Exactly my thinking on the Arduino. I see people using $50 circuit boards to do something as simple as read a phototransistor or CDS cell and then turn something on or off, without even programming any timers, delays, etc. I can appreciate that Arduino allows people with absolutely no knowledge of electronics to do things without a lot of effort, but come on, if you can learn to program an Arduino board you can learn enough about electronics to know when you need or don't need a uC.