RPiWare.com has released a new line of Expansion Boards designed specifically for the Raspberry Pi. These boards operate at 3.3 volts and are sized to be powered from the existing power adapter, due to their low power consumption. They also operate ON at high voltage and remain OFF at low voltage. These boards are designed to protect the Raspberry Pi - as you know many other boards do not protect the RPi when the electric field collapses. These boards also come bundled with free software available for download to jump-start your project. Finally there are online tutorials for those new to the RPi environment, such as a WiFi Drink Dispenser which can be found at the following, as just an example:
http://www.rpiware.com/drink.html
Happy Innovating,
RPiWare.com