Coursera

Coursera, https://www.coursera.org/about, is an educational company that provides free on-line courses.

I completed "Synapses, Neurons, and Brains" in June 2013.  There was a lot of material to learn.  It covered the basics and is more of an overview than an in-depth study of any of the topics discussed.  I would recommend this course to anyone who has an interest in the current state of the subject matter.  The course was being updated as the weeks progressed.  Some of the topics introduced technologies published during the course.  You can't get much more current than that.

I started "Computational Molecular Evolution" in June 2013.  This class will take more time than did "Synapses, Neurons, and Brains".  Both classes inspire me to do more.  The course uses a virtual machine so everyone has the same setup.  I'm not sure how much one can stray from the setup.  The instructions guide you through installing VirtualBox, https://www.virtualbox.org/, from Oracle, then installing the course's virtual drive.  The process was simple as long as one followed the instructions.
The first lab introduced me to PUAP, http://paup.csit.fsu.edu/, and much more.  It looks to be a very interesting class.  I'll proved a set of bioinformatics links soon.  Right now I want to document The European Bioinformatics Institute.

"Coding the Matrix: Linear Algebra through Computer Science Applications" looks to be a very intensive course not for the weak of heart.  I started it in July 2012.  This was my first introduction to Python.  Not much to say after the first week other than, "Wow".  The language itself appears to be quite powerful.  I don't know where the course is taking me or how quickly.  The instructor mentioned a second class for those who want more. --- I ended up dropping the course.  The instructor spoke too fast and flittered between topics too quickly.  I have a short term memory issue when dealing with new facts and vocabulary that is unconnected with my skills and talents.  It fed my anxieties.

"Computational Investing, Part 1" appears to leverage some of the stuff I learned about modeling from "Computational Molecular Evolution."  I started the class the last day of Aug 2013.  The instructor talks more slowly and deliberatively than did the instructor for "Coding the Matrix".  I already knew most of the stuff from the Week 1 lecture.  I had to modify the software installation instructions as I mentioned in one of my blog entries.  This course started exactly when I needed it to.  It puts me back on track, covering a topic I've been thinking about as an application of Bayesian Analysis using Monte Carlo Markov Chaining.

"Computation Neuroscience" is a bit over my head.  I started it in Jan 2014.  My math skills are being tested.  While the use of the Greek alphabet are slowly sinking in after seeing them in other courses in similar context, I still get anxious and forget what I've just read.  It's unfortunate that the blogspot style sheet doesn't let me render math functions so I can talk about this stuff without creating images.