Hi, I'm new to these forums and I'm looking for a good place to start - I'm a techie by trade but I'm completely baffled when people start talking about all the different fare classes ("TA booked me in I instead of J" is almost completely meaningless) or "clearing" upgrades and stuff. What is "the list"? How does upgrading work - esp for people who don't have 1K/EXP (or even GLD) status?

I only fly about once a month but I'm trying to gain a better understanding of how it all works. Is there a sticky or anything akin to "flying for dummies"?