I did indeed learn some languages using the google route, but in retrospect, I could have saved myself a lot of time and pain if a forum like this had been around, where I could get expert opinions.
http://searchyc.com/python+tutorial
http://del.icio.us/tag/ruby+tutorial
http://technorati.com/tag/Ruby+tutorial
http://www.reddit.com/r/programming/search?q=python+tutorial...
here's a starting line: admin tasks you do repetitivly in whatever o/s you use. Automate them. Build in checks for filename conflicts, large file/network transfers, run script off hours, etc. or rewrite something from the activestate's CPAN-loose equivalent, submit it back when it's tested robust and you know it's not a dup
http://aspn.activestate.com/ASPN/Cookbook/Python
and, oh yea, Martelli's Python in a Nutshell from Oreilly. Covers 2.4, read the PEPs to see what's new in 2.5 and 2.6. Also, Matz's original ruby nutshell on Oreilly, the little one that covers 1.6. It's little outdated, but it's also a small book that you can read carefully , cover to cover
> admin tasks you do repetitivly in whatever o/s you use.
Excellent advice. When you find yourself in a situation where you keep having to do something boring and repetitive, try to write a script for it. The immediate feedback and sense of accomplishment from this will teach you things that spending weeks on internet forums never could.
