The reference I've been suggesting for Python is http://learnpythonthehardway.org/
A way I've found effective for learning beyond the basics, is to tweak existing programs. github.com has a massive amount of code for you to look at, to copy and change, searchable in many ways, including by programming language.
Learning programming is similar in difficulty to the project of becoming a clearer thinker, and as useful.
Second the recommendation for http://learnpythonthehardway.org/ - three of my friends are teaching themselves coding off of that
The very same site, and take a little longer to look up the differences between what The Hard Way uses and Python 3. As I recall it's mostly syntax stuff (like the changes to print), all the major changes are beyond the scope of the book (at which point you'd probably be able to teach yourself Python 3?).
I already have a tutor (studying proofs; through lesswrong no less), but I am still grateful for the offer and may ask you about it in the future. How well does math tutoring work over the internet?
This is somewhat tangential to the main topic, but I'll be starting to write a sequence of introductory articles (on my own blog) to Unity3D engine and game design. If any of you are interested in learning this, I would be happy to hear what you want to learn specifically and any other thoughts you might have.
I've been studying with Patrick for a while, and am grateful for his clarity of thought, and patience, with my either rusty or novice math skills.
His enthusiasm and optimism are inspiring and encouraging.
Update: My boss assigned me a multiple week project, so being replaced is not likely in the very near-term.
Please help. I might be getting replaced by an ad agency very soon. I am the only IT person (an in-house web developer) for a small business, and the boss no longer has the time to do his own research to decide which projects I should do in order to make his site more competitive. What I need most are ideas for a quick example program that I can put online to show my capability and some code grooming. I read a book on PHP security (Essential PHP Security) before I started writing PHP, I tried reading a code quality book but discovered very little new information in the first three chapters (Code Craft - I guess code quality was common sense to me or that book wasn't challenging), have worked closely with an SEO, and I just bought Design Patterns by the Gang of Four (haven't gotten too far in yet though), so I'm probably looking better than a lot of other web developers, but I must acknowledge that I taught myself PHP/MySQL with no mentor and this might mean that I'm in need of grooming and do not realize it.
Would you, or anybody else reading this, be willing to help me decide what to make for my example, tell me what improvements to make to the code when it is finished, and criticize my resume?
I enjoy teaching, and I'd like to do my bit for the Less Wrong community. I've tutored a few people on the #lesswrong IRC channel in freenode without causing permanent brain damage. Hence I'm extending my offer of free tutoring from #lesswrong to lesswrong.com.
I offer tutoring in the following programming languages:
I offer tutoring in the following areas of mathematics:
If you're interested contact me. Contact details below:
IRC: PatrickRobotham
Skype: grey_fox26
Email: patrick.robotham2@gmail.com