Learn Python the Hard Way

I wanted to develop my own software when I was a teenager.  Regardless of what I am now doing for a living, I still want to make a piece of software and show it to my kids.  I encountered a piece of news regarding Rapsberry Pi, which is a creditcard-size computer and designed for computer programming. 

Its developers claim that every body can learn computer languages with this tiny computer.  Really?  It sounds perfect for me.  Then, what kind of computer language should I learn first?  C++?  It souds too difficult.  Java?  It looks complicated too.  But, I don't want to come back to BASIC which I tried to learn 30 years ago.  The language looked goopy.  Python?  I have never heard about it.  So, it sounds nice.  But, I want to learn it for free because I may give it up all of sudden.  I don't want any sunk cost any more.  Who is a guru in the field of Python?  There are tons of people.  But, the name of Zed Shaw drew my attention.  He appears a guitarist.  He has his own paid audio lecture series and provides free HTML-based book.

http://learnpythonthehardway.org/