Checkout my presentation about IoT:
ESP8266, Arduino, Raspberry Pi: introduction to IoT hardware
squix78 on Tag: NodeLua
squix78 on ESP8266 with web update: NodeLua, a Spark.io like ESP8266 firmware
squix78 on 
The ESP8266 chip is really something: cheap and with its Wifi interface capable for Internet-of-Things tasks. You can get boards on Aliexpress for as little as $3, shipping to Europe or US included! OK, so you ordered one, waited (possibly) a few weeks and then …