You may be a tech wanting to learn a new programming skillset, or a relative Web newbie trying to understand your resident Web geek’s mentions of HTML, CSS, and other cryptic acronyms. Either way, Codecademy.com could be a great match for you. Codecademy is a free service that makes learning to code into a game, teaching each technique step by step and rewarding the user in a point system. Check out the home page:

You jump in right off the bat following simple prompts to get your feet wet. Within minutes, you’re learning actual JavaScript code, earning badges, and on your way to gaining a better understanding of the technology that powers the Web. Here are the current learning tracks:

• Web Fundamentals (HTML, CSS)
• jQuery
• JavaScript
• Projects (apply your knowledge of all the above)
• Python
• Ruby
• PHP
• APIs

If you have any interest whatsoever in learning to program, check it out. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to Codecademy to try to beat my high score. Happy coding!