So in the end you've decided to learn programming? AWESOME!!! XD I think you'll like it!! Been thinking of taking a Python course too (the Interactive Programming in October, if I won't be too busy) - Python is a language I used to despise, but it's one of the most prominent modern languages and it would be useful to learn it, if only in order to hate it for better reasons than enforced indenting as part of the syntax ;) But for a beginner, it's probably a better deal than PHP, C, Java and especially Perl.

Meanwhile, here's a very short crash course in Python you can take in your spare time: http://code.google.com/edu/languages/google-python-class so you know what you're getting into. The best thing about it is the semi-interactive exercises - there's a system to check that your scripts produce correct results! And you can also have a look at their provided solutions and compare with yours.

LOL, the DVD question really stumped me in the beginning. (And no, it was not mentioned anywhere in the lectures, it's just logical thinking). Maybe you are better in this stuff. Yup, one needs to pay attention to every single detail with the quizzes. If you did the encryption thing (attack at dawn), the actual codes are also changed from one attempt to another, so you can't just copy/paste the answer.