Question: Can anyone point me to a tutorial for electronic noobs that 
explains how to use op-amps and what I can do with them, besides
amplification?

Answer: 
Hyperphysics has a pretty good section about opamps: 

* [Operational Amplifier Concepts](http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Electronic/opampcon.html)
* [Op-amp Varieties](http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Electronic/opampvar.html)
I know it's not all online, but [the Art of Electronic by Horowitz and Hill](http://books.google.com/books?id=bkOMDgwFA28C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs%5Fnavlinks%5Fs#v=onepage&q=&f=false) is fantastic. It's basically the only book you need for the first 2 years of learning electronics (especially if you don't have any math requirements). The second edition of the book was published back in the late 80s and a lot of the example circuits using op amps are spectacular examples.