Great (if very long) K5 post on learning French. Through a self defined cultural immersion course (involving among other things Harry Potter, Schaum's outlines, flip-cards and Russian winter nights) Konstantin Ryabitsev taught himself French. The self made style of learning exudes pure hacker ethos to me, both good and bad. The level of involvement you get from that kind of self learning is much deeper than any pre-rolled educational program can give you - a good thing. The unwillingness to just embrace what has worked for millions before is not always a good thing.