Node Weight module provides a weight field that can be added to any content type. The weight field can then be used to provide customized sorting via views or custom query.
This module adds several features to the panels module like disabling and scheduling blocks directly from the interface. It also allows panels to be outputted as JSON.
Besides the new features, the panel content form has been optimized and it now allows blocks to give more information about their configuration, disabled and scheduling status and much more.