The problem I face is remembering what I read in tutorials/books and/or putting what I've learned into practice!
If you want some solid beginner reference materials, I'd suggest Learning Python the Hard Way (http://learnpythonthehardway.org/). I'm a strong proponent of teaching introductory programming with Python. Others are just a Google query away.
It'll be a long and arduous (and ultimately rewarding) journey. Best of luck!
If you want to do something a little different you can also try subsetting Haskell as per in most of the courses found in http://www.haskell.org/haskellwiki/Haskell_in_education#Hask... That is the approach they take in the University I studied CS, and it's an interesting one to combine with learning Python as a fist language.
This book is a classic and outlines various fundamentals of computer science and programming. Scheme is the type of language that lets you just code without worrying about all the unnecessary things that hinder the beginner.
From there you should move to C++ so you can get used to object oriented programming and have a better idea of what "modern" languages are like, but I contest that SICP is the best book to use to start programming.
I would recommend to learn Common Lisp instead.
From Javascript you can use your knowledge and move to just about any other langauge (C/C++, Java, C#, Actionscript are examples of other 'C' derived languages). Plus, Javascript's popularity is on the rise and it's a good skill for any programmer to have in his toolbelt (you are bound to run into it at some point in your programming experience down the road).
As far as putting programming skills to practice, I agree with the sentiment of others - come up with a pet project, even a simply one to learn the ropes. For example I use to always start by writing a simple contact/address book program; it contain all the elements you'd need to know for most business apps (a list of records (addresses), the ability to view 'details', add new records, delete records and edit existing data).
You should also consider taking a computer programming class at your local community college. That way you are assigned simply programs, have other classmates to work with and talk about sticking points with; of course the teacher is always an option to get some real feedback when you are stuck which is something a book alone can't provide.
Also avoid (for now) any project that requires a relational database and instead opt for saving things to files. You'll end up learning a bunch of bad habits if you try to learn a general purpose language and an RDBMS at the same time; you might start to think that an RDBMS is the only option for storing and retrieving data even when simple reads and writes to the file system will suffice (the hacker news website does not use a relational database for instance).
Some suggestions for projects:
* Some kind of light accounting program.
* Something that reads RSS feeds, looks for keywords and notifies you of relevant links.
* Something that manages your media library.
* A TODO list (this is popular among even experienced programmers, you can easily add a GUI part later as well as graduate to using an RDBMS).
As someone else mentioned, use Stackoverflow.com. I especially enjoy helping new programmers there, my contact info is in my profile.
I'm teaching programming to my 13 year old son, using Python. He's doing well with it.
"It is practically impossible to teach good programming to students that have had a prior exposure to BASIC: as potential programmers they are mentally mutilated beyond hope of regeneration."
If you want to do something a little different you can also try subsetting Haskell as per in most of the courses found in http://www.haskell.org/haskellwiki/Haskell_in_education#Hask... That is the approach they take in the University I studied CS, and it's an interesting one to combine with learning Python as a fist language.
Also, be wary of EWD quotes about teaching computer science, since they are sometimes a bit cocky.
I also don't recommend copying other people's code until you are familiar with the language in question and can debug and enhance the code.
Choose a language - nothing wrong with Basic for learning purposes - get a book that takes you from Hello World to building a small app and read it cover to cover. And be patient. Don't copy other people's code for now. I think you'll get more reward this way and will be able to build upon your learnings instead of spending your time trying to make your current mashups work.
It was because I didn't do examples thoroughly. Soon I realized that doing examples was actually more important than reading the book.
By the sounds of it, you are in the same boat!
Start by figuring out how to compile/run a hello world program. Then figure out what all the code means. Do that a couple of times with a couple of different (and small!) examples before you can expect yourself to come with the code.
Practice, practice, practice!
Nevertheless, for as long as you do grow out of it and move on... Why not! Don't forget to move on, that's important.
It's possible to find really old books with like scientific/financial calculations in BASIC, but don't get under the illusion that you can easily do anything "practical". For play/practice, go ahead! But please do move on it you keep at it.
If you've failed so often, don't keep trying, but read some motivational/self-improvement books. Ask HN for them, I haven't read any.
Pick one and jump in. Branch out from there.
Was there a specific problem or just a feeling that you should be able to do more but didn't know what to do?
If you just want to learn to program, I would stay away from games for now.
Either way, it sounds like you just need someone who can give you hints when you get stuck. If you go the gaming route, any of the major frameworks should have a message board and people willing to help. Ask for their help. Be specific in where you're getting stuck, and most people will be plenty helpful.
If you ever want some to look over some non-game code (like I said, I don't do games), feel free to send me an email. My email address is in my HN profile.