Making yogurt
I make my own constantly. I don't use anything special. I have a plastic container that holds a liter of milk and has a lid that fits tightly. A thermos would work well. My culture is local, so that won't help you, but any natural unflavoured yogurt should do. IIRC, Brown Cow works well.
You should scald the milk first (I do it in the microwave in a glass bowl, Shoshana uses a 1-qt microwave-safe measuring cup, or you can do it in a pot on the stove but watch it really carefully--boil-overs are a PITA to clean up). You need a thermometer that will measure 100 C (that is, not a deep fat or oven thermometer; I got mine at a lab supply store). Wait till the temperature is 50 C (remember that it'll be hotter in the middle than around the edges of the bowl) and then pour the hot milk into whatever container you'll use to "set up" the yogurt.
Take 3 tbs. of milk and mix with 1 tbs. of the yogurt starter. Mix it thoroughly, then stir gently into the rest of the milk. Cover with a blanket or dishtowels and leave it UNDISTURBED (don't even bump it) for at least 6 hours in warm weather, maybe longer in cool weather. You can use the new batch to make more yogurt but you must use it within a week, or the bacteria end up killing each other off and the yogurt won't set.
The yogurt may be a bit viscuous or jelly-like, so you should give it a good stir with a fork or a whisk before using it. If you want a thicker yogurt, you can add powdered milk (they don't sell powdered milk here, so I've never tried it) or reduce the milk by simmering it for a while (DH did this once by accident; he thought he'd turned the heat off and he'd just turned it down).
That's all there is to it. It's not rocket science. People in this part of the world have been making their own yogurt for centuries.
Avital