I volunteered to participate in a clinical study at work where I was paid $50 to read a set of instructions and then attempt to administer a new product on a dummy.  I had never seen the product before or used one of its type but the instructions were clear and, unlike ASTM and ISO methods, there were nice pictures.  Having spent the previous 8 years as a lab monkey, the clinical was a breeze and I finished the whole thing in about 30 minutes.   Some of the other participants seemed to have more trouble and I was glad I could make R&D look good but then I got to thinking.  If one compounded the difficulty of my other testing work with the amount of time I spend on it and normalized it to the rate I was paid for this clinical which included snacks, I should be a mere $200,00 a year.  That check should come any day now.