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cellspacing="0" border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td class="icons"></td></tr></table></td></tr></table><br><table cellspacing="0" border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td> 		   		</td></tr></table><br></no_index></td><td width="593" valign="top"><table cellspacing="0" border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td align="center" valign="top"><img width="20" height="16" alt="" src="/internal-roxen-unit"><br>                                        </td><td valign="top">                     <script language="Javascript"><!-- 		  	if (location.protocol == "https:") { 	  		  var non_ssl_location = 'http' + location.href.substring(5,location.href.length); 				  window.open(non_ssl_location, '_top'); 			  } 	    // --></script><SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript"><!-- //Keylime Software 05/17/2002   	var kl_tagVersion = "1.1.2";   	var kl_startLoadTime = new Date();   	var kl_companyId = "122";   	var kl_siteId    = "981";   	var kl_sessionCookieVisibility = "";   	var kl_sessionCookiePathVisibility =  "; path=/";   	var kl_servedByAkamai = true;   	var kl_akamaiPath = "";   	var kl_scriptSiteId = "981";   	var kl_scriptUrl = "stats.klsoft.com/akamai/Site_" + kl_scriptSiteId + "_Consolidated.js";   	if (kl_servedByAkamai) {   		if (location.protocol == "http:")   			kl_akamaiPath = "a1944.g.akamai.net/f/1944/1482/8h/";   		else   			kl_akamaiPath = "a248.e.akamai.net/f/248/1482/8h/";   	}   	var kl_tag = "<SCR" + "IPT LANGUAGE='JavaScript' SRC=//" +   		kl_akamaiPath + kl_scriptUrl + "></SCR" + "IPT>";   	document.write(kl_tag);   	// --></SCRIPT><script language="Javascript"><!--         //keylime!   	// --></script>  <a name="top"></a>  <img width="98" height="28" border="0" src="/_internal_dr_uk/graphic_text!0/26020$29926.gif" alt="Gnomedex" /><br><br>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif"><b>Chris Pirillo, creator of the annual Gnomedex conference for computer geeks</b></font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif"><b>by George Partington</b></font></span></p>  <!--<borderbox highlight="yellow" boxwidth="200" align="right"> <p class="small"> <b>&nbsp;</b> <br/><br/> &nbsp;</p> </borderbox>-->  <p><span class="intro"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif" color="#000000">Technology conferences are all the same. They have huge trade show floors filled with glitzy displays across acres of carpet-covered concrete, less-than- satisfying sessions with expertssome in the pay of a company pushing its products, some notand thousands of people. Cybercominternetworkworld. Attendees often walk away from such meetings exhausted and wondering what the fuss was about. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">Then there's Gnomedex, a tech conference that proudly states it will be different by its name alone. The full name for this conference, in its second year, was Gnomedex II, Attack of the Gnomes. Held August 23 and 24 at the Marriott in Des Moines, Iowa, in the heart of Silicorn Valley, the conference drew about 500 curious computer users. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">To get the story of Gnomedexwhy the name, what it isyou only have to get the story of one man, Chris Pirillo. Pirillo is a self-proclaimed computer geek, and he's an entrepreneur who has a following of like-minded people. These folks subscribe to Pirillo's newsletters on the latest computer technology and watch Pirillo on "Call for Help," his own computer advice show on the TechTV cable/satellite channel. And, since 2001, they attend his annual conference.  </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">At 5 feet, 5 inches tall, Pirillo is also short of stature. In high school, a teacher liked to tease him with typical, if not very sensitive, nicknames, such as "midget," "munchkin," and "elf," but it was "gnome" that stuck. Pirillo liked it and one day while standing by the school lockers, he called himself the Locker Gnome. About the same time, he needed a "handle" for his online persona, so he picked Locker Gnome. When he began his newsletter venture in 1996, he decided to stay with "Lockergnome," something that would stand out from all the "compu," "net," "cyber," and "tech" names. There are eight newsletters in the Lockergnome line: Windows Daily, Digital Media, Tech Specialist, Bits and Bytes, Penguin Shell, Webmaster Week, Apple Core, and Windows Digest. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">But it's more than the brand name that makes them different. They are written by a handful of staffers, including Pirillo, in an engaging and personal style. Each begins with a note that introduces the tech topics of the issue but also contains personal asides and humor in the relaxed style of a friendly letter. