It's a very fun thing to do! Especially if you construct your own virtual machine--function calls aren't as simple as they appear. Also fun is targeting the Java Virtual Machine using a bytecode library such as ASM.
I personally enjoy using ANTLR for parsing, so that might give you a place to start.
This is interesting, but I feel as though the author shouldn't be instructing one on writing a parser by hand, because this is highly impractical and there are parser generators out there that target JavaScript. One's time is better spent studying the abstract math behind how parsing works. Context free grammars are complex, and it's far too easy to do something wrong.
That being said, writing an interpreter is fun and anyone with even a mild interest in parsing or compilers should do it.
I don't get people who enjoy matte finished screens. The perceived difference in color due to the polarizing effects of the finish is pretty noticeable, in my experience.
I personally enjoy using ANTLR for parsing, so that might give you a place to start.