Drug testing

Comment is free: The same difference There are some fantastic responses to Peter Tatchell's ill-informed arguments in his posting about drug testing on the Guardian's new metablog "Comment is free". Well done to the scientists and others who responded so clearly and factually to these fallacious arguments, made by someone who has not bothered to do any research before putting finger to keyboard. (I hate to be rude about anyone, but really!) Slightly earlier on the same day, on the same blog, Tim Radford posts a very different article on exactly the same topic. (Tim was science correspondent of the Guardian before blogs were a twinkle in the eye.) The comments to Tim's post are absolutely fantastic -- both in terms of general debate/opinion, and of scientific argument. The debate between Gareth58 and others is an excellent example of a scientific to-and-fro -- courteous yet robust. Taken together, these postings and comments are a good example of the power of blogs -- a piece of sensational news, some commissioned articles, and lots of targeted, informed comments -- all in a matter of hours. And their weakness -- where is the connectivity, or "joined-up thinking"? Nowhere. But that's Web 2.0 for you, information is free, instant and accessible; we just (;-) ) have to work out what it means, irrespective of our personal expertise.