> The "hello world" of the PIC is to blink an LED tied to a pin.  I have watched
> several people implement this and have one warning:
> If you can't see the LED blinking, check with a 'scope.  PICs aren't very good
> at wasting time! The LED may be blinking faster than you can see it.

I would suggest an easy remedy to this is to use a bipolar LED (one of
the two-lead red/green types, available at Radio Shack or any mail-order
electronics house) connected as shown:

Gnd----[220ohm]---+---[220ohm]----+5
                  |
                  +---[LED]------- Port pin

Although this circuit will waste 10 mils when idle [there are ways around
that] it will provide a clear indication whether the port is solid high,
solid low, tri-stated, or switching between two of those states.  Note too
that this can be a useful trick for driving more than one "independently-
controlled" LED from a port pin.