A handful of the nation’s computer gurus will be in Des Moines this weekend at Gnomedex, a national technology convention, sponsored by industry giants like Microsoft and Google. Chris Pirillo, the event’s organizer, calls it “The Fellowship of the Geeks” and he has invited Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, who has admitted to being a bit behind the tech curve. Pirillo has sent the Governor’s press team an e-mail, and Pirillo plans to read the response — should he get one — at the convention. Pirillo says Tim O’Reilly, a big-time author, will be there. Pirillo says if you walk into any bookstore’s computer section, you’ll see lots of Tim O’Reilly books. And one of the nation’s best-known technology columnists will talk about “The Next Big Thing.” John C. Dvorak writes a column in P.C. World, one of the industry’s most-popular periodicals. Pirillo says the headliners won’t spend all their time on stage. Pirillo says the keynote speakers will mill about during the two-day convention, and may take their laptops out and sit amongst convention-goers. Last year’s Gnomedex attracted about 500 people to Des Moines.Pirillo says it’s focused on the computer culture, so he’s tried to create ways for convention-goers to have conversations with one another. Registration is 99-bucks, and buys you lunch on Friday and Saturday and a free wireless hook-up for your laptop — on the convention floor.
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