You should have a look a RightScales http_connection gem too. Seems that there are bunch of other stuff that Net::HTTP is missing too . e.g support for HTTP Status: 100 Continue
Something geeky for you to see in OZ Remember in Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson when Lawrence Pritchard Waterhouse ends up in Australia? He builds a computer that uses long tubes of mercury as RAM ?
Well you can see the computer that his is based on. Its the oldest surviving computer, and its in the Melbourne museum. Its the CSIRAC, here is my (bad) pic http://www.flickr.com/photos/withoutdirection/1...