Oh yes, tons of detail there - thank you Zapro.

Also, I just found the Eagle part made for the same bare LCD (Nokia 5110). Here is the link, in case someone in the future finds a use for it:
https://github.com/chiengineer/Eagle-Libraries/blob/master/LCDs/lph-7366.lbr
http://sparkle.tribbeck.com/eaglesearch2/libs.php?libid=488

By the way, I'm assuming you have this LCD. How do you like it? -- I'm wondering if it draws a lot of current (i.e., needs bright backlight) for good visibility.

I'm designing a PCB to attach this graphic LCD, because it's very inexpensive (5 for 10 USD):
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5PCS-84-48-Nokia-5110-LCD-Screen-Nokia-5110-lcd-Bare-Screen-For-Arduino-/310538158996?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item484d844394

The only issue I'm having is that I'm unsure about what kind of connector it has, i.e. what I have to create on my PCB to accommodate the connection.

Is anyone able to see how I might make the connection?

Note: There is no formal datasheet, it seems.
But I do know that Sparkfun sells a board containing this same LCD: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10168?

FYI: This proposal was already made last year, and then after reaching completion, it was closed down by Stackexchange moderators/staff, because it would dilute users away from the Electronics Stackexchange, which already has an active community answering Arduino-related questions.

I too am curious about this -- what are the typical methods/languages used to read Serial data and then enact Windows events?
I suppose you would start by having the Arduino output to serial, then based on the Serial characters read, you would have to trigger Windows actions -- How?

@Nick_Pyner: Fantastic -- Thanks for the trial-based advice, and the tips. Just ordered it. This LCD seems particularly appealing for how little current it draws (in non-backlit mode).

[Can this LCD be interfaced via the standard hardware SPI pins of Arduino (10,11,12,13) ?]

This graphic LCD (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10168) seems pretty inexpensive so I am about to order one.

But I'm wondering: Can this LCD be interfaced via the standard hardware SPI pins of Arduino (10,11,12,13) ? I ask so that I can conserve other pins for other connections.

The tutorial provided by Sparkfun (http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/300) infers that the controller on board is indeed SPI-based, but then in the pinout diagrams further down, they suggest connecting to pins 3-7, so I am a little confused!

It appears, then, that the minimum time is 65 ms (in addition to possibly the number of clock cycles depending on which sleep mode).

Not at all. See page 33 of the data sheet. For example, if you use the internal oscillator and have BOD enabled, the start-up time from power-down sleep is 6 clock cycles (6 * 125 nS) which is 750 nS, under one millisecond (at 8 MHz).

Nick, thanks for the page reference. (Actually, going by the table on page 35, even in the case of the external clocl, the number of clock cycles seems to be identical, and there is no 65 ms.)

So, am I correct in my interpretation (again, going by what the table headings say) that the 65 ms is only present in the case of a full-reset, and not in the cases of waking up from Power-down/Power-save modes?

Also, here in the comments by you and @Coding Badly on this page (http://arduino.cc/forum/index.php?topic=87319.0), it is mentioned that the delay-from-wakeup time as long as 65 ms does apply -- I suppose I am asking if you could distinguish exactly in which cases the 65 ms startup does apply and in which it doesn't.

I believe the fuses be set for an effective start up time of 4.1mS when 5V power is not removed.
See table 9-2 that I referenced earlier.

I made a remote control with a Promini that wakes up from power-down sleep mode after every key press. The key press causes an interrupt, the processor wakes up, scans the 4x4 keypad, and never misses a key press - I think if it was taking 65mS the presses would be missed as they would debounce themselves in that time.

CrossRoads, if I understand you correctly, you're using the sleep mode formally named Power-Down. Why is the 65ms startup time absent in this case? It would seem this is the most-power-saving mode, in which case I'd guess the oscillator startup time WOULD add to making it the laziest wakeup.

--Every 100 ms or so, wake up (via a Timer2 interrupt)
Were you planning on attaching an external crystal to timer2?  If not, you are going to need to use one of the power-saving modes that leaves the crystal oscillator running, and these are not subject to the 65ms oscillator startup time.

westfw, yes, I was planning on connecting a 32 Khz crystal. Would that preclude the startup time? If so, I'm a little unclear on why the 65ms startup time would only apply in case of the main oscillator.

Looking at the costs of those modules, using an iPod touch or a cheap Android would seem to simplify things a lot, especially if you want accurate voice recognition, wi-fi capability (so that you can connect to the electronics that you want to switch on), etc.

Of course, if your goal is to learn/DIY electronics, then @Riva's recommended modules along with a standard Arduino Due would help you get started. The RFID reader listed there is actually reasonably easy to work with, so I suggest you give it a shot! If you read in the comments section on that Sparkfun page, the very first comment even provides sample code.

[What alternative method could, or is typically, applied for a repetitive, periodic sleep-wakeup-task-then-sleep situation like this?]

@Nick and @Crossroads:

It appears, then, that the minimum time is 65 ms (in addition to possibly the number of clock cycles depending on which sleep mode).

But this seems to be very, very long (speaking with respect to typical computer time scales, of course).

For example, suppose I want to accomplish a simple repetitive cycle like this:
--Every 100 ms or so, wake up (via a Timer2 interrupt)
--Do a task that takes about 50 ms
--Go back to sleep
--Repeat

Then, unless I am missing something, the startup time of 65 ms would make the above task impossible (or at least not so efficient in terms of power optimization).

What alternative method could, or is typically, applied for a repetitive, periodic sleep-wakeup-task-then-sleep situation like this? I suppose I'm shooting for a strategy where, after the wakeup-interrupt, the MCU would "startup" in less than 10 ms (as opposed to 65).

How long would the Arduino's Atmega328 chip take in terms of "startup time" to wakeup from sleep mode, for example upon a timer- or pushbutton-interrupt? (assuming the standard external crystal)

Is it on the order of milliseconds, or 100s of milliseconds?

I ask because I am playing with a barebones-Arduino project where I would like the Atmega328 to wake up every 100 ms (based on an interrupt from Timer2), do a quick task, then go back to sleep again so as to conserve power.

Obviously, with this in mind, I would like the chip's wakeup action to be as immediate (as low latency) as possible.

Thank you very much, Paul.
And regarding the extra long pins: It's too bad that only some of the shields do it. Wish there were a standard on the Arduino official page that every new shield-maker can follow.

Could someone who owns an Arduino Ethernet shield please tell me the height of the shield (including the PCB as well as the RJ45 connector)?

Unfortunately the Arduino product page doesn't provide this information. Before I order one, I am trying to see whether it would fit a certain dimensional requirement I have.

Looks good. Since you have quite a bit of space left over, it would be useful if you add 3.3V <-> 5V support for shields, so that it's all-shield-ready out of the box, something that would obviously add significant value to your board. If you use a level translator like GTL2000 for this purpose, it would only add a dollar or two to the BOM cost.

There's a discussion going on about this over here: http://arduino.cc/forum/index.php/topic,136717.0.html