I got my FON router and Arduino to talk to each other, and I’m pretty excited about it. You can find the details here if you’re interested.
Put in simple terms, this lets me translate any information I can pull from the net into physical action. There are limits, of course — can I stream WOXY or play YouTube clips through an Arduino? No. It’s a much simpler device than that — one that’s basically capable of reading and sending a little more than a dozen low-voltage signals, and about half as many low-voltage analog signals.
But you can get a lot done with these seemingly humble capabilities. I could control appliances; I could wire it into an RC car’s remote control; I could use it to open and close my garage door over the internet; I could monitor the temperature in my apartment and send myself an email if the furnace broke.
I’m aiming for something simpler to begin with: the analog display of some interesting online information, courtesy of some cool-looking gauges. If anyone’s got a line on awesome-looking vintage electronic equipment that I can tear apart, please let me know.