Python in five lessons

Python scraper. Instructions for installing on a Mac here: http://babydatajournalism.tumblr.com/post/20710688328/download-and-install-beautiful-soup

CSS, JavaScript and HTML reference (alternative to W3Schools)

A series of very basic HTML and CSS video instructions for those with no experience with web design

Mash up any web page. Play with HTML and CSS. See what you're learning immediately.

Put in a Google spreadsheet, get back a searchable database in an HTML page or embed code. Plus tutorial videos. Nifty.

Open-source, collaborative content editing — like Google Docs, but run off your own server/content

Completists may believe you have to be able to build a computer from a bag of wire and lights and write your blog posts in binary before you’re ready to call yourself a coder. Sure, there is value in expansive knowledge, and we’re all trying to gain a deeper understanding of the technology we use. But we also have a clear goal: we’re storytellers, through word or pixel, and the story won’t wait for us to finish our self-imposed curriculum. So, pick up what’s at hand, learn what you need to get to the next step in your project and get to something real as soon as possible.