Which adruino product is ideal to hook sensors on and pass the reading to a computer?

Great detail, as you and somebody else mentioned. I will keep that in mind.

I'm just starting and with all these very useful replies, and fast (like the old irc days haha) in fact i might have already get a basic understanding, not just in adruino, but in sensor type devices, in general some basic concept of how this works. At least in the part of programing there'll be no issue.