Frank Catalano

Chris Pirillo is everyman.

That’s the closest I’m likely to get to sum up the appeal of Gnomedex, Pirillo’s conference which wrapped its tenth annual -- and perhaps final -- run in Seattle this weekend. Nearly 300 people, ranging in age from 13 to 13x5 (and for whom denim was the predominate fashion choice), heard and questioned an equally diverse group of more than 20 speakers over two days.

The common thread? The intersection of technology with culture and society. And, as a first-time Gnomedex yet decades-long tech conference participant, I’d be hard-pressed to name any other event that had as much practical nerdy inspiration:

Trish Millines Dziko of Seattle’s Technology Access Foundation, on how technology is being applied in small doses for “rebooting public education” for students of color;

Charles Brennick, whose InterConnection.org in Seattle fixes some of the 14 million computers discarded annually, is now starting to do the same with smart phones, and reuses them in other countries where there’s a need;

Austin Heap, who has persevered through bureaucratic obstacles to distribute anti-censorship software to people in Iran and has a mission of combating Internet censorship with research, education, and “finally, when necessary, technology;”

Tom Nugent, founder of LaserMotive in Kent, on using laser beams to transmit power without wires and -- while describing his small team’s success in powering an unmanned vehicle straight up a cable 3,300 feet -- shared that the laser hair removal industry drives the development of diode lasers, in turn driving the cost down for other uses;

Willow Brugh on transhumanism, and how people are using technology to modify their bodies and the issues it creates (“When you have all these devices in these systems, who owns the information once it’s processed but it’s in your body?”);

Artist Scott Draves, creator of the Electric Sheep screen saver, which uses distributed processing power of every personal computer downloading it to create wonderfully complex, interactive art, with the observation that he aims to create art, “that earns your attention, rather than something that grabs your attention;” and,

Scott and Alex Mueller, a couple that has purchased 44 acres north of Spokane and is working to see how far they can get in creating a sustainable lifestyle at their Moosicorn Ranch while simultaneously making use of off-the-shelf technology.

Others used Gnomedex as a trial balloon, or to announce new efforts. Johnny Diggz, chief technology officer of Tropo, revealed Geeks Without Borders (with the wonderfully nerdy logo +) -- yes, a plus sign instead of a cross and a right parenthesis instead of a crescent) to create fixed and portable communications hubs for doctors in the field, because “doctors need to look stuff up.” He plans to launch on 10.10.10 at 10:10am simply because “it’s a very geeky date coming up.”

Social media notables Shauna Causey and Melody Biringer announced TechMavens, an effort to encourage and mentor women in tech leadership and launched their website during their presentation. Two other speakers talked about films they’ve made, both about to be released, funded and produced entirely using crowdsourcing techniques.

But when I say Gnomedex provides practical nerdy inspiration, the emphasis is on “practical.” Brugh, for one, cautioned transhumanism is not a panacea for people unhappy with their own bodies: “If you’re upset that you can’t run three miles, go try to run three miles, don’t wish for mechanical legs.” The Muellers provided tips they’d learned in building Moosicorn that would apply equally well to urban dwellers. Even the makers of crowdsourced Browncoats: Redemption (a fan film for charity set in the universe of the television series Firefly) flatly stated, “What we did was not amazing or ... different. We just did it.”

The rare vague, pretentious or pompous speaker was politely tolerated. To their face. While being punctured in the digital back with rapid-fire, razor-tipped tweets.

Chris Pirillo (Credit: Kris Krüg)

Gnomedex is of that special breed of technology conference from which you leave feeling -- and there’s no other word for it -- good. Part of it is the everyday people who speak about doing remarkable things with technology in culture and society. Part of it is Pirillo’s everyman approach. You have the impression he puts on a conference he personally would enjoy attending. As founder of the web tech network Lockergnome, his conference is volunteer-run, inexpensive compared to similar industry-focused events ($300 vs. $600 or even $6000), and evokes a family feel. So much so, his mother, father and brothers joined him up on stage at the close, to a standing ovation, to cap the event.

Such personal attention can take a toll in time and energy, and Pirillo has said that, barring professional event management help and the funding that requires, the tenth Gnomedex is the last. To much tweet-gnashing by the audience and those who watched on (again: unusual) the free live web video feed.

Almost offhandedly, Pirillo remarked at the close, “This is not just another conference. This is your life.”

Frank Catalano is an author and advisor on marketing strategy for education and consumer technology companies. He blogs at Intrinsic Strategy and tweets @frankcatalano. Opinions expressed in guest posts are those of their authors, and don't necessarily reflect the views of TechFlash or its staff.

Previously: Q&A: Chris Pirillo on the possible end of Gnomedex as we know it.