Happy Blogiversary

Do what?

For some reason (light on news, maybe) Tunku Varadarajan has decided that it's been ten years since the birth of blogging. How come? Tunku decided that Jorn Barger was the first 'blogger' (he wasn't) and as Barger began blogging in 1997, that makes this year the tenth anniversary. Shazam!

Anyway, having justified an article on blogging Tunku presents us with the considered views of, amongst others, Dame Harold Evan, Newt Gingritch, Christopher Cox, Tom Wolfe and Mia Farrow.  Wow! Cutting edge contribitors.

The Dame and the Queen were taken off their ventilators long enough to contibute their carefully considered views on blogging. Poor old Wolfe clearly doesn't even understand what a blog is: ' only a primitive would believe a word of Wikipedia (which, though not strictly a blog, shares the characteristics of the genre)' he gurgles, only if you agree with him that inaccuracy is a characteristic of both blogs and the wiki-based website that is Wikipedia.

Dame Harold's reservations also revolve around inaccuracy

Coming from a print culture where the rule was check, check, source, source, I was chilled, in the early days of the blogosphere, by the easy dissemination of lies. Did you know that 9/11 was the work of the Mossad? How else can you explain that the 4,000 Jews were tipped off to stay away that morning? Gibberish, of course, but widely believed in the Muslim world.

Mmmm, and how many Americans think there was a direct link between Saddam and 9/11 or al Quada and Iraq? And where, exactly did they get those particular ideas from? That wouldn't be the Bush administration and it's MSM lapdogs would it Harold?

Cheque, cheque. 

Sauce, sauce.