Every so often I see an idea for what it is. The “ah haaa” moment. Sometimes, I see through the idea. Other times, I respect the intention or dismiss as snake oil. On occasion, I am able to take the idea and implement it, or even take it to another level. This past week, I have been working in Vegas watching dozens of presenters pitch their ideas to investors at InvestFest 2010.

You know you've picked a winner when it's embraced by the largest software services company in the world. Not only was Microsoft a Platinum Sponsor of this year's DrupalCon, but they announced that they were releasing a SQL Server Driver for PHP as well as that they have been working with the Commerce Guys on creating a Drupal 7-specific driver for SQL Server.  This is a huge depature for a company that has it's own product (.ASP) competing in the same space.  

B.C. Ferries has launched its own travel agency called -- B.C. Ferries Vacations – this week. They offer 20 vacation packages up and down the West Coast. Sounds like a great idea, considering the shop is located across the street for the new convention center. With the hotel, cruise and convention traffic, BC Ferries will no doubt find a ton of interest to visit the Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, and all over the West Coast.

Every day, all over the world, Drupal developers are creating new code, writing documentation, verifying patches are correct, and making the Drupal experience better. That's what Open Source projects are all about! But, how do these coders strategize and make all this happen anyway? Well, one of our Media FX team members, Alex Brown, was lucky enough to be sent to the city of the Golden Gate, Alcatraz and Fisherman’s Wharf to learn all about it. But this was no vacation. Alex was more interested in the counter culture.