I'd like to be able to control the lights and maybe a few window shades via a home automation system.

I'm a pretty capable DIYer and would like a nice system with hard-wired wireless capable switches and maybe a few inline hard-wired switches where it isn't practical to pull wire for a new switch. I'd like to be able to control the lights via an Internet connection when I'm away from home. I'd like to be able to program "scenes" or macros for when I'm at home for specific activities, e.g., Watching Movies, All On, All Off, Dinnertime, etc.

I've shopped Amazon and Smarthome.com, but quickly am overwhelmed by the variety of choices. About the time I'm ready to pull the trigger on a particular system, I start reading reviews and quickly discover that EVERYTHING is crap.

So my question to the group:

1. Is there a particular flavor I should absolutely buy or stay away from? (Insteon, X10, ZWave, Smarthings...)

2. Once I pick the general protocol, which central control unit and software should I purchase? I'm 100% Mac-based and have a dedicated Mac home server that runs 24/7 if that makes any difference. All my mobile devices are iOS.

Thanks in advance for any advice offered.

Rod