Raspberry Pi, the $35 Linux computer that's just a tad bigger than a business card, has been phenomenally well-accepted in its first year on the planet.
First released in February, 2012, it's makers say they will soon sell their one millionth unit.
Thanks to its low cost (there's also a $25 version), the tiny computer has become very popular with hobbyists, or "makers," who prefer to create their own gadgets. It's even got its own app store.
It turns out, you can do a lot with a very basic PC. Each Pi includes an ARM-based CPU; a graphics processor; and a few ports and pins to connect it to other electronics.
Phone-activated coffee machine
German developer Sascha Wolter got together with a few friends and hacked a Nespresso coffee machine by connecting it to a Raspberry Pi.
They set it up so they could call the coffee maker on the phone and order it to start brewing.
Wearable computer glasses
These may not look as cool as the wearable computers that Google is whipping up, but they did win developer Jarred Glickstein first prize in the the Instructables Raspberry Pi contest last month.
The total project cost him $382, including a wireless keyboard and mouse. His glasses are the monitor. Together, it's a fully functional PC.
Old-fashioned coin-operated arcade game
A lot of people use Pi to run old-fashioned arcade games. But Darren J and his buddies took it one step further and built a whole coin-operated video-arcade cabinet, complete with buttons and joysticks. It wasn't easy.
Here's a picture of the arcade cabinet running the vintage game "Track And Field."
A commercially available Pi arcade cabinet is in the works thanks to this Kickstarter project.
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