keeping things in perspective:

Photo caption: "John Mainstone of the University of Queensland, Australia poses before the 2005 Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mainstone won the Physics award for research on globs of congealed black tar dripped slowly through funnels(AFP/John Mottern ) "

... my question is - "who says the Aussies aren't being productive?!"

and, oh yeah, a comment: give people tenure and these are the kind of research projects they'll start turning in at the yearly faculty meetings. "So Bob, what did you do this this year?" "Oh me? I documented tar dripping slowly through a funnel ... yeah ... results would suprise you."