michom:
can't I connect to arduino through USB and use a small C program on the netbook to communicate with arduino through the usb connection? also program arduino to feedback the sensor measurements back to the PC? if yes, which parts do you guys suggest? is arduino uno enough by itself?
Yes, you can do this; just realise that you can't do video thru the Arduino (you'll have to use a separate USB webcam or something for that).