If you want to generate coins, you may want to look here: http://forum.bitcoin.org/index.php?topic=9430.0

But it's a... complicated subject (or so I gather).

If you just want to get your hands on some, you can beg for tips, sell something, or just buy something at one of the exchanges (https://mtgox.com/ is the big one). It takes some time to get money in and out, but once you've got 'em, you can trade to your heart's content.

Hope this is helpful

I read that post and it didnt clear up very much to me

I dont know what kind of things I could sell for a coin, and I dont know about investing real money for a virtual coin.

Okay so that looks pretty interesting, but again it sounds like I am giving up my PC and perhaps my personal things on it for Bitcoins?

I just dont trust installing software that lets somebody use my computer unless I can know exactly what is happening. Would I take a performance hit for running it?

Too bad that the faucet is down. Post your Bitcoin address in this thread and maybe some generous forum member will send you a bitcent to play around with...

Thank you to whomever sent me 0.1 coins ^^

I'm new to Bitcoin myself.  As best I can tell, however, mining is worth it only for people who have computers with powerful graphics cards.  I've got a couple of colo'd servers, but neither one has a fancy graphics processor because they're not used for high-end animated graphics or gaming.  So I'm not planning to mine.  Instead, I'm *slowly* getting myself set up with a separate online banking account, a Dwolla account, and then I'm planning to purchase a few bitcoins so that I can have them "on account" and see what they can be used for.  I will also probably offer some books and other stuff for sale that I'd otherwise put on EBay, just to see what happens.  (Is anybody running a Bitcoin-friendly auction site?)

IMHO unless you're into high risk currency speculation, it would be foolish for a newbie to invest more time/money in Bitcoin than you can afford to loose.  However, Bitcoin is an intriguing idea; there's no reason that it couldn't live and grow.  Something like it -- crytographically protected electronic currency that has the anonymity and reliability of cash -- almost has to happen.  So it's worth investing some time and a bit of money to see how it goes.