preload-images.js

  var imageCache = [];

  // preload images and cache them for rapid loading
  function preloadImages(paths) {
    for (var i = paths.length; i--;) {
      var cacheImage = document.createElement('img');
      cacheImage.src = paths[i];
      imageCache.push(cacheImage);
    }
  }

  /*
   * $('img.photo',this).imagesLoaded(myFunction)
   * execute a callback when all images have loaded.
   * needed because .load() doesn't work on cached images
   * 
   * callback function is passed the last image to load
   * as an argument, and the collection as `this`
   */
  $.fn.imagesLoaded = function(callback){
    var elems = this.filter('img'), len = elems.length;
       
    elems.bind('load',function(){
      if (--len <= 0){ callback.call(elems,this); }
    }).each(function(){
      // cached images don't fire load sometimes, so we reset src.
      if (this.complete || this.complete === 'undefined'){
        var src = this.src;
        // webkit hack from http://groups.google.com/group/jquery-dev/browse_thread/thread/eee6ab7b2da50e1f
        this.src = '#';
        this.src = src;
      }  
   }); 
  };