I saw some where a person soldered a second row of header pins to the arduino that were alligned properly with regular perfboard, but I'm not too comfortable with doing that,
you mention buying the bare PCB's, but I've had difficulty finding them, I've seen them for the arduino itself, but not the proto shield.
perhaps someone could design some wings that would fit the arduino
on one side and the proper pitch on the other.
regards,
Carl
P.S. As for the conspiracy I was joking for the most part, maybe only 10% convinced of the ploy; but my sense of humor is often dry and sarcastic so people often think I'm serious.