Total newbie

I will try to post my simple discoveries as an electronics newbie.

I have been programming computers for pleasure and money for most of my life (I’m 41 and I started around 11), I have even been doing quite low level stuff in assembly but I have never ever been able to grasp the simplest concepts of electronics. Of course, I have had my share of assembling computers and smashing electronic devices as any geek has, but I wouldn’t call that actually doing electronics i.ie building cool devices (not to mention that I have almost never been able to put back together the devices that I had opened).

Still, I’m curious. Very curious! And I’ve seen the amazing projects that a couple of friends have been able to put together singlehandedly (my friend Olivier had never touched an soldering iron 3 years ago and now he does http://mutable-instruments.net, and Nicolas has been doing cool devices for years: http://tenuki.fr/nio101/ ). I figured that even if I will probably never reach the level of skill of those guys, it would be quite nice to learn some new tricks and start to get a grasp of what this whole filed is all about!

Two weeks ago I bought the Make: Electronics book (I have the French version but I “found” the pdf for the original English version somewhere on the web, just in case I happen to doubt the translation).
My friend Olivier helped be order all the tools and components needed to go through the book.
I’m new 60 pages into the book and I have felt the need to share my experience.

Most of the time, being a self learner means going head first into pitfalls and stay there for quite some time with a puzzled look until I figure it out of someone patient enough shows me the way. So I’ll try to document these experience that may, in turn, help the next guy.

I will probably sometimes use profanity, and overuse digressions. Please excuse, in advance, my future very impolite self.

M.