I'm not sure if this is the correct board, but I was wondering what kits you guys can recommend for a beginner (CS background, not EE)? I'd like a kit with a variety of things such as LED's, segment displays, photo-resistors, temperature sensors and all the required things to hook them up etc. I'm having trouble finding a good kit as most of them just seem to come with LED's which is no fun...
So far my first project I have in mind is a temperature recorder. I'd like to take the air temperature (as well as possibly humidity to calculate "feels like" temps) in 30 minute intervals, and store it in a database (I assume this would have to be on my computer) or a text file, while also showing the current temperature it on an segment display.
You could try the sparkfun inventor's kit. It comes with an arduino and a bunch of sensors and components to play with.
You'll definitely want a solderless breadboard for prototyping and some basic wires to connect everything. These can be found at any retail electronics store.
You can always order some parts individually that way you only pay for exactly what you want. If you are feeling really adventurous, try scavenging or recycling old electronics laying around the house.