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">Gnomedex attendees, mostly newsletter subscribers, or "Gnomies," told me again and again that they respected both the knowledge and honesty of the writers. "If they endorse something, readers will take it seriously," says Mike Molitor, an IT manager for UPS. Molitor, a long-time subscriber, says, "Chris has done something unique. He attracts both ends of the spectrum and everything in between, from the novice to the expert." </font></span></p>  <p><span class="small">(<a href="#top">back to top</a>)</span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif"><h3>WELCOME TO DES MOINES</h3></font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">Pirillo is a native of Des Moines but moved to San Francisco about a year ago to start his TechTV show. Gnomedex provides a chance for him to visit his hometown and his family, and even soak up the down home atmosphere of the Iowa State Fair. The day he arrives in Des Moines, two weeks before the conference, his wife Gretchen, also a native, insists they go to the fair, if only for the food. You can get anything on a stick, Pirillo says. In his August 11 entry in his online journal (called a "blog"), Pirillo writes: "I eat three Mark and Gary chops; Gretchen skips fried pickles and goes straight to the world's biggest boar; viewed the butter cow; came home; slept for five minutes; set up plans for dinner with old friends; drove to visit my grandparents; talked with them for a while; went to the Chat Noir for supper." </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">Of course, Pirillo spent most of his time in Des Moines working to set up the conference. And on August 22, the eve of the meeting, it is ready to roll. By 9 p.m., the Gnomies begin to converge on the Marriott for Gnomedex. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">"This conference is about people, not about product pitches and what can I sell you. It's about: 'that's cool how can I get that?'," says Pirillo as he waits for a chance to order at the crowded hotel bar,Pitcher's. It's the night before the conference is to begin, and, as this virtual community becomes actual, the energy at Pitcher's is building. A registration table is set up and attendees are starting to fill the space. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">Pirillo and Gretchen, who also works to build the Lockergnome brand, are mingling with the crowd while watching over last minute details like mother hens. This conference is their baby, and they aren't sure what to expect. It's only the second year, and the first meeting, also held in Des Moines in 2001, was scheduled for two days after September 11. The tragedy forced a last-minute rescheduling that took the legs out from under the conference just as it was learning to walk. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">As far as money goes, Pirillo doesn't have high expectations. He says he has put this together to give "his kind of people" (i.e. "geeks") a chance to meet one another. "I was tired of going to conferences where I didn't know anybody, had to pay an arm and a leg to get into, and got nothing out of it," he explains. "Gnomedex is 100 percent opposite. It's for someone like myself, someone who enjoys technology not because it's their job, but because they love living with it." </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">As Pirillo, who is imminently approachable, chats with attendees, I learn the story of the Canadian Gnomies, three guys who came down to the conference last year and became known for their spirited participation. "They were into it," Pirillo recalls. "They are in IT and they work with computers all day long. They are fun; computer people have a huge sense of humor." For the 2002 show, one of the three found, after he had registered and paid the fee, that he couldn't afford the trip. "I said, 'no, you're coming; we will find a way. If lodging is a problem, you can stay with [Lockergnome staffer] Lori Lockwood'" says Pirillo. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif"><h3>CONFERENCING KICK-OFF</h3></font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">As I make my way to complementary coffee and danish during the morning of the first official day of the conference, I see Pirillo heading into the elevator car I've just exited. I ask how he is, and he replies, understandably, "tired" but then adds before the door shuts, "but that's good." As the main meeting room fills for the beginning of the day's presentations, Pirillo doesn't look tired or uncertain about the conference. He bounds onstage to welcome the crowd exuding energy. "The speakers you will hear are approachable, and that's why I had them come here for you," he says. "Wherever you go, you should be talking to people, because that is what this conference is all about. You are part of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts." He explains to the audience that this meeting is all about his desire to hold a conference that is fun, stimulating, and worthwhile. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">Indeed, for the US$99 conference fee, attendees have come to hear from an impressive lineup of speakers: Internet security guru Steve Gibson, a programmer who has developed software for computer security and for protection from hard drive failure; Doc Searls, senior editor of Linux Journal; Evan Williams, a co-creator of Blogger software; Phil Kaplan, a wunderkind programmer who created a sensation with his site following the rumors of companies on the way down, with a name that is a play on "Fast Company"; Mark Thompson, a freeware developer; and Leo Laporte, the biggest star on the cable/satellite channel TechTV; plus others. While they aren't household names, to the geek community every one rings a bell. