jQuery.phase (to improve performance of heavy dom-manipulation)

gistfile1.js

/*
    The point of this uitlity is to detach nodes while preserving their original 
    position (which $.fn.detach() doesn't) so they can be re-injected later on.

    naming stuff is a bitch and "phase" ("shift phase in/out") 
    is the "best" (science-finctiony) word I could come up with.
    got a better Idea? tell me on twitter: @rodneyrehm

    ideas so far:
       dompulate, teleport, phase, manipulateOffscreen
       hyperspace (slip stream?), translocate
       displace
       backstage, ghostify
       oppend, as in operate or offend, and you can prepend anything to "pend"
       transpose
*/


$.fn.phase = function() {
    return this.each(function() {
        var $this = $(this),
            placeholder = $this.data('redetach');

        if (placeholder) {
            placeholder.parentNode.replaceChild(this, placeholder);
            $this.removeData('redetach');
        } else {
            placeholder = document.createTextNode(''),
            this.parentNode.replaceChild(placeholder, this);
            $this.data('redetach', placeholder);
        }
    });
};