Drupal, Linux and Other Observations

My Two Cents Worth...

Drupal At A Glance

Posted Tue, 08/10/2010 - 23:15

Visual aids are always a plus when trying to convey complex ideas.  While toiling away on some documentation for a client I created a nifty little graphic that I had to share here.  It's actually a pretty good representation of a typical Drupal installation.

Things Learned at DrupalCamp Atlanta

Posted Mon, 10/03/2011 - 08:40

I ventured out of the bunker this weekend to attend DrupalCamp Atlanta 2011.  Besides getting some sun and fresh air I also learned a few things:

PDF Manipulation with pdftk

Posted Mon, 06/13/2011 - 14:20

I recently had the need to combine multiple PDF's into a single file.  Since I did not own any PDF manipulation software I naturally hit Google for potential solutions.  Of course, I got 53M matches that led to a bunch of scams and online services.  However, when I added +Ubuntu to my search I quickly found a solution and within 10 minutes had delivered a single, merged PDF file to my client.  Man...I love the world of open source.

Applying and Creating Patches in Drupal

Posted Sat, 09/25/2010 - 12:32

From time to time it is necessary to supplement your Drupal installation with a patch to a contributed module or Drupal core itself.  While it may seem intimidating to the novice user, the entire process is very simple if you stay organized, make notes and follow the available instructions.  If you are a developer you should know that creating and submitting patches on d.o is equally painless and can be a huge help to the community.

What is Drupal?

Posted Tue, 08/31/2010 - 18:40
See video

A very nice job of summing up Drupal and the benefits it has to offer.

Upgrading Open Atrium to 1.0-beta8

Posted Fri, 08/27/2010 - 17:11

I heard my phone go off the other day and it was a Twitter message announcing the new release of Open Atrium from Development Seed.  They are up to 1.0 beta-8 and with each release a few more things get fixed and the whole product gets a little tighter and a little bit better.  The release announcement promised that this update contains some of the biggest changes since last wi

Waylon Jennings Rehearsal

Posted Sun, 08/22/2010 - 19:48
See video

The great thing about this video is getting to see professional musicians at work.  It's not all spotlights, chicks and tour buses.  Like anything worth having, it takes commitment and a dedication to quality to suceed.  Too many folks seem to want to skip straight to the good stuff.

Mind Mapping with FreeMind

Posted Wed, 08/11/2010 - 19:53

Since there never seems to be enough time in ANY day I am always looking for ways to save time and be more efficient.  It is rare that I come across something which not only saves time but also improves my deliverables.  About a year ago I was introduced to the concept of mind maps and an open source Java application called FreeMind.  Since that time I have found both to be invaluable tools in my everyday processes. 

Schleck vs. Contador

Posted Sat, 07/24/2010 - 22:04
See video

I'm a big fan of cycling, the Tour de France and Andy Schleck so I really go a kick out of this commercial.  I particularly like that it OK to want to beat the other guy and it not be personal.  There are always winners and losers; there's nothing wrong with wanting to be the best and celebrating victory when it comes.  It's about respect.

Note to self:  The official video is here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzPq0hDdDhs); however, I need to find out why it is not loading properly.

Drupal Core Updates with Drush and rsync

Posted Sat, 04/03/2010 - 15:57

NOTE: Drush now supports core updates - the following is therefore outdated.