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">Also included in the nominal fee is entertainment on both Friday and Saturday nights, complete with free beer and wine, and lunch on both days as well. The setup, and the feeling of value for the dollar, goes far in creating a genial atmosphere during the day, and a chance to let loose at night. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="small">(<a href="#top">back to top</a>)</span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">Friday could be called "Internet security day," because the two of the four speaking sessions are on the subject, and they also prove to be the highlights of the day. Rob Rosenberger, who created vmyths.com, a popular site on virus hoaxes, is the day's first speaker. He calls his presentation "Virus Hoaxes: The Comedy Tour," and it proves to be an apt title, as his performance would do credit to a standup comedian. He details not only the history of virus hoaxes, but also how badly they often play out in the mass media, such as how a Japanese cartoon about anti-virus software that contained an epileptic seizure-causing flashing effect led to media reports that anti-virus software itself causes epileptic seizures. Rosenberger also talks about False Authority Syndrome, which rears its head after every virus scare, and the media head for the nearest Best Buy to interview the manager. Predictably, they succeed only in reporting the same misinformation that is causing the hoax confusion, rather than a true expert's view. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">After a presentation by Ed Ross and Terry Swiver on authoring shareware, attendees are treated to a decent lunch. The meat-and-potatoes meal is sponsored by the Greater Des Moines Partnership, and features a video with the theme of "Change Your View" of Des Moinesit's high tech, progressive, and growing, at least according to the video. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">Afterward, we do hear from a true expert on Internet security, Steve Gibson. He talks about viruses, which he has been involved in preventing for more than 20 years. He also has experience with something equally insidiousdenial of service (DOS) attacks. "The Internet is incredibly robust on a global scale, but it is susceptible to local attacks," he says. These attacks are carried by "zombie bots," hacker code that clandestinely uses computers connected to the Web to launch an overwhelming number of requests toward a chosen Web site, thereby creating too much traffic for it to process legitimate requests. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">In contrast to Rosenberger's false authorities,Gibson says he grounds his research in facts and a sound basis of knowledge of the way computers work.</font></span></p>  <p><span class="small">(<a href="#top">back to top</a>)</span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif"><h3>A POP CULTURE EVENT</h3></font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">While Gnomedex by day is a chance for sharing technology enthusiasms, Gnomedex at night is a celebration of geek culture. Friday night in the Marriott ballroom features a trivia game show with questions about computer history, Star Wars, and Star Trek. When Pirillo, Laporte, and David Lawrence, host of popular syndicated radio program on technology, "Online Tonight," take the stage for the celebrity round, much hilarity ensues, although some of the jokes go over my non-geek head. Then it is time to pick Miss Gnomedex, a tongue-firmly-in-cheek "contest" open to both genders. Eventually, after much silliness, Pirillo crowns Miss and Mister Gnomedex, the male winner taking the crown that had been worn by Pirillo for much of the night. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">By Saturday morning, it's clear that there's something more happening than just another conference. A culture is blossoming, with the young as its core creators. Several of the Gnomedex speakers are Internet mavericks in their mid-to-late twenties, as is Pirillo. They are the first generation to grow up within the personal computer revolution, and to view this technology not as something new and daunting so much as a part of the technology/media landscape. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">In his mid-20s, Phil "Pud" Kaplan, Saturday's first speaker, is a member of this geek generation. As a programmer and project manager during the '90s, he had an inside view of the Internet boom and bust. "Most people were surprised when the bubble burst, but programmers like me saw it coming. We kept saying, 'this is crazy.'" His talk is filled with humorous anecdotes on the absurdity of the times, such as when a company approached him about selling miniature microphones on the Web. "We said, 'we will build it and it will be a great site, but it won't work; there's no need for this.' And they were like, 'No. You don't understand. We have these synergies of B2B e-commerce with a new paradigm for'" The rest was drowned out by the howls of laughter from the audience. