Jon,
It could just have easily been "TangleFoot-imo" - just what I had handy when deciding upon a username.
Thanks for the review of "Getting Started with Arduino" on your blog.
It's brief postings like this, which draw wider attention to the buzz that is behind this open source project.
What is the success of the Arduino over other small microcontroller boards?
I guess it's because the community has reached a critical mass and whatever your ideas or aspirations for developing a new project - there is always someone out there who has done the trailblazing work already.
There is no reason why the ATmega168 should be any better or worse than similar offerings from Texas Instruments, Microchip or any of a handful of other chip vendors - but when put on a board, with a few other bits, and the momentum of the Arduino community behind it, it certainly seems to exceed the sum of its parts.
BTW. I read from your blog that you have made some initial steps into robotics, and that you like to have fun with silent callers. There's a new product available this year that efficiently dispatches unwanted phone calls - have a look at truecall dot co dot uk
G