simple pulsing LED lights newbie question.

hello all, i am a totally new Arduino user, not sure if this is the correct place for this question?i plan on being pretty active and doing my own research, but a starting place is always best.. if someone already has any info they could pass along.

So, that being said:

Where would i begin if i have an idea involving 9 flashing leds at random intervals/ colors . I have an idea for a first project, and think this should be a relatively easy thing to achieve, besides the "make the led blink" lesson" you get in the book.

basically i want to have 9 backlit panels that i will construct, arranged in a grid, each with a different colored LED behind it, that would flash inconsistently, or even pulse in and out at random intervals. sometimes more LEDs would be lit at the same time... sometimes just one... if this makes any sense.

even cooler would be to make it all motion activated. so when a viewer were to stand in front of it, it would begin a 30 second sequence or so.

any leads to books i should get, or places where there may be some sketches that i could start with/ study/ alter, perhaps.. would be greatly appreciated.

thanks, i plan on spending a good amount of time here reading as much as possible.
any input at all is welcome...

Start with the - http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/HomePage - there are lots of sketches there for free, most of them explain themselves. Spending time in this section is time well spent. Also take a look at the reference section to get a basic understanding of (part of) the functions and libraries available. - Arduino - Home -