Gnomedex, the upcoming geek and blog fest in Seattle the end of this month, will feature Sen. John Edwards. This isn’t as odd a choice as it may seem, considering Edwards is an active blogger and podcaster, and was an early adopter to boot.

From Gnomedex organizer Chris Pirillo

The senator is a long-standing supporter of technology - including podcasting and blogging.

When conversations started with Senator John Edwards’ office, they were intrigued and enthralled with our approach to content! Sentator Edwards will quickly turn his time over to the Gnomedex audience, fielding questions and fostering discussion over how technology could and should play a role in our world. This is fantastic! I’m sure you’ll agree, no matter your political persuasion. This is a tremendous opportunity to have your voice heard.

The Gnomedex format this year for speakers is unusual. No long talks, rather just a fifteen minute intro, then the speaker opens the floor for discussion. So, tech bloggers (and this blog too, I’ll be there) will be able to discuss, hopefully in a real way, the possibilities of tech with a tech-savvy senator.

The main hall of Gnomedex is sold out, you can still get tickets in the Cove, which has a video feed. $499 for 2 1/2 days, and that includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Such a deal.

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In a historic move, Nepal’s government yesterday agreed to dissolve parliament and form a temporary coalition with Maoist rebels who have been waging an insurgency in the Himalayan kingdom for the past decade. The Maoists will also dissolve a rival “people’s government” operating in the areas they control.

Sounds like, more than just ‘embracing’ government, that the Maoists have become the government. They’ve been the real power for a while, were the driving wheel behind the recent protests, and control large areas of the countryside.

[tags]Nepal[/tags]

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Heavy fighting has broken out between government forces and suspected Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka.

That’s an odd phrase, “suspected Tamil Tiger rebels” I mean, who else would the government be attacking?

On Friday the air force pounded rebel positions for a second day in retaliation for a bus blast in which 64 died.

The Tigers denied involvement in the bus attack, saying the bombing might have been the work of a paramilitary group linked to the government.

This could be true. Or not. There’s no real way for an outsider to tell. The cease-fire there exists only on paper now, with major violence expected soon in this two decades old civil war.

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