I think you can still use Feynman-like play in academic work, you just have to pretend to the funding people and the MBAs running the university that you&#x27;re &quot;totally serious&quot;, that your work can be turned into money etc.<p>I have a few scientific projects that I play around with when I&#x27;m stuck on my &quot;totally serious stuff I&#x27;m supposed to work with&quot; which give publications at some point, but that&#x27;s more of a side-effect than anything else.<p>And of course scientists now bullshit an extraordinary amount when it comes to future applications of their work - they often don&#x27;t particularly care, the MBAs just want to hear their mantras.