CycleStreets

Here's a nice thing: CycleStreets is a cycle route planner that uses OpenStreetMap and will calculate a "quietest" route, as well as the usual "shortest" and "fastest".  It gives map snapshots along the route, an journey time based on a range of speeds, and a Google Earth flypast (if you have it installed).  Pretty nifty - I like the "avoid dismounts" option too. 

If you build it, they will nom

Geoengineering fun: Iron-seeding experiments caused an algal bloom... but the algae didn't die off nicely, instead, it was all et by algae-eating critters who had a population explosion of their own and pulled the plug on the bloom before it peaked and died and sank nicely like it did in the lab.  Oops!