An Unexpected Punch Line

[books]

I'm in the process of reading a science book called "Faster Than The Speed of Light" by João Magueijo. It's about a scientific speculation that, while the speed of light might be a constant 300000 km/s for all observers in the universe at this point in cosmic history, it may not have always been so. In particular, Magueijo speculates that it may have been much faster around the time of the big bang, and it has slowly decreased to its present day speed.

Very interesting book, by the way. Haven't finished it yet; maybe I'll say more about it when I do.

Anyway, you might expect nerdy humour in a book about science; the kind that makes you roll your eyes. Isaac Asimov and his bad puns. Which was what made the following paragraph all the more spray-coffee-from-your-nose hilarious. I hope Prof. Magueijo won't mind if I copy it here.

The speed with which Russian scientists jump into claiming priority over any discovery made in the West has become a running joke at international conferences. Give a presentation on toilet flushers and rest assured that some Dimitri or other will start shouting from the back row that the toilet with all its accessories was invented in Russia decades before the West even knew there was shit.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must wipe the coffee off my monitor.