^ I know how to do all of that except use the google ajax API, start with a canonical list of search hits, compare new iterations of the search result set against the canonical set, and look for differences.
I did some searching last night and it looks like there are some standalone software solutions, but they all seem to be for Windows--I have a Mac. There are some web-based apps that might work, but they seem to turn results daily at the most frequent. I'd want hourly at least. One web-based app looks like that functionality is in development, but not out yet.
I'll find a solution. I'm persistent like that.