After writing this, I am going to place this at the top to cut down on the processing of information provided below. You may read and take from it what you will. I recommend using the following websites to get you started with robots:
Let’s Make Robots and
Instructables.

It is good that you have been programming already. That is a major part to building a robot. No matter what language you have started using, you can always apply the concepts to another programming language. The syntax will usually differ to some extent but the concepts remain.

There are a number of ways to get started. You can buy a book of which there are many or you can visit a number of different websites with tutorials and examples of other people’s projects. There are also a few magazines on the subject of electronics and most of them get into some aspect of building robots.

Specifically, resources for websites might include:
Let’s Make Robots, and
Instructables.
There are a number of others that you can find so do not stop at those examples. There are also a number of websites of parts suppliers that sell kits and parts and also have tutorials on how to use the things you buy.

Some of the magazines that you might look into could include:
Nuts N Volts,
Make Magazine,
Servo, and
Everyday Practical Electronics.
There are others so do feel you have to stop there.

As far as books go, look up all kinds of books on electronics. Some will be about basic electronics and others will be about specific areas of electronics. The ones on basic electronics are very valuable in themselves as to get into some of the design work on different electronics modules can be quite tricky when designing from the ground up. If you want one specifically on robots, there are those as well.

Because you already have some programming experience you will probably want to go with something like an Arduino. It has more features than a Basic Stamp II but is a little more complicated to program. The Basic Stamp II is great for beginners and can be made to do many things the others can but is a little limited in some areas. The maker of the Basic Stamp II, Parallax, in my opinion has uparalled documentation. Parallax also has a more complicated microcontroller, the Propeller, with which I have no experience but seems to be fairly popular.

There are lots of other microcontrollers: PICs, PICAxes, AVR’s, TIs make some as well as other manufacturers. Do your research if you plan to get into the more complicated ones as there is a lot to learn. If your experience in programming is extensive then these might be for you. Again, do your research.

To start, check out a kit and go from there. You will always be able to take the kit apart and parts of it for other projects.

Check your local library systems, including public libraries and university and community college libraries as they should have a number of books on the subject.

If you are goind to use a remote control from something like a DVD player then you might need an oscilloscope to determine what kind of signal is produced by pushing certain buttons. There are also articles in magazines and websites providing tutorials on how to use infrared remote controls and repurpose them. You might not need the oscilloscope at all but in the future, you should find it handy.

For the older electronics that you are keeping, check out websites that inform you on how to hack electronics, specifically the items that you have. There are websites and at least one book that tells you how to hack an older Canon digital camera. It can be done.

There is also the section of electronics called “circuit bending” which involves taking various musical toys (most commonly) and placing wires in different places to make them produce sounds unintended by the manufacturer.