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">Leo Laporte delivers the keynote speech on Saturday. In true Gnomedex style, it is the last presentation, rather than the first. Laporte gives an informal and inspiring talk on what the conference has been about. He says there is a lag between when a technology is introduced and when it is put to its most imaginative uses. He compares the inception of personal computing with the invention of the printing press in 15th century. The first thing done with it was to print Bibles, to adapt what the monks had been doing, copying Bibles by hand. Sixty years later, Machiavelli publishes the first novel, The Prince, touching off a much earlier era's communications revolution. To take another example, early television resembled nothing so much as radio with pictures. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">It takes at least a generation to "get it," and we are beginning to see how the new generation coming up today is playing, experimenting, and creating with computer technology, says Laporte. For evidence, I need look no further than an attendee sitting at my table, "Happy Steve" Chai. While Laporte speaks, Chai is adding content to his Web site, a blog. And he can do this thanks to the Proxim-provided wireless (WiFi) Internet connection, a conference perk. "This convention is great. It's making me feel like a kid in a candy shop again," he writes. "A few weeks ago, I was starting to feel a little bored with what can be done on the Web. It was just a place for e-mails and online games. Today I feel like being more active and doing something cool. I have no idea what, but something." </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">Pirillo has tapped into this budding geek culture. It encompasses both the young vanguard as well as a section of people with one common denominatorlook upon computers and technology as cool tools, as a fascinating hobby, and as the most interesting thing going. If they look to culture outside of this, it still involves technology, such as science fiction movies and literature, and music in the MP3 format. They are creating their own culture, and if Gnomedex is a barometer, it is about sharing their interest with others, helping others, and constantly learning. Almost every attendee I talked with told me they came because they felt they could learn a lot in two days. The interest extends across boundaries such as age, gender, and economics. Some work in IT, and some don't, but they are all enthusiastic about technology. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">"We are just beginning to see what is going to happen when younger kids, many of them here, are going to see what they can do," says Laporte. "And I can't wait to see what that is." And in an earlier speech on Saturday, Doc Searls notes, "Geeks think they secretly rule the world, and it's true. There's a lot of evidence to support that." He went on to note that geeks built the Internet and Linux, his area of specialization. He says Linux was built to embody three virtues: Nobody owns it; anybody can use it; and anybody can improve it. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="small">(<a href="#top">back to top</a>)</span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif"><h3>LEAVING AN IMPRESSION</h3></font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">Frank Paynter, a networking consultant and project manager, says he went to the conference unaware of its general nature. "Tech conferences in my experience fall somewhere on an axis from trade show (with lots of exhibits, booths, marketing and sales) to colloquium (heavy heads gathered to share advances and identify challenges in a specific technical area)," he says. "Gnomedex broke that mold. This was a gathering of innovators and enthusiasts along a broad front of pop-tech." </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">Pirillo, in one of his newsletters to the faithful after the conference, summed up the experience: "Passion. Culture. Technology. These things are now Gnomedex. It had been difficult for us to define the conference before this weekend, but I think we have a firm grasp on what makes our gathering stand out amongst the rest. We aren't in this industry because we have to bewe're in it because we choose to be." </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">Some Gnomies choose to be a part of the culture as hobbyists rather than a professionals. I met several whom were there just to bask in the geek culture, learn, and have fun. They had the latest toys; they had several computers at home; or they had wirelessly networked their home. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif"><h3>KING GNOMIE</h3></font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">As a leader in this cultural movement, Pirillo embodies the geek life. At age 29, he has about 25 years worth of experience with computers. He jokes that his involvement began even earlier than age four, "I was downloading Placenta 3.2 a few hours before my birth." But it was around 1977, when his father brought home a Commodore 64 computer, that his interest was really sparked. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">Later, his father purchased an IBM clone to use for personal accounting, but quickly lost interest. However, his son says he just wanted to use it, "you know, just to use it." From then on, an interest in computers consumed most of Pirillo's time and attention. "I was born without the sports gene," he says. