The Ig Nobles were awarded this month. A winner would be someone who “has done something that first makes people LAUGH, then makes them THINK.” According to the Ig Noble organisers, the products of the awardees efforts are “achievements that cannot or should not be reproduced.” These awards are presented by genuine Nobel prize winners, at Harvard University.

One of this year’s awardees is 25 year old MIT student Gauri Nanda, who invented Clocky, a clock which can run and hide. It’s a furry looking contraption, with 2 wheels, which help it roll and hide (everytime in a different place) once the Snooze button is pressed. Ms. Nanda’s inspiration comes from pet kittens which would bite her toes forcing her to wake up.

Also among the 10 awardees are E. Cussler and B. Gettelfinger for their research into the confounding mystery of whether “people swim faster in syrup or water ?”

The online dictionary defines ignoble as :

1. Not noble in quality, character, or purpose; base or mean.
2. Not of the nobility; common.