In response to inquiries on where to begin, consider the following:
1. Book - “The Master Algorithm” available in paperback $15 online (or check your local library).
2. Video - Machine Learning course on Coursera,
http://ml-class.org (recall $49 if registered).
3. Python knowledge - take a look at
https://www.learnpython.org/ The above is all about getting hands on. Mimic making hand contours and checking well ties. Get a feel for what the gotchas are early on, before investing in more time and effort.