The Amazon Mechanical Turk is currently getting a LOT of buzz. Here's the scoop:

"Complete simple tasks that people do better than computers. And, get paid for it. Choose from thousands of tasks, control when you work, and decide how much you earn."

That's an extremely shortened version of what the Amazon Mechanical Turk really is; for a more detailed explanation you should check out Amazon Mechanical Turk FAQ. How exactly does this process work?

• Find a HIT: Find HITS that fit your unique qualifications. HITS are Human Intelligence Tasks, and for the purpose of the Amazon Mechanical Turk, these are tasks that other people are willing to pay you to do.
• Finish a HIT: Find a HIT, accept your assignment, and start working.
• Get paid for your work: Always the best part. If your answer is approved by the person who ordered the HIT (anyone else getting the Godfather vibe here?), then you get paid.

I love this idea, and I think it could turn into a serious online work from home kind of deal for people who really dedicated some time to it.

Related: Read about A9.com, a sleekly elegant search engine put together by Amazon and powered in part by both Google and A9.com itself.