function slideSwitch()
{
   var $active = $('#slideshow img.active');

   if ( $active.length == 0 ) $active = $('#slideshow IMG:last');

   // use this to pull the images in the order they appear in the markup
   var $next =  $active.next().length ? $active.next() : $('#slideshow IMG:first');

   $active.addClass('last-active');

   $next.css({opacity: 0.0})
       .addClass('active')
       .animate({opacity: 1.0}, 1000, function()
       {
           $active.removeClass('active last-active');
       });
}

$(function() {
    setInterval( "slideSwitch()", 3000 );
});