For this project we will be coding our interactive installation in the programming language 'Processing', which is compiled and executed in it's namesake program. The website, processing.org is where you can download the program and begin writing code.
http://processing.org/
The website is very helpful. Not only does it provide a download for the program but has a series of tutorials teaching you the fundamentals of how the program works, the principals behind the language itself and how to start writing code (including syntax and examples). I have bookmarked this website as I am sure it will be an invaluable resource.
One of the most interesting things about Processing is that it was founded in 2001 as a tool for designers to make creative and artistic things in code. Based on Java and tailored to inexperienced coders it is ideal for begginers, like myself, to dive in to.
Processing is an open source programming language and integrated development environment (IDE) built for the electronic arts and visual design communities with the purpose of teaching the basics of computer programming in a visual context, and to serve as the foundation for electronic sketchbooksSource:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Processing_(programming_language)
Extra Materials
As an extra and more definitive resource I have found a book called 'Getting Started with Processing' by Casey Reas & Ben Fry, the founders of Processing. It is filled with pages explaining principles of coding in processing, short exercises where you can make something simple but fun and excellent code examples that I may be able to use in my project.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Getting-Started-Processing-Hands--Introduction/dp/144937980X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1294764639&sr=8-3
I bought the book from Amazon this weekend and it will be useful to have during lectures and when writing code.
Lectures
A third component to learning processing is that we have Seb Lee-Delisle, a fantastic creative programmer. In the short time that I've known him he seems like a very creative and confident person who I am sure I can learn a lot from about processing and how to tackle this project.
Looking at his website (which is a stream of blog posts) it is inspiring to see some of the projects he has been involved with over the past year which you can view here:
http://sebleedelisle.com/
I have also started following him on twitter at http://twitter.com/seb_ly which might not help me with the project day to day but I need to expand my view by looking at what he is involved with and the work of others that he retweets to his followers so they can view. If he retweets it then it's probably worth viewing.
While his work is not limited to processing (he seems to have a wide range of coding languages stored in his head) he has stated that it shares a lot of the same principals with other languages and so his seemingly vast experience with coding has helped give me confidence to get in to programming not just for the sake of the project but also as another medium as a designer.