Be not downheartened, comrade! Back-shelf it for a while, keep on reading, searching, pondering. I've got hack ideas going back five-ten years that I'm just *now* getting a handle on how to attack. Consider other projects for your parts, too. Keep an open mind.

Cheap 9" VGA CRTs are not wholly unobtainium, and brand new LCDs start around $100. Video aside, the rest is just jamming it all in there somewhere.