I'm a marketer and have been messing around in PHP/MySQL for years. Recently (the last several months) I've been making my own scripts/programs in Python and I've really enjoyed the whole problem solving process.

I've read(skimmed) some books and understand the basics of OOP, polymorphism, etc.. I have a general interest in AI and Natural Language in particular but it seems these things require a masters in Computer Science. My knowledge of math is poor. The last class I took was calculus, and I've forgotten the majority of it.

Basically I'm looking for things to learn that will help me think in a more analytic way, and maybe see solutions where I didn't before. Improving my ability to program in Python would be nice too.

I don't need to learn a specific language or something for employment, just enjoyment. Although my work often involves web development so some utility would be nice. I don't like learning concepts by just reading them. I need to apply them, even if the examples are contrived. A recommendation of a couple good books or other resources would be nice. :)

Apologies if this is too vague/misplaced...