Learning new programming languages isn't always the most fun experience if all you're doing is making trivial toy apps that whatever book you're reading decided was simple enough to fit their pages. The real learning, and the real fun, in programming comes from sinking your teeth into a real, non-trivial, useful application.

For a long time, I've struggled with coming up with project ideas. I really couldn't come up with much that excited me beyond the same simple crap used in those book examples. Fortunately for me, that problem seems to have disappeared. Over the last few months, I've come up with three separate projects that I want to build, and each new idea has felt more worthy than the last.

Now, I've decided that enough is enough, and it's time I got off my ass and built one of these projects. Actually, I decided this a few months ago, but unfortunately this decision came right when my wrist finally decided it had been abused enough. I've spent the past three months or so trying to work out my RSI symptoms (I'll likely write about that later), but I'm finally able to type without pain for reasonable stretches of time, so it's time to get to coding.

Since the project is probably pretty trivial for most web programmers to hack out, I'm going to keep the actual idea to myself for a while. In fact, a few days ago I discovered a new site that is a bit of a competitor, but I'm hoping that by aiming and designing for a specific niche of users will eventually allow me to win - or at least peacefully coexist - with this other site.

In the days and weeks to come, I'm going to use this space to write about whatever I learn while completing this project. Since I've never done a significant web project before (see the "toys" problem above), and my CSS is pretty rusty, I'm hoping that there will be enough good content to write about to justify my taking up your valuable time.

I'm also hoping this will become something of a two-way street, with your comments serving to correct my misunderstandings (and mark my words: there will be misunderstandings)and to help me become a better developer creating a better product.