But a new breed of task is becoming a bigger part of the Mechanical Turk mix, where at any moment as many as 350, 000 HITs are open for bids.

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"In the field of robotics or mechanical engineering, the ability to create a moving part without any welding removes a lot of the barriers to prototyping, " Martins said.

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Greenblatt offers a mechanical investing strategy that involves very little work on the part of the reader.

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As part of the preshow, the audience leader, or "head mechanical, " walked through a series of pixel paddle moves, including circles and a flick-of-the-wrist action called the shimmer.

WSJ: Menu

But for the most part, large power plants cannot shutdown for just one hour as there are thermal and mechanical concerns that put the plant at risk of being damaged for doing so.

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Sadly, for four nights in August, drinking viche was a necessary evil, a rite of passage in the same way that cheap keg beer is a part of university and getting hit in the groin is a disagreeable consequence of riding a mechanical bull.

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