses make up Courthouse Confessions, which reads a bit like StoryCorps meets Law and Order. The fact that these folks are coming out of criminal court suggests that, at the very least, there's another side to each story, but that doesn't make them any less compelling. [Mental Floss]

A picture is worth a thousand carbon offsets
Great photos can show how we feel about a moment or an issue - the eyes of Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother," and the exuberant kiss on V-J Day by Alfred Eisenstaedt say as much about Depression-era worry and the end of WWII better than words ever could. Now the Prix Pictet aims to choose a photo that will best "bring the message of sustainability to the public." The winner will be announced in October, but you can see all 18 finalists here. [Inhabitat]

What awesome stories and ideas are catching your eyes and ears today? Share a link in the comments.

(Photo by -sel)