NXP ARM7TDMI and Cortex-M3 Microcontrollers. Supports the LPC1768/LPC2368 microcontrollers. Also emulates a USB serial port for easier interfacing.
NTSC/PAL composite video output from the LPC1768 with a PS/2 keyboard for standalone operation.
four-channel GPS receiver using a repurposed FPGA board from a previous frequency synthesizer project. Connected to a PC running a console app, the receiver is capable of tracking four satellites simultaneously, which is good enough to capture lat, long, and altitude.
There is no standard mains voltage throughout the world and also the frequency, i.e. the number of times the current changes direction per second, is not everywhere the same. Moreover, plug shapes, plug holes, plug sizes and sockets are also different...
Nice little guide to building an IR transceiver - uses the USB port for stable 5V, but includes a link in the comments to a decent circuit diagram that uses a voltage regulator and therefore doesn't need the USB port for power.