The InfoNinja is a desktop information display device that works in conjunction with a PC to display all sorts of information, from unread email counts, weather, tweets, etc., and can also act on them by flashing LEDs and so on. And also time tea breaks. This would be a great replacement for a second monitor that some people use just for email and news feeds. Apart from the hardware design, information on how to interface the unit is included as well as the http commands to control the LEDs and other features. You can get a feel for it in the following video:
For complete instructions, design files, Arduino sketch and more - visit the project page. And we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.
Building your own InfoNinja or Arduino-Ethernet project? Use the outstanding Freetronics EtherTen. Apart from being fully Arduino Uno-compatible, it has onboard Ethernet, microSD socket, full USB interface (so you don't need a costly FTDI cable just to upload a sketch!) and supports optional Power-over-Ethernet:
