Problem based Learning - Learning Programing for your GM tools

An Awesome Find for GMs who are willing to learn to do some programming late in life :P http://developer.ubuntu.com/ This is an application builder with a lower complexity barrier. Personnally I'm considering moving my spreadsheet projects to these kind of apps, although it would prevent non Ubuntu Users to use them.

Other Helpful tools:
Open Courseware of MITX's Opencourse Scholarship (automated scholarship)
Introduction to Computer Science and Programming.
Introduction to Computer Science and Electronic Engineering.

Relative Link: Ubuntu App Showdown Thread in the Ubuntu Forums.

I've talked to my Programmer friends, what my IT staff calls: Hardcore Programmers. They told me learning something like Java and Python is like 3 months. Not exactly someone who is picking up the pieces of someones managerial catastrophe can do, not to mention there is no more "me" time when you have a 16mo. baby boy who appears language delayed and needs more story time :p. Those links above is the lowest obstacles to learning programming I can get.

Some personal history - My first course was BS Math in de la salle university, but I didn't have the math chops to stay. Khan Academy's math program and the bandwidth to use it back in 1998 would have been a big help for me. No one was big with math where I'm from, heck no one was big with science and technology in general where I came from. So when it came down to the crunch, the math books was another language to me plus the distractions of being an 18. the internet changed all that now.

Learning something new and the strategy and economics of it:
I'm using my mental model of skill systems where there is an economy of skills, we only get skills that have a high utilization when compared to our circumstance. High Value skills are great, like learning Java, German, Chinese etc.. but circumstance forces us to balance the opportunity cost of what you need now to what you may need in the future. Thus there is an economic and strategic element of balance when picking up a new skill. I'm reflecting this in the article I was going to post on my blog if so many deadlines weren't breathing down my neck.

As an Open Source Nut Job, I'm the equivalent of the Tech Dumpster Diver always digging for something free and open to play around. (if you can recommend a Access Control and Time keeping program for Locks). This is the equivalent of my Mom's "bargain hunting" where she goes all the way to Divisoria, a place near Old historical manila 19C chinese suburbia where straight-from-the-port and "gray" area goods can be found, if you're willing to suffer the incredible heat, humidity, humanity, pollution, risk of thieves, and muddy streets.

I'm thinking maybe I should make an OJT convert the Spreadsheet Building tools I made into these Ubuntu Apps.