The arduino Yun; cool, but what are some examples of how to leverage it?

My first thought is AWESOME! My next thought is "groan, yet another reason to try to learn Linux, Linux scripting, and Linux programming" (I tried getting used to the OS and it didn't work out so well).

So what are some of the benefits of putting this together? I can think of a few things like all the hardware on one board, but surely that's not the real reason.

I like the programmability over the network, that will allow for them to be scattered about the house sensing and controlling all sorts of things.

I see a lot of people making reference to the Raspberry Pi and this product. I think they are missing the point that this is fundamentally an Arduino with all the advantages over the Pi that it brings. Like being a real time system. The Linux bit is only on the Wi-fi chip and so Linux can be relegated to looking after that thus allowing you to do things like drive a TMS5940 LED or servo motor driver that you simply can't do on the Pi because Linux has the habit of nipping out to make a cup of tea.

It is rather like having a Pi and Arduino on the same board and any price comparisons should be viewed like that.
The Pi's price is a bit like Stone Soup http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type1548.html when you add the SD card, keyboard, power supply, mouse, TV display and USB hub.

Pricewise it seems to fit, but a MIPs architecture and OpenWRT for an OS led me to believe as you said that the linux SoC was there to manage the networking and USB support. Which sounds like a great idea.

But I'm trying to think of uses outside of home automation for this thing. Well, and aside from dust/bench collecting lol

If you think of it as its being pitched ~ the Linux/Liminio side that can do the networking ~ then it becomes really powerful, and only the web interfacing becomes the programmable area.
This can be into the internet - or if WiFi supports 802.11s - Mesh Networking - then there is a mesh networking.
Also, what might really work is being able to do an HTTP based UI - if a decent java script server can be got running on the YUNs web page.

Another way of doing the same thing - a Arduino board with USB to an OpenWRT device - eg Netgear WNR3500L - its about the same thing.
So instead http://rayshobby.net/ Atmega328 (or Pi) irrigation controller, it can be relays off a YUN with wireless or wired networking whatever is available, and a more sophisticated mash up of weather information.

The Maker 2013 in San Mateo did show a limitation of WiFi - there was so many SIDs broadcasting - none of them could work .

I think the ability to wirelessly program an Arduino board could be a killer feature. The Yún uses the same WiFi chipset as a TP-Link TL WN703n Pinout of AR9331-AL1A in TP-Link TL-WR703N/TL-MR-3020 [Old OpenWrt Wiki].
Something somewhat hacked but working has been done before http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/~sexton/ENGD2003/openwrt/arduino%20teensy%20openwrt.html. Would be interesting to see what interface is used on the Yún to communicate with the Atheros.