In the course of a week Quirky fields some 2000 ideas—the kind people toss off in the cafeteria over lunch or sketch on a Starbucks napkin—from an online community of 600,000 would-be inventors. Working in small groups, the staff reviews each pitch and whittles the list down to roughly 15. On Thursday nights in the company's New York City headquarters, a former brick warehouse outfitted with weathered wood floors, sleek glass walls, and lofty white ceilings, Kaufman assembles the staff and a handful of honored guests to help him choose two or three winners. (PopMech's Jerry Beilinson is an occasional participant.) The online community observes the entire process on a live Internet feed, offering input along the way. After a few minutes of discussion Kaufman asks for a show of hands from the attendees seated in the eight rows of folding chairs in front of him. - www.popularmechanics.com