"I like crows. I thought maybe we could teach them something useful."

A crow, given a retort beyond caw, might argue that her species accomplishes plenty every day, what with garbage to scatter, road kill to eat, trees to swarm, squirrels to harass and wake-up calls to make. But Klein didn't consult the crows.

Instead, the 33-year-old senior technology principal with Frog Design and self-titled inventor turned to a reliable partner: his own creative hubris. After the cocktail chat, Klein studied crows for six years and validated what he already suspected: They're unusually smart. They learn from each other. And there are loads of them.