I have followed the adventures of
Ben Goldacre for a while now. I discovered him because his forums had linked to one of our posts on nhsexposedblog.blogspot.com. Ben is a fascinating creature. He is the sort of man you would want to sit and dissect for a lifetime. I am quite positive that he is the intelligent girl's IT guy. Ben isn't classically an Adonis but there is something quite fascinating about a man whose brain ticks in all sorts of directions. I suspect that is why he ended up in Oxford University. That is probably why he is the
"acceptable" rebel as he pulls it off with style. Of course, his rebellion has landed him in a fair amount of hot water.
Most of his adventures can be read in his book
Bad Science
.I am told that it is incredibly well
researched and entertaining.
Apparently, his publisher is due to send us a copy and I suspect he won't enclose a signed colour photo of Ben himself. No, of course not. That is because publishers never think about sex appeal :) or the needs of women. I have to come clean and say I had brief email conversation with Ben. Yes girls, it was rather thrilling. It is a tough life, but someone has to live it! A lot can be gathered from from the style of his emails. My specialist interest is
cyberpsychology :). Most people know that! Ben answers questions quite directly, he isn't interested in who you are, what makes you tick or social graces. He just answers your questions. He is probably a bit like a Satellite Navigator or
Encyclopedia :) probably out of necessity.
He types so fast that he forgets to add capital letters :). A sign of a very busy man struggling with multitasking :).
He probably works harder than the rest of us. That is probably why he is famous, highly intelligent and confident. I can't recall what we spoke about but Ben was distracted. It made me wonder whether a man like him actually sleeps at all. He is also driven in many ways.
Ben is a very likable character, very enthusiastic about his subject and incredibly witty. The audio and video section of his
website is fantastic. Ben though is the sort of man who is probably so caught up with science, his world and the world around him that he probably wouldn't even notice this
Agent Provocateur Video :). It is probably inadvisable for him to watch that video because it might just frazzle a few of his well needed neurones. He wouldn't want to be late for his Guardian deadlines :). I do suggest that his girlfriend takes him away to somewhere like Hawaii, away from his website, his computer and his large science textbooks. They may though be
superglued to him by now. The last thing we want to see is the Guardian's biggest star
spontaneously combusting, leaving a speck of soot and chlorophyll :). Yes, we can hear Ben now moaning about the scientific inconsistency of spontaneous combustion. Anything is possible though Ben and not even Ben knows everything about the world :) [
that's my get out clause today]
Ben's Guardian columns are well worth a read. There is a reason he wins awards, that is because he is fabulous writer. Well, I hardly compliment anyone as many people know. I do though find his material entertaining and engaging. There is a reason he wins awards.
With
Ben, you get personality, charisma and style. His phenomenal knowledge helps the excellent quality of his writing. Each piece is a finely crafted tapestry. It is quite difficult to understand what makes Ben actually tick. Even though his narratives tell us a fair bit about him, you are left thinking that Ben probably keeps everyone at a distance. It is quite difficult to know the real Ben
Goldacre. He never wears his heart on his sleeve which is probably a good thing.
Ben has been involved in a libel case and has made a number of enemies. My worry for him is that these powerful enemies will one day use the General Medical Council against him. I hope that day does not come but we all think we can walk on fire until the day we are burnt.
Anyway, Ben
Goldacre is set to be a star of today's media. He is a refreshing man with a vast array of ideas. He certainly has the star quality that is absent in other media doctors - he has the charm, intelligence, integrity and charisma to ensure the longevity in the media world. With the exit of Raj
Persaud, Ben is set to becoming the next big medical star of mainstream media. Ben's flexibility will allow him to function in all media subtypes.
There is one thing I know for sure, if Ben
Goldacre and I came head to head in a scientific challenge, I would give him a run for his money and should he ever get into trouble in the future, I would probably end up getting him out of the fire. That is because I am a soft touch for brave good looking men :).
In any case, his girlfriend knows when a good thing crosses her path :) and will no doubt forgive me for this lush effort at selling Bad Science using Ben's sex appeal. A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do :).
So buy the book, here it is
