For those of you who enjoy exploring the depths of Reddit comes this very useful message indicator. Creator Brad has embedded an Arduino and some LEDs into a clock housing - which makes a nice display device. By connecting the Arduino to a PC running a perl script, any new message notitifcations from reddit can be monitored and then indicated by the Arduino-controlled LEDs. In the following video you can watch Brad run through his invention:
What a great little project, and could also be modified for other services. Click here to get started with your own version. And for more, we're on twitter and Google+, so follow us for news and product updates as well.
If you would like to recreate this project yourself - consider using a Freetronics LeoStick - the Arduino Leonardo-compatible board that's cheaper and smaller than the original:
You could use the onboard RGB LED and piezo as annunciators for the message alert system described above. Furthermore, you can add extra circuitry with the matching protostick! For more information and to order, click here.