Quirky.com: Social Network-Powered Inventions

I read an article in "Parade Magazine" about a social website called Quirky.com that allows people to submit ideas for inventions. If the community likes the idea, the company then screens it for patent infringement, etc. If the idea passes, and they get enough pre-orders, they will manufacture the product, and the inventor gets a royalty.

The company was started by 24 year old Ben Kaufman who, at age 18, developed a company around the Song Sling - an iPod Shuffle case that has retracting headphones.

One day, at MacWorld, we asked people to come with their own invention ideas. A light bulb went off, he sold his company, and he founded Quirky.com. He wants to "reinvent the business of invention".