Noob Help, Starting Point

Hey guys, just found this website. Glad I did.  I've been looking to get into this hobby.

Basically, My question is where do I start?  How did you start.

I would like to start small i guess, building laser pointers. ( ones that actually show the beem  )

Any links to to complete instructions, videos are awsome =)

Thanks guys,

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http://www.laserpointerforums.com/forums/YaBB.pl?num=1190456606

Welcome!

Building a green pointer is nigh on impossible unless you are very experienced and patient.

However, most of us get started by building a red laser! There are plenty of instructions in Experiments and Mods (look for DIY red laser), but basically you will need:
-a red laser diode from http://sales.stonetek.org
-a driver to supply it with the correct power
-something to hold the laser diode and lens, we use Aixiz modules from http://mfgcn.com, the 12x30mm module.

There is a lot more to it than that, but that is the basics.