Hello everyone,
I really enjoyed this episode on Arduino and more particularly the philosophy of getting into Arduino.
Based on my personal experience with Arduino...
I agree with Martin that it is much more inspiring to have a personal goal, something to accomplish, to build, before starting experimenting with Arduino. Even if this approach is a bit risky for lack of not knowing if the goal is attainable and to what degree, this personal goal will indeed provide the necessary "drive" to keep going through difficult moments when problems arise.
Thinking of something to accomplish without first figuring out all the tiny technical aspects of a project calls upon imagination and is one of the best ways to avoid restricting the project. Anyway, once the project starts, adjustments are possible.
Also true, dividing the project into smaller tasks and then going back to the official examples, documentation and demos available to gain knowledge, makes the project more manageable and provides inspiring accomplishments.
Even though the approach Martin describes is the one I prefer, I agree and respect that there are many ways to discover Arduino.
Yttrium