A while back, Amazon announced a new service called “Amazon Mechanical Turk“. The basic idea is that anyone can submit a task that would be impossible for a computer, but relatively simple for a human. You could signup to complete these tasks, and would be given a small reward for each task you successfully completed.

And what are these tasks? One example is helping someone research a camera. “I’m interested in purchasing a new or gently used Canon SD450 or SD550. I request that all accessories are included. Will pay cash and pickup in the bay area can be arranged. Please reply with honest responses.”

Fair enough. You are asked to provide a phone number or URL, a summary, and a thoughtful analysis. The reward? $.02, if your answer is deemed of high enough quality. Let’s assume that you are very knowledgeable in that particular area and can gather the necessary information and summarize it in 2 minutes (I doubt you could though) - you’d be well on your way to making a healthy $.60 per hour. Congratulations!