Computer Controlled Brewing (Score 1)

Has anyone created an interface to actually control boil/mash temps with a computer. Or even logging your brew session or fermentation with your computer (it automatically records the temp at certain intervals). I've had some experience talking through serial ports with Perl, and have programmed in Java a bit too. Unfortunately, I don't have the $$ for digital thermometers - can anyone point me to a cheap one? If not, I'd love to help!