Despite the usual
Wired hand-waving OMGREVOLUTIONBBQ nonsense,
this article about using the network to get a job done more efficiently and cheaply, or "crowdsourcing,' is actually pretty interesting. In some ways, this development isn't really news, as anyone who ever fired up an IM client or IRC for computer advice knows, but it's a neat summation of how some companies and media outlets are doing an end run around traditional sources of content and labour.