Quote: Originally Posted by
booksix 
Where is the best place I can read up on outboard gear and programming for something like this?
Sorry, forgot to reply to this part.
I would suggest taking a look at (probably in simplest to hardest):
Phidgets - Simple-ish to program, has a selection of pre-built parts, and has an OSX library ready to integrate into your App.
Arduino - Simple-ish to program (based off Wiring), has a selection of pre-built parts, has a few board options, uses basic Serial I/O for communication which makes it easy to use with any language.
Wiring.org - An open source project that Arduino is based off of, uses the Atmel ATMega128 rather than the smaller chip that Arduino favors (more ports, more memory, etc..), has an additional serial port (compared to the Arduino), can do everything the Arduino can plus a bit more.
AVRFreaks - A great forum if you want to get down and dirty and build/write it all from scratch. Also might be useful when working with Wiring.org based boards since they are based off the Atmel ATmega chips.
-dave