This is great resource for exploring sorting algorithms.

I think it would be beneficial if there was a way to determine the order in which each sort finishes.

I really want an animation like this for Batcher's method. That already exist somewhere and I just can't find it? Would be amusing/interesting to see something showing 100 items sorted in essentially 7 "steps."

I enjoy these http://panthema.net/2013/sound-of-sorting/

Here is another cool visualization of classic sort algorithms http://sorting.at

It bugs me that Shellsort is almost everywhere the seemingly fastest algorithm.

Same here. I hit replay 5 times just to make sure. I even tried the highest problem size and Shellsort still beat both Quicksorts handily.