For a starting point on jQuery, here’s a page with a load of useful links (at the bottom) from good old Smashing Magazine. 

Here’s a great tutorial resource for jQuery – tonne of good links off it too. One of the best, which starts with the most fundamental/basic topics, and works its way up to writing a jQuery plugin, is unsurprisingly one of jQuery’s own tutorials, by Jörn Zaefferer. A good, basic end() example.

Here’s a handy cheatsheet too, and a great page on manipulation capabilities.

Pretty much all you need on SiFR is right here. And here’s how to create your own Flash files without using Adobe suite. No you’ve got no excuse!