Sowing/Raising seeds questions

[erlst3 at vms.cis.pitt.edu]

I have some seeds coming in the mail (Mimosa Pudica).  I'm new to the plant
scene and have a couple of questions:

1.  The seeds I'm getting say to sow in early spring.  Can I start them any
    time of the year?  I'm planning on growing them inside the house (i.e.
    they'll never be moved outside).  note: I'll probably be getting the seeds
    near the end of July. 

2.  In some books it says to pour hot water over the seeds before sowing.  
    What does this do?  How hot does the water need to be?  How long do the
    seeds need to be exposed to the hot water?  I'm not familiar with this
    technique.

In general, I'm not familiar with raising plants from seeds.  What are the 
basics (i.e. container/size, soil, amount of water, lighting, temperature) to
start a plant from seeds?

ThAnKs EvErYbOdY!