Today's odds and ends.

• George MacDonald Fraser died the other day. He was the author of the marvelous Flashman novels. I reviewed the last Flashman novel a year ago.

• Kiva seems like a really good idea, connecting people in the emerging world who need microloans with people who can afford to lend them $25.

  Last summer, we attended a house party for Marc Gold of the 100 Friends project. He's a sort of one-man Santa Claus, personally handing out money to needy people and organizations.

• Zane, whose superpower is knowing a Web 2.0 application for every problem, reminded me on Friday of Mint. I just signed up. Mint keeps track of your money across all your accounts and shows you your spending.

  I wanted to know how they make money, but it was hard to track down why it's free. They offer you suggestions on alternatives to your current banks, credit cards, phone companies, etc. If you switch, they get a little cut.

• Ian Welsh endorses Edwards and sums up why he thinks John Edwards is a better candidate than Clinton or Obama.