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">During his college years, Pirillo found a way to put his talent and natural interests to work, beginning with a humor list he created in the early '90s. "I could write. I understood computers. I loved being online. I shared my discoveries with others. I was intrigued by the Internet's power to increase and simplify communication," he says. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">Now, with his plate more than full with tech endeavors, he still jokes that he doesn't have a business plan, he just plans on doing business. Yet he can sum up the model for his newsletter nicely: "Tech-related content deliveryspecifically, putting solutions in the hands of the people who need them." He's also written a book on publishing e-mail newsletters, authored computer magazine columns, and, as noted, hosts a television program. A common thread through it all, he says, is that he is not just an expert, he is an entertainer. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">"An entrepreneur brimming with dot-com ideas" is another way to describe Pirillo. He has a staff of three, including himself, and four contract employees. "We survive by being small and nimble enough to adapt and change as the economy dictates," he says. </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">And by striving to keep Lockergnome moving forward. During Gnomedex, they introduced GnomeTomes, downloadable mini-manuals focusing on a particular technology, such as a guide to buying a digital camera or how to convert vinyl LPs to MP3s. He also plans on taking this repurposing of existing content further. "I'll write something in a newsletter and suddenly be overwhelmed with helpful hints," he says. He plans on taking those hints from his subscribers and using them in the tip-filled GnomeTomes, giving full credit and a free copy of the e-book to contributors. "I don't know everything, and you don't know everythingbut I bet another gnomie knows what we don't know," he says to subscribers. "Collectively, we make a powerful team." </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">That theme was carried out at Gnomedex, a conference that was as much about meeting each other as it was about meeting a celebrity; as much about listening to each other, as it was about listening to a speaker. Ultimately, it was about finding and celebrating a new-found cultural home. "Not being a true geek, I went to Gnomedex with some hesitations," says Jim Gaston. "However, I am very glad I did. Meeting and listening to very nice, happy people proved to me that although I may not be a true geek, I am a Gnomie!" </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">"Sometimes those in the tech industry don't do well with meeting new people or stay in their own corner, not inviting anyone else inI never got this feeling from anyone at Gnomedex," says Anna Mendoza, an accountant looking to shift her career to high tech. "Everyone at Gnomedex was open and friendly. People spoke to you as if they had known you for years, and we were all at some kind of big party. Geeks and parties? I hadn't heard of it! Maybe it was easier because of our shared interest in technology, but it was great and it should continue." </font></span></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif">Pirillo says his annual happening will continue, but probably at a new location, possibly Las Vegas. Gnomedex can be compared to South by Southwest, a combination festival and conference around the theme of progressive film, music, and interactive media. Or it could be compared to Comdex in incarnations. Or perhaps it's incomparable. There was a unique spirit to the meeting, and it was infectious. I was more of an observer than a true geek or Gnomie, but when a conference speaker prompted the crowd on Friday morning with "proud to be a," I shouted with the rest: "Geek!" </font></span></p>    <p><span class="small">(<a href="#top">back to top</a>)</span></p>  <p></p>  <p><span class="body"><font face="arial,helvetica,geneva,sans-serif"> For more information, go to <a href="http://www.gnomedex.com">www.gnomedex.com</a> and <a href="http://www.lockergnome.com">www.lockergnome.com</a>.</font></span></p>                       <br><br></td></tr></table><img width="593" height="1" alt="" src="/internal-roxen-unit"></td></tr></table><no_index><table width="750" cellspacing="0" border="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td background="/templates/jaguar/gfx/dottedhline.gif" colspan="2"><img width="1" height="1" src="/internal-roxen-unit.gif"></td></tr><tr bgcolor="#EAEBED"><td width="750" colspan="2"><br><p><span class="footer">    <a href="/ca/aup/">Acceptable Use Policy</a> <img width="14" height="10" alt="Orange dot" src="/templates/jaguar/gfx/orange_dot.gif" /> <a href="/ca/customer/sla/">Service Level Agreement</a> <img width="14" height="10" alt="Orange dot" src="/templates/jaguar/gfx/orange_dot.gif" /> <a href="/legal/privacy/">Online Privacy</a>  <br>     Toll free number: +1 888.689.5565     <br>     <br>     </span></p></td></tr><tr bgcolor="#EAEBED"><td colspan="2"></td></tr></table></no_index><br><br><br><p align="right"><font face="sans-serif" color="#CCCCCC" size="-2">www1-uk-atlas :81 v:-New:1.1.2.5:1043355087-        </font></p></body></html> 
