Mailing the story:
The Orange Pi: Linux on Quad Core for Under $20
The Orange Pi series of machines lets you run a small Linux machine dedicated to a specific task for a very attractive price -- less than $20 for setup. Some ideas for using an Orange Pi include adding network connectivity to an older printer, transcoding a USB webcam and sending it over the network, or just connecting some hardware to the 40 pins and being able to interface to chips faster than a microcontroller could.