I wouldn't call Hornby a renowned expert. He is a popular writer who
has achieved some degree of success. It just so happens that he is also
the father to an autistic child. That doesn't make him a renowned
expert, just someone who knows more than the average person.

Stephen Spielberg has Asperger's Sydrome, which is on the autistic
scale. Many people with Asperger's are very successful in what they do
because of their obsessive and insightful perspectives. Equally, many
are incapable of simple tasks because they are too busy thinking about
their obsessions.

Either way, I suspect that a person suffering from autism or Asperger's
would have other offline obsessions, and that were they to become
obsessed with internet newsgroups, they would quickly suffer a
breakdown. That's not to say that compulsive newsgroup antagonists
don't suffer mental ill health, just that it's more likely to be
something other than either of these conditions. Loneliness and a lack
of career fulfillment must play a part in this.

Here's an example of someone who not only posts compulsively but who
also resorts to outrageous lies in order to prop up their imaginary
newsgroup life:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...ad11eed04746e8

As you read through the thread, the strange internet madness of the
protagonist begins to slowly unravel.