>>1
Here's the best advice you will ever get.
Play around with the
re module and parse various text files; write, say, a Gaussian elimination algo
rithm; understand the base container types (
list,
dict and
tuple); don't waste your time on learning how to cope with its object system since it's, at least from my point of view, broken; start learning C or Pascal; learn C or Pascal (stay the fuck away from shitty tutorials, read K&R instead for C; I don't know any reference for Pascal); learn Javascript or Lua or a Lisp (feel free to learn more than one of the aforementioned -- even if Lisp code upsets your stomach like it does mine, play with it anyway -- you'll have a unique chance to experiment with things like continuations and macros); do
objdump -d <one of your compiled C program>; learn x86 assembly; write your own toy OS; become an $\alpha$ geek.