Yesterday I went to Drupal Camp. In part for my masters thesis and in part to try and become more Drupalized.
It worked.
Brian kroski from the New York Observer was there, as a sponsor, and told a quick story: It was after the second Drupal Camp in NYC that he decided the Observer was going to switch. A story I never told — it was after the second Drupal Camp that I decided I would do my thesis on it too.
I wasn’t feeling too well at the second Drupal Camp. At one point I put my head down on a desk to try and take a quick nap. While I was trying to make myself feel better I overheard someone talking about the history of Drupal — from DeanSpace to CivicSpace. My ears perked up overhearing it all. What an interesting story: The popularization of Drupal in the U.S. can trace itself back to the Dean campaign. I went home, did some research, and decided that was what I was going to write about.
But onwards.
I’m still not a hacker by any means. But there was a class on PHP for beginners by this guy. In the past I’ve often explained myself as a translator between editorial concerns and development. During the tutorial I found myself able to interpret and understand everything that was going on. I don’t think I can write code myself yet — but I was definitely able to read and understand it. Similar to someone who can understand a foreign language when it’s spoken to them, but couldn’t form a complete sentence to save their life. That’s where I’m at.
I also learned how to install a Drupal site, which actually looks much easier than I thought. It honestly looked like something I could do on a lay Sunday.
But the really exciting part was the reporting for my masters thesis. Drupal Camp might even be the opening scene. It
seems to lend itself. I’m writing a lot about historical events — so Drupal camp will lend itself to bringing everything to the present time, showing the further spread of Drupal and although it was never blatantly said — there is still a progressive liberal vibe to the whole event.
Anyways: Today I’m going to go to the McCarren Park Pool Party — and after that. You guessed it. I’ll be writing more for
my